Few studies in science education have examined how place-based experiences influence students' STEM career aspirations. Rural school students' lived experiences of place and non-traditional STEM career aspirations such as farming are scarcely considered in dominant narratives around science aspirations and career pathways. Adopting a critical…

This study explored how specific inquiry-related learning activities were related to student enjoyment of learning science and intended choice of future STEM career. Analysis of Taiwan and Australia PISA 2015 data revealed that three activities, namely, "debating and planning experiments, drawing conclusions and doing hands-on experiments,…

The aim of education in the 21st century is to cultivate a whole person, not just a professional. Therefore, obtaining an academic qualification (standard credentials) is not enough and other qualities (soft credentials) are also important, including the ability to properly package and present one's credentials and capabilities. This article…

Many countries face mathematics and science teacher shortages. There is a need for greater knowledge about eligible individuals' potential interest to teach and career motivations. We explored career motivations and interest in a teaching career, among 470 tertiary mathematics and science students from four Australian universities. Students with…

Despite limited opportunities for tenured academic positions, the number of PhD graduates in Social Sciences has steadily risen in countries with developed research systems. The current literature predominantly portrays PhD graduates as victims, either of the higher education system or of their own optimism in pursuing an academic career. This…

There is an identified shortage of mathematics and science teachers across Australia and many of these teachers leave the profession within 3 to 5 years of graduating. This paper provides important insights on what motivates people to become science and mathematics teachers in Australia. Data drawn from two surveys, one investigating why students…

In March 2016, representatives from Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA) were invited to BHP Billiton's head office in Melbourne, Australia, to listen to astronautical engineer and NASA New Horizons Mission Operations Manager Alice Bowman discuss her career trajectory and the role her choices in education played in her success. Alice…

In recent years, the science education research community has become increasingly interested in the learning domain of Einsteinian physics (EP). While the literature has provided accounts of how EP education can impact secondary and undergraduate students' attitudes and engagement with physics, we still lack such research with younger students.…

What is science? Depending on who is asked, it may mean the pursuit of knowledge, explanations of the everyday world, a difficult subject at school, or a field populated by larger than life characters such as Einstein, Feynman, or Hawking. For the author, science has been and remains an unexpected journey, an adventure and an ever-changing career.…

In 2015, for the first time in its history, PISA (the Programme for International Student Assessment) asked teachers to describe the various aspects of their working environment and teaching practices. This paper examines how teacher, student, and school characteristics are related to science teachers' satisfaction in 19 PISA-participating…

A concern commonly raised in literature and in media relates to the declining proportions of students who enter and remain in the "science pipeline", and whether many countries, including Australia and New Zealand, have enough budding scientists to fill research and industry positions in the coming years. In addition, there is concern…

There have been many attempts over the last five decades to measure students' attitudes towards school science. Many of these studies investigated attitudes towards limited aspects of science and utilized large numbers of items to draw snapshot summaries of the educational landscape. An understanding of attitudes towards science, and how these…

There is a need for outreach programs to attract a diverse range of students to the computing discipline. The lack of qualified computing graduates to fill the growing number of computing vacancies is of concern to government and industry and there are few female students entering the computing pipeline at high school level. This paper presents…

Despite pressing concerns about the need to prepare high-quality teachers and the central role of teacher educators (TEs) in this process, little is known about how TEs teach about teaching specific subject matter, and how they develop their expertise. This empirical study focuses on the specific expertise that science TEs bring into teacher…

A central objective of recent government reports focused on the important role of education in preparing a skilled and dynamic science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce, with effective teaching in secondary STEM classrooms reliant on the engagement and retention of high-quality STEM teachers (Office of the Chief Scientist,…