Science Education Policy Research Articles

Dr. Uri Treisman: Five Decades of Postsecondary Innovation

Philip Uri Treisman is a University Distinguished Teaching Professor, professor of mathematics, and professor of public affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. He is the founder and executive director of the Charles A. Dana Center, an organized research unit in the College of Natural Sciences that works to ensure that all students, regardless of their life circumstances, can access—and succeed—in rigorous mathematics and science education. Dr. Treisman is active in numerous organizations working to improve American mathematics education. He is a founder and member of the governing board of Transforming Post-Secondary Education in Mathematics (also known as TPSE-Math). He is a representative of the American Mathematical Society to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (Education, Section Q) and is a senior advisor to the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences Research Advisory Group. In addition, he is a member of the Roundtable on Data Science Postsecondary Education with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Dr. Treisman has served as a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Education Commission of the States since 2013. He is also chairman of the Strong Start to Finish Campaign (and its expert advisory board), a joint initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and Ascendium Education Group that works nationally to ensure that all students get a strong start in their first year of college and finish with the skills they need to thrive. Treisman has served on the STEM working group of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the 21st-Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges of the American Association of Community Colleges, and the Commission on Mathematics and Science Education of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Institute for Advanced Study. Treisman’s research and professional interests span mathematics and science education, education policy, social and developmental psychology, community service, and volunteerism.

A vision that focuses on diversity and broader impact

The Journal of Research in Science Teaching (JRST) has made an easy transition from one editorial team to the next. We thank the outgoing editorial team, led by Coeditors Fouad Abd-El-Khalick and Dana L. Zeidler and Managing Editor Elizabeth C. Niswander, for its exemplary work and dedication to JRST. You can read their Editors' report in Issue 58, Volume 2, which summarizes their tenure. From their 5-year editorship, we have inherited a strong journal in terms of infrastructure and good standing as an international journal focused on cutting-edge science education research. In our editorial as incoming coeditors, Volume 57, Issue 2, we communicated our vision for the journal where we outlined three strategic foci: (1) promoting equity and diversity of the JRST community; (2) leading efforts to establish disciplinary norms, criteria, and expectations relative to the evolving landscape of open access and open science across the publishing industry; and (3) building a stronger presence for JRST within the modern media environment such that JRST-published research achieves broader reach and impact for the improvement of science education practice and policy. Over the next few months, we will expand upon these areas while also updating you on what is happening in the publishing world that will have an impact on the decisions we make as Coeditors and your work as scholars. First, we are focused on advancing equity and diversity in the peer review process, which starts with the composition of our editorial team. We introduced our Managing Editor and Editorial Assistants in our first editorial. Here, we introduce the Associate Editors (Table 1). Collectively, they have a vast knowledge base relevant to contemporary issues in science education. With theoretical, methodological, epistemological, and philosophical diversity, their expertise and standing in the field represent a multiplicity of perspectives to support the vision we have for promoting diverse scholarship, which comes from having a diverse editorial team. As a group, we represent the most diverse group of Editors and Associate Editors who have served JRST. This is critically important because we believe the cultural diversity of our team communicates an important message to the global science education community about our commitments to diversity, inclusivity, and representation; a more diverse editorial team also denotes the increasingly diverse membership of NARST and the JRST readership. We know the process of publishing can be challenging, not only for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty but also for seasoned scholars in submitting their work to the journal. We have been working closely with our Wiley team to update and provide information for submitting your manuscripts. We found many places where the criteria were not consistent, and we thank our community for pointing out some of these places. There is a checklist for authors to review before and upon submitting their manuscript to ScholarOne Manuscripts™. Preparing your manuscript according to these guidelines is an equity issue for us. This means that formatting your manuscript according to the 10-item checklist allows for equitable formatting requirements, which also helps later in the management and production processes to prepare manuscripts promptly for early view. We encourage all authors to view the Author Guidelines before submission of their manuscripts. JRST is a world-class research journal, and our goal is to improve upon the journal's excellence. In doing so, we intend to maintain its very strong reputation; improve readership; increase its impact factor; and broaden the community of scholars who conduct research, read, and review for JRST. We are committed to preserving JRST as a venue that values a range of important and forward-thinking scholarship related to the teaching and learning of science, including scholarship with diverse and critical theoretical frameworks, methodologies, commitments, and perspectives. As an example of meeting our goal of broader access, we are piloting Visual Abstracts and Research Briefs to share on our social media outlets. These resources are short bits of information for educational stakeholders outside of the immediate research community and are written with an educated layperson in mind. Freely share this information to educators, policymakers, and organizations you feel will benefit from these highlights of recent publications in the journal. We are appreciative of those who review for the journal, and we invite a broader community of reviewers to participate in the peer-review process. We welcome you to nominate yourself and others to be reviewers, to accept invitations to review and to engage with us in challenging our collective work as a worldwide organization for improving science teaching and learning through research with the ultimate goal to help all learners achieve science literacy. You can reach us through the journal's new email address: [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @JRSTpub.

What’s Behind Multiple Institutional Affiliations in Academia?

Multiple institutional affiliations occur when an academic belongs to more than one organisation. Recent research shows an increase in multiple affiliations, but evidence on roles and motivations is mainly anecdotal. We develop in this study a typology of co-affiliations which identifies four types based on their purpose and origin. We draw on results from a unique international survey on academics in three major science nations (the UK, Germany and Japan) to study the different drivers for the four types of co-affiliations. The analyses show that researchers’ motivations (access to networks, prestige, resources, funding, or personal income) explain the type of the observed co-affiliations. Self-initiated and research-focused co-affiliations are often motivated by networking and resource access while co-affiliations that serve other than research purposes are more often income motivated. The results contribute to the understanding of the organisation of science and we discuss implications for science and higher education policy.

Las políticas científico-educativas y las nuevas condiciones de los académicos en ciencias sociales del noreste de México

Como parte de la fase exploratoria de un proyecto más amplio, se analizaron las transformaciones que las políticas de ciencia y educación superior, ligadas a la instauración de un nuevo patrón de legitimación académica en México, han provocado en un segmento del profesorado, específicamente en el que realiza investigación científica en ciencias sociales en los estados del noreste. Las fuentes analizadas fueron, principalmente, entrevistas realizadas a 22 de estos académicos en las que se aborda la forma en que ellos conciben, valoran y se relacionan con estas políticas, así como los efectos que han tenido y las condiciones regionales e institucionales específicas de aplicación. Cuando ha sido posible, las impresiones de los entrevistados son contrastadas con datos construidos a partir de los padrones del Sistema Nacional de Investigadores o con antecedentes empíricos disponibles. Los resultados muestran una visión compartida ampliamente entre los académicos sobre un desarrollo considerable de su campo en las últimas tres décadas, producto en buena medida de las políticas referidas. También es muy extendida la percepción de que se ha entrado en una fase de estancamiento en ese desarrollo. Una de las principales explicaciones que se le dan es el desinterés o la hostilidad hacia su labor en los contextos locales, los cuales no habrían sido revertidos a pesar de su relativo crecimiento y legitimación. Entre las conclusiones preliminares que podemos extraer de estos resultados destacamos que, derivado del carácter exógeno de los impulsos que permitieron su desarrollo en la región, este segmento del profesorado tendría una articulación deficiente con buena parte de las dinámicas y los intereses de las instituciones de educación superior locales.

Saudi science teachers’ perceptions of the cultural factors influencing elementary students’ science learning

This mixed-methods research study explored Saudi Arabian elementary science teachers’ perceptions about and conceptualizations of cultural factors (i.e., social, parental, and school) that influence students’ engagement with and learning of science. A descriptive and inferential analysis of survey data from 398 male and female teachers (with broad Saudi geographic representation) confirmed that cultural factors had the statistically greatest impact in the Northern and Eastern provinces and that intimating a close relationship between geographic region and teachers’ perceptions of cultural influence. A thematic analysis of qualitative interviews (N = 30) provided additional insight into the ways in which the teachers conceptualize the connection between culture and students’ science learning. They expressed the view that students’ immediate environment, everyday life, and exposure to technology augmented their science learning while their home culture, media, and faith interfered with the same. The results and findings of this study are relevant to Saudi science education teachers, policy makers, and curriculum developers.

Learning that physics is ‘not for me’: Pedagogic work and the cultivation of habitus among advanced level physics students

ABSTRACT Background There is widespread agreement that participation in post-compulsory physics needs to be widened and increased, particularly among women and under-represented communities. This paper contributes to understanding of the processes that produce unequal participation, Methods: The paper undertakes a Bourdieusian analysis of longitudinal interview data from 75 interviews conducted with fifteen students, tracked from age 10-18, who studied Advanced level physics in England. Findings: The paper discusses evidence of a physics habitus that was strongly aligned with notions of intelligence/cleverness and masculinity and identifies how young women were particularly disadvantaged by a popular notion of the “effortlessly clever physicist”, which encouraged even highly interested and high attaining young women not to continue further with the subject. We identified three main forms of pedagogic work performed by school physics (attainment-based practices of debarring and gatekeeping; curriculum practices of deferring ‘real’ physics and physics ‘lies’; and interpersonal reinforcement of doxa), which helped cultivate student habitus over time and produce inequitable patterns of participation Contribution: Analyses show that school physics contributes to reproducing inequitable (and low overall) patterns of participation. Implications are discussed for science education policy and practice to support more equitable participation.

Authenticity, transition and mathematical competence: an exploration of the values and ideology underpinning an increase in the amount of mathematics in the science curriculum in England

ABSTRACTScience is a much-revised and contested area of the curriculum. A new curriculum has recently been introduced in England which includes far more mathematical aspects of science than previous versions. This study asks what the influences, ideologies and values are which led to this change. A two-phase qualitative approach was followed comprising semi-structured interviews with key contributors to the science and mathematics education discourse together with an analysis of government and other influential documentation. This study is unusual both in its focus on those who were responsible for making science education policy and its focus on the policy development of the mathematical aspects of the science curriculum. The findings suggest that drivers for increasing the amount of mathematics in science include concerns about standards, the difficulties students have transitioning to higher stages of science education and the desire to improve students’ broader mathematical competence. Aiming to improve students’ mathematical competence is an aim for all students. In contrast, helping students transition to further scientific study is for a minority. I argue that ideologies and values which underpin the curriculum need to be interrogated more closely and should remain a focus of research.

김정은 시기 과학기술교육정책의 특징과 정치적 함의

이 연구는 김정은 집권이후 ‘전민과학기술인재화’를 위한 일련의 교육개혁이 북한이 의도한 과학기술발전에 기초한 경제강국 건설에 기여할 수 있는 지의 여부를 살펴보고자 했다. 북한의 현대화, 정보화, 과학화 등의 추세에 부합되는 교육내용과 방식 및 교육환경 개선 등 일련의 교육개혁은 창의적인 인재들이 지식경제강국 건설에 매진하는 발전국가로의 전환을 기대할 수 있다. 그러나 이런 일련의 교육개혁은 기존 체제안정 및 유지라는 프레임 속에 추진되고 있어 성과의 한계를 지니고 있다. 즉 김정은 정권의 지식경제강국건설론은 대외개방과 자율성의 허용이 전제되는 것이나 사상성이 투철한 전문가들이 자립적인 경제발전에 이바지하며, 인민동원적 지원방식에 의존하는 일련의 교육개혁은 일정정도 한계를 지니고 있는 것이다. 그런 가운데서도 김정은 식 과학기술·경제강국에 대한 비전 제시와 일련의 시도들은 주민들에게 발전국가, 강성국가건설에 대한 희망부여와 함께 애민, 위민의 지도자로서 자리매김 등의 정치적 기능을 하고 있다고 할 수 있다.

The influence of an engineering design experience on elementary teachers’ nature of engineering views

The Next Generation Science Standards in the United States placed a special emphasis on engineering unlike previous national science education policy documents. Some studies attempted to examine students’ and teachers’ nature of engineering (NOE) views, but NOE views should be better conceptualized before further exploration of students’ and teachers’ NOE views. This study sought to assess the influence of solving an engineering design problem on elementary teachers’ nature of engineering (NOE) views. We examined changes in NOE views of 30 elementary teachers from different schools in a large urban school district in southwestern United States. An open-ended NOE questionnaire coupled with individual interviews was used to collect data about participants’ NOE views before and after the engineering design experience. Elementary teachers participated in a 3-day professional development program that engaged them in designing soda can crushers. Overall, we found that elementary teachers made substantial gains in their NOE views. The result of the present study supports the inclusion of more explicit and reflective strategies to teach NOE aspects during engineering design experiences.

Ninth‐grade students' perceptions of the factors that led them to major in high school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines

AbstractOn completing middle‐school (ninth grade), Israeli students must choose which discipline(s) to major in upon entering high school. This study, grounded in Expectancy‐Value Theory (EVT), identified and modeled the factors that contributed to students' academic choices from their own subjective perspectives. We collected qualitative and quantitative data from ninth graders in two urban middle‐schools (n=295) at the school year's end. We found that (a) most students cited interest and utility value as their main motivations for choosing a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) major, expectancies were mentioned less; (b) students who chose a STEM major had statistically significant higher scores for EVT's key predictor variables (personal attributes, “subjective task value,” “expectation of success,” perceived effects of environmental factors) than their counterparts who majored in non‐STEM disciplines; (c) the positive perceptions of their peers' interest and ability in science contributed significantly to students' choice to major in STEM disciplines; and (d) no significant gender differences re academic choice were found. One highly unexpected finding emerged: Participation in advanced science programs for highly qualified students (“ability grouping with curriculum differentiation”) was by far the most significant factor in the choice to major in STEM disciplines. This finding has major implications for science education policy and practice.

Reflections on and implications of the Programme for International Student Assessment 2015 (PISA 2015) performance of students in Taiwan: The role of epistemic beliefs about science in scientific literacy

AbstractThe 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has drawn a substantial amount of attention from science educators and educational policymakers because it marked the first time that PISA assessed students' ability to evaluate and design scientific inquiry using computer‐based simulations. We undertook a secondary analysis of the PISA 2015 Taiwan dataset of 7,973 students from 214 schools to identify critical issues of student learning and potentially reshape our educational system and policies. Thus, this study sought to identify potential latent clusters of students' scientific literacy performance according to a set of focus variables selected from the PISA student questionnaires. In addition, significant determinants of students' scientific literacy and resiliency were analyzed. Cluster analysis results demonstrated the presence of four clusters of high, medium, low, and inferior scientific literacy/epistemology/affective dispositions. Specifically, students in cluster 1 compared with other clusters showed that the higher the scientific literacy scores are, the more positive epistemic beliefs about science, achievement motivation, enjoyment of science, interests in broad science, science self‐efficacy, information and communications technology (ICT) interest, ICT autonomy, more learning time, more teacher supports and teacher‐directed instructions are. Regression results indicated that the most robust predictor of students' scientific literacy performance is epistemic beliefs about science, followed by learning time, interest in broad science topics, achievement motivation, inquiry‐based science teaching and learning practice, and science self‐efficacy. Decision tree model results showed that the descending order of the variables in terms of their importance in differentiating students as high‐ versus low‐performing were epistemic beliefs about science, learning time, self‐efficacy, interest in broad science, and scientific inquiry, respectively. A similar decision tree model to determine students as resilient versus non‐resilient also was found. Various interpretations of these results are discussed, as are their implications for science education research, science teaching, and science education policy.

Aspiring to Lead: Physics Teacher Leaders Influencing Science Education Policy

Teachers are increasingly recognizing the need—and their power—to advocate on behalf of the teaching profession for the sake of their students and communities. National organizations like AAPT have a key role in amplifying teachers’ voices. Building on the strategic vision for K-12 physics teacher professional development of the “Aspiring to Lead” report (Fig. 1), AAPT broke new ground by supporting teams of educators in addressing local- and state-level issues related to physics education.

The Perceptions of Students in Secondary School in Regard to Evolution-Based Teaching: Acceptance and Evolution Learning Experiences—The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

This study investigates how Grade 12 secondary school students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) perceive and respond to teaching and learning on evolution. A mixed-methodology approach including a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews was used. The study shows that Saudi students are aware of the great significance that has been assigned to the theory of evolution in the scientific domain, particularly in terms of its scientific validity and testability, and its acceptance within the scientific community. The students made a decision as to whether they accepted or rejected the concept of evolution, after considering the evidence that was presented along with any conflicts in terms of their religious beliefs. On the whole, the students in this study were found to support the teaching and learning of evolution; in addition, they provided a number of reasons to explain why they supported the inclusion of this subject within their science education. The link between religion and science, and the nature of science (NOS), was found to have a significant effect on the perceptions of students regarding the teaching of evolution. However, further work needs to be carried out on renewing, developing and creating new science education policies that are suitable and relevant for modern Saudi society. Such policies should encompass the acceptance of learners with varying viewpoints and opinions and should emphasise coexistence with and tolerance of others, thus ensuring the presence of discursive consultations and positive dialogue in science education within the KSA.

A Starting Point: Provide Children Opportunities to Engage with Scientific Inquiry and Nature of Science

This paper explores the effect teachers’ participation in a targeted inquiry-based/nature of science (NoS) continuing professional development programme had on Irish primary children’s experiences of scientific inquiry and developing conceptions of NoS. Data were gathered from 459 children from 10 Dublin schools. The findings revealed that their teachers’ engagement with the targeted professional development programme had positive effects on the children’s experiences of scientific inquiry and on their developing NoS conceptions. It was apparent that professional development methodologies were effectively implemented throughout the school year. which led to a significant increase in these children’s engagement with more child-led inquiry-based approaches and a significant decrease in engagement with more teacher-led methodologies. Furthermore, engagement with the professional development methodologies resulted in the children developing more elaborate conceptions regarding ‘general aspects’ of NoS. The findings are significant in that that they add to the growing body of literature that asserts that pedagogy regarding ‘general aspects’ of NoS is an appropriate starting point in supporting the development of young children’s NoS conceptions. Furthermore, engagement with the programme methodologies during school science enabled the children to make sense of science in their everyday lives. Science education policy documents worldwide highlight the importance of scientific literacy and suggest that if students are to become scientifically literate it is essential that they develop their understanding about the processes of science and the type of knowledge science produces and have the ability to apply this scientific knowledge in every day contexts. The findings in this study are significant in that it is apparent that engagement with inquiry-based and NoS pedagogies appeared to have been a very good starting point in supporting the development of these young children’s scientific literacy skills.

Orthodox Church and Science Education Policy in Modern Greece

The aim of this paper is to present the influence the Greek Orthodox Church has on matters of Education Policy in the Modern Greek state, especially on Science Education. Historically, since its foundation, the Greek state is closely linked to the Orthodox Church, which is the institution of orthodox Christianity, the official religious dogma of the Greek state as it is explicitly mentioned in the Greek Constitution. Since the foundation of the Modern Greek state, nearly two centuries ago, the Orthodox Church plays a key role in every aspect of general policy, and especially in educational policy. It is characteristic that religious affairs and education are governed by the same ministry, the Ministry of Education, Research and Religions, and orthodox priests are public employees enjoying the status of civil servants. Historically, this interlink of the Church with the State can be easily explained by the privileged relation the patriarch had with the sultan in the Ottoman empire, a status that continued to exist in a different form in the epoch of the Modern Greek state. Due to its privileged position in the state apparatus, the Orthodox Church and its multitude of official and unofficial organizations could control the educational policy and especially the national curriculum. This control is more obvious in science education. The aim of this paper is to present the influence the Greek Orthodox Church has on matters of secular education policy in the Modern Greek state, especially on the curriculum of natural sciences. Here, we don’t refer to the parallel secondary education system organized by the Church, which is another point of confrontation between the Greek Orthodox Church and the Greek state in several occasions.

Assessing Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Scientific Reasoning Competencies

Scientific reasoning competencies are highlighted in science education policy papers and standard documents in various countries around the world and pre-service science teachers are asked to develop them during teacher training as part of their professional competencies. In order to monitor the development of pre-service science teachers’ scientific reasoning competencies during their course of studies and to enable evidence-based improvements of teacher training, instruments for the assessment of scientific reasoning competencies are needed. However, studies propose that the validity of most instruments for assessing scientific reasoning competencies available so far can be questioned. This study presents an English translation of an already developed German multiple-choice instrument to assess pre-service science teachers’ scientific reasoning competencies. A sample of N = 105 Australian pre-service science teachers participated in this study by answering the translated instrument. Quantitative (differential item functioning, Mantel–Haenszel statistic) and qualitative (think-aloud protocols) analyses provide validity evidence for the translated instrument. Furthermore, the interpretation of the data as an indicator for the participating Australian pre-service science teachers’ scientific reasoning competencies suggests that there is a need for a more explicit emphasis on scientific reasoning in Australian science teacher training.

Effectiveness of a child-friendly astronomy news platform for science learning – An exploratory study

Science education policies have promoted the role of science literacy practices, including reading, writing and reasoning with science texts, to advance inquiry-based learning in science education. Learning science through news is a promising approach. Since news provides meaningful real-life context, it stimulates the process of active questioning and learning science while fosters science literacy practices. Previous studies have reported that news improves science learning. However, they also reported some barriers to implement news as a teaching resource. The Space Scoop website is an innovative resource as it is specially designed to bring the latest astronomy news to young readers in the form of short, easy-to-understand stories. In this study, we conducted structured interviews in order to understand opinions of teachers and educators (N = 20) about Space Scoop as a teaching resource. This research also investigated the advantages and disadvantages of Space Scoop as compared to general news resources for science learning. Tests were conducted on Space Scoop articles to measure the readability of the articles. Our findings showed that Space Scoop is suitable for young children and motivates them to study science. Space Scoop has overcome the main barriers to teaching with news, namely, the advanced reading level and unreliability of information. Evidence from this exploratory study indicates that Space Scoop supports inquiry-based learning, improves science literacy skills and promotes lifelong learning. An in-depth study with expanded sample in the future would provide further evidence and understanding of how science news like Space Scoop supports science education.

Introduction to the special issue: A critical examination of the Next Generation Science Standards

Introduction to the special issue: A critical examination of the Next Generation Science Standards

Brokering research in science education policy implementation: the case of a professional association

Recent scholarship suggests that research use is an interactive, social phenomenon, and that brokers play important roles in facilitating the exchange of research evidence. We add to this body of literature by exploring the role of brokers in the exchange of research evidence among state education agency leaders involved in K–12 science education policy implementation in the United States. We focus our study on the lead professional association for state science policymakers, the Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS), because professional associations are the most prominent source of research for state and local education leaders, and are important for supporting the use of research evidence and policy implementation. Our findings, based on analysis of social network survey data, highlight the complex brokering roles CSSS members, and especially leaders in the association, played. These brokers not only enabled association members’ access to diverse sources of research, but also facilitated between-state research exchanges. Our findings have implications for research and theory on brokering, and they point to the importance of professional associations for facilitating access to research to support education policy implementation.

Excellence and Frontier Research as Travelling Concepts in Science Policymaking

Excellence and frontier research have made inroads into European research policymaking and structure political agendas, funding programs and evaluation practices. The two concepts travelled a long way from the United States and have derived from contexts outside of science (and policy). Following their conceptual journey, we ask how excellence and frontier research have percolated into European science and higher education policies and how they have turned into lubricants of competition that buttress an ongoing reform process in Europe.