The challenge of climate change means that school education is more important than ever in preparing young people for an uncertain future. The focus of this research is climate change education and its status in the compulsory middle school years (approximately years 7-10) across six countries (Australia, Israel, Finland, Indonesia, Canada and…

The "community of inquiry" as formulated by C. S. Peirce is grounded in the notion of communities of discipline-based inquiry engaged in the construction of knowledge. The phrase "transforming the classroom into a community of inquiry" is commonly understood as a pedagogical activity with a philosophical focus to guide…

In Australia, there is a crisis in science education with students becoming disengaged with canonical science in the middle years of schooling. One recent initiative that aims to improve student interest and motivation without diminishing conceptual understanding is the context-based approach. Contextual units that connect the canonical science…

This case study of a science lesson, on the topic thermal expansion, examines the language demands on students from an integrated science and language perspective. The data were generated during a sequence of 9 lessons on the topic of "States of Matter" in a Grade 7 classroom (12-13 years old students). We identify the language demands…

This paper examines the experiences reported by scientists and graduate students regarding the experiences that first engaged them in science. The interviews analysed for this paper come from Project Crossover, a mixed-methods study of the transition from graduate student to PhD scientist in the fields of chemistry and physics. This analysis…

Many students arrive at high school with enthusiasm for learning Science but by Year 9 some students have become disengaged with Science as a subject. In an attempt to find out the reasons for this, thirty-five Year 9 students from five South Australian secondary schools participated in focus group discussions. This research unearthed a number of…

There is relatively little research evidence that documents current students' views of science--particularly a comparison of secondary and tertiary science. Further, little is known about how students' views of science differ according to level of study. This study provides evidence of students' view of science from both school and university…

This author was surprised to read a short article in "The Mercury" newspaper in Hobart about blue-eyed people being more intelligent and brown-eyed people having faster reaction times. Such an article invites immediate scepticism from the statistically literate. The lack of data in the article should lead the interested reader to a…

This article evaluates three online educational resources on the Queensland Museum website in terms of their use of ICTs in science education; how they relate to the Queensland Middle School Science Curriculum and the Senior Biology, Marine Studies, Science 21 syllabuses; their visual appeal and level of student engagement; the appropriateness of…

This book contains a compilation of papers presented at the International Conference on Education and New Developments (END 2017), organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.). Education, in our contemporary world, is a right since we are born. Every experience has a formative effect on the constitution of the…

The "National Numeracy Review" recognised that numeracy development requires an across the curriculum commitment. To explore the nature of this commitment we conducted a numeracy audit of the South Australian Middle Years curriculum, using a numeracy model that incorporates mathematical knowledge, dispositions, tools, contexts, and a…

Modeling inter-disciplinary teaching and learning practices within a critical pedagogical framework has produced powerful learning outcomes for graduates of the Primary/Middle Bachelor of Education degree at the University of South Australia. This paper explores the notion of how best to prepare beginning teachers to work with students in their…

Reviews approaches used in teaching seasons to elementary and middle school students over the past 200 years. Finds that the same diagrams have been used from the 1800s to teach about the seasons despite changes in the background knowledge of students and teachers, and changes in theories of teaching and learning. (Contains 24 references.)…

Investigated the effects of variation in teacher wait-time on science achievement for students (N=733) in 11 Australian middle schools. Conclusions provide evidence that the extension of teacher wait-time produces desirable changes in achievement. (CS)

Investigated were the attitudes of two groups of students in their first year of secondary education at four metropolitan senior high schools in Western Australia. Results indicated that there was little attitude difference between the group which had experienced the new curriculum and those who had not. (CW)