Beliefs And Values In Science Education

Examines ways in which beliefs and values interact with science and science teaching

This book examines ways in which beliefs and values interact with science and science teaching. It looks at some of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural contexts within which science has developed and considers how these factors can affect the choice of scientific theory. Various historical sections provide resource material for showing pupils the role of the history of science in the study of science. Interactions between science and religious belief are also analysed to clarify the nature, strengths and limitations of science as well as its place in the total curriculum. Publication of this book is particularly timely as contributions to pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are currently receiving emphasis across the whole curriculum.

In 2007, the Monash-Kings College London International Centre for the Study of Science and Mathematics Curriculum edited a book called The Re-emergence of Values in Science Education. This book reflects on how values have been considered since this original publication, particularly in terms of socio-cultural, economic and political factors that have impacted broadly on science, technology and society, and more specifically on informal and formal science curricula. Hence, the title of this book has been framed as Values in Science Education: The shifting sands. As in the first book, this collection focuses on values that are centrally associated with science and its teaching, and not the more general notion of values such as cooperation or teamwork that are also important values in current curricula. Such values have indeed become more of a focus in science education. This may be a response to the changing global context, where technological changes have been rapid and accelerating. In such complex and risky environments, it is our guiding principles that become the important mainstays of our decisions and practices. In terms of science education, what is becoming clearer is that traditional content and traditional science and scientific methods are not enough for science and hence science education to meet such challenges. While shifts in values in science education continue, tensions remain in curriculum development and implementation, as evidenced by the continued diversity of views about what and whose values matter most.

Issues relating to values have always had a place in the school science curriculum. Sometimes this has been only in terms of the inclusion of topics such as 'the nature of science' and/or 'scientific method' and/or particular intentions for laboratory work that relate to 'scientific method.'sometimes it has been much broader, for example in curricula with STS emphases. Of importance to aspects of this proposal is that different countries/cultures have had different traditions in terms of the place of values in the school [science] curriculum. One obvious very broad difference of this form is the central place in [science] education thinking in many European countries of bildung, and the complete absence of this construct from most [science] curriculum thinking in English speaking contexts. There are numbers of such country/cultural differences. In the 1990s many countries moved towards various conceptualizations of Outcomes Based Education - OBE (sometimes so labelled and sometimes not). It was usual (but not universal) for OBE focused science curricula to have constrained views of the values that should be implicit and explicit in curriculum; that is views concerned only with 'the nature of science' and 'scientific method' (both usually seen as quite unproblematic). Currently there are a number of education systems that are changing again, and choosing to move away from Outcomes Based Education (for example, South Africa and several Australian states). One of the most interesting features of many of these movements is the re-embracing of a wider view of the science curriculum, including a reconsideration of the nature and place of the values associated with science in the purposes for and approaches to science education.

Social psychologists have studied beliefs and values, and related constructs such as "attitudes" and "prejudice" for decades. But as this innovative and interdisciplinary book convincingly demonstrates, the scientific examination of beliefs and values now influences research and practice across a range of disciplines. Specifically, this edited volume explores the many cutting edge implications and applications of Equilintegration or EI Theory and the Beliefs, Events, and Values Inventory (BEVI). Grounded in twenty years of research and practice, EI Theory seeks to explain the processes by which beliefs, values, and worldviews are acquired and maintained, why their alteration is resisted, and under what circumstances they are modified. Based upon EI Theory, the BEVI is a comprehensive analytic tool which examines how and why we come to see ourselves, others, and the larger world as we do as well as the influence of such processes on multiple aspects of human functioning. Edited by the developer of the EI model and BEVI method, and informed by contributions from leading U.S. and international scholars, this book features captivating research findings and pioneering practice applications. Research-focused chapters explain how the EI model and BEVI method increase our conceptual sophistication and methodological capacity across a range of areas: Culture, Development, Environment, Gender, Personality, Politics, and Religion. Practice-oriented chapters demonstrate how the BEVI is used in the real world across a range of applied domains: Assessment, Education, Forensics, Leadership, and Psychotherapy. Written in an accessible and engaging manner, this fascinating and timely volume speaks to many of the most pressing issues of our day, by illuminating why we believe what we believe, and demonstrating how our beliefs and values may be assessed, explained, and transformed in the real world. Key Features: Presents an interdisciplinary theoretical model and innovative assessment method derived from two decades of work on the etiology, maintenance, and transformation of beliefs and values Features contributions from leading scholars from the U.S. and internationally, demonstrating the many implications and applications of this cutting edge approach for research and practice Demonstrates the importance of "making sense of beliefs and values" in addressing many of the most pressing issues of our day

This Reader brings together a wide range of material to present an international perspective on topical issues in science education today. In order to identify what themes should be addressed in the book, thirty-eight science educators from around the world responded to the question: 'What issues are currently important in science education in your country?' The outcome is this lively and authoritative Reader, which features topics as varied as: globalisation assessment pupil's views on science education environmental education teaching approaches teacher development multimedia and ICT constructivism. With a specially written introduction from the editor, providing a much-needed context to the current education climate, students of science education will find this Reader an important route map to further reading and understanding.

What Girls Say About Their Science Education Experiences describes the science education experiences of 12 young ladies enrolled in advanced science courses in a Southeast Texas High School. What Girls Say... includes profiles of each girl and topical chapters dealing with generalizations about the key elements of experience that the girls illuminated. Also, a detailed review of the current literature related to girls and science is provided. The strength of the text lies in the use of the participants. words to describe their own experiences. Unfortunately, despite over 30 years of research related to gender and science education, females still are underrepresented in some upper-level high school science courses, particular college science curricula and majors, and many scientific careers. While boys and girls enter school with equal ability, girls are marginalized in science and math to the point that they trail males in science interest and participation by graduation time. However, such differences have decreased. While attitudes, achievement levels, and the other components of "the science education experience" have been quantitatively examined, very little qualitative analysis exists to describe the educational experience of females in American high school classrooms from the perspective of the student. A description of this phenomenon as constructed through the experiences of female students represents a worthy pursuit. This book represents an attempt to describe this phenomenon as constructed through the experiences of female students. Very simply, the purpose of this book was to describe the essential elements of the current science education experience as constructed by female physics and advanced chemistry students. The construct of science education experience for females included perceived (a) affective attitudes, (b) achievement and success, (c) ability, (d) cultural factors, (e) social-psychological factors, (f) interpersonal factors, and (g) instructional/teacher factors. All of these topics are addressed in What Girls Say About Their Science Education Experiences.

Findings generated by recent research in science education, international debate on the guiding purposes of science education and the nature of scientific and technological literacy, official and semi-official reports on science education (including recommendations from prestigious organizations such as AAAS and UNESCO), and concerns expressed by scientists, environmentalists and engineers about current science education provision and the continuing low levels of scientific attainment among the general population, have led to some radical re-thinking of the nature of the science curriculum.