This book is based on presentations at the International Science Education Conference (ISEC) 2014. It showcases a selection of the best papers by researchers and science teachers from the Asia-Pacific region, North America and the United Kingdom. Centered on the theme of “Pushing the boundaries – Investing in our future”, they pursue new ways of helping learners appreciate the diversity and changes in science that result from a globalised world facing complex and diverse environmental and technological issues. The chapters touch on various themes in science education that explore and investigate issues of scientific literacy, societal challenges and affect, and teacher professional development. Its comprehensive themes make it a valuable textbook for graduate students of master’s and Ph.D. programs. It also appeals to pre-service and in-service teachers as a resource on innovative pedagogical practices and creative methods of professional development. With a selection that emphasises the research-practice nexus in education research, it serves as an introductory handbook for teachers to connect with the current issues facing science education.
Jennifer YEO is an assistant professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. She taught physics and English language at the secondary level for 8 years. She holds a PhD in Learning Sciences from Nanyang Technological University. Her current research focuses on understanding how students produce explanations in science and the role of representations in mediating thinking and reasoning. She is an associate editor and editorial board member of two international journals.
TEO Tang Wee is an equity scholar in science education. Currently, she is an assistant professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. She graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2007. Her current research focuses on critical studies of science education. She examines equity issues confronted by lower track students, low- and under-achievers, and special needs students when learning science. To date, she has been awarded six research grants (exceeding SGD500K in value) as principal investigator. She is an editor of one book and has guest edited three special issues published in journals. Currently, she serves as an associate editor and editorial board member of three journals.
Kok-Sing TANG is a senior lecturer at the Science & Mathematics Education Centre (SMEC) at Curtin University. He was formerly an assistant professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He holds a BA and MSc in Physics from the University of Cambridge and a MA and PhD in Education from the University of Michigan. His current research examines the disciplinary literacy and multimodal discourse of science, and he has published widely in Science Education, Journal of Engineering Education, International Journal of Science Education, and Language Sciences. Kok-Sing was the co-chairperson for the International ScienceEducation Conference (ISEC) 2014.
