As the number of jobs in the science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) workforce grows exponentially, there has never been a more important time to provide students with real-world learning opportunities that have 21st century implications. Measuring things that matter is a fundamental skill that formulates the backbone of many concepts…

Since the sudden emergence of COVID-19 global pandemic, all educational institutions have looked to move resources and delivery online. Some institutions had already embraced delivering instruction in this way; however, broader adaptation to this teaching style is new to many educators. While the teaching of theoretical concepts is more easily…

A growing number of people live in apartments worldwide, and research into these contexts is key to the success of our cities. Recruiting apartment residents as research participants can be challenging, however, especially when using a case study approach. This research note outlines the participant recruitment method developed for case study…

The world faces complex and entangled environmental, health and social problems that can only be effectively grappled with if the research sector harnesses the knowledges and understandings of diverse cultures. Research education is a key site where more democratic and equitable processes of knowledge creation can take place. Drawing on de Sousa…

This article problematises Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and assessment practices to contribute to the ongoing work of decolonising higher education. It critiques the entanglement of military imaginaries and ITE via a diffractive reading of ITE discourse and policy in the Australian context through military imaginaries in academic and SF…

Plants are often overlooked in favour of animals when teaching about living things. Focusing on familiar animals that share human characteristics helps young children learn about similar features. Examining plants for their differences, though, helps foster wonder. In the author's experience, children find it intriguing that plants need…

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Australasian Science Education Research Association's annual conference, this paper reviews the last 25 years of the Association's journal "Research in Science Education" ("RISE"). All "RISE" papers, at 4-year intervals (1994-2018; seven volumes), were reviewed: a total of…

This paper explores the views of pre-service physics teachers and science teacher educators about the initial teacher education (ITE) programs in two Melbourne universities, focusing on their preparation for teaching high school physics. Using a qualitative interview approach, five pre-service physics teachers and three physics teacher educators…

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…

The science curriculum's potential for developing students' scientific literacy offers the ideal opportunity for addressing global concerns such as the 'post-truth' epidemic. In this article, we review the Year 10 "Australian Curriculum: Science" for its capacity to help students become producers and consumers of knowledge. We adopt a…

Both attitude and previous experiences play a large role in shaping a student's approach to and achievement in a given subject. Similarly, students' enjoyment of their learning experiences is an important factor in determining their retention in their course of choice. Here, we explore the attitudes toward the study of chemistry amongst a cohort…

Past decades have seen increased emphasis on graduate employability as a driver of higher education policy. In the Australian context, employability discourses in the public domain have become inflected with anti-intellectual sentiment, serving to reproduce the perception that the humanities and social sciences are of less value to graduates'…

The Australian Science Teachers Association offers an innovative international professional development program for science teachers called the Science Teachers Exchange -- Japan. The program offers Australian and Japanese teachers an opportunity to travel to the corresponding country, allowing the teachers to grow in their knowledge of the…

Service teaching, through which core courses or modules are provided by a department other than the one administering the degree, occurs in universities worldwide, but there have been many reports of student dissatisfaction with their service-taught courses. The experiences of service teachers have received little attention and may help to suggest…

Foundation Year children are often excited about learning to read. Some 5- to 6-year-olds with well-developed literacy skills begin to read chapter books. Like older children and adults, they cannot read the whole book in one sitting. The learning experience described in the article provides an example of how the properties of materials…