A number of diverse arguments have been proposed by researchers of science education regarding the reason science should be taught in schools. These arguments inevitably play a crucial role in the curriculum designed by policymakers. The present study turns its attention to the democratic argument. It explores its validity through a special…

In recent decades, enhancing scientific literacy has been the ultimate goal of science education worldwide. This effort aims to develop the skills by individuals to cope with the challenges of the modern world, which requires scientific knowledge and thinking. This research study aimed to investigate and compare the scientific literacy level of…

National governments are concerned about the disconnection of young people from science, which hampers the development of a scientifically literate society promoting sustainable development, wellbeing, equity, and a green economy. Introduced in 2015 alongside Agenda 2030, the "open schooling" approach aims at enhancing students' science…

The health education program entitled "Show me your genes and I will tell you who you are" was implemented in a Junior High School in Greece in order to help the participating students get acquainted with basic genetics concepts as well as the procedures and implications of genetic testing. This article presents the stories that were…

The transformative agenda of sustainability education constitutes the focus of early-years education. In quality sustainability educational projects, children are supported to draw links between nature and society and relate to the studied phenomena. Is this methodological approach realized in educational programs for the early years? The present…

The aim of the present study was to examine science and non-science education secondary school teachers' skill to evaluate arguments, and how this skill relates to their skill to construct arguments and to their perceptions about their ability to teach argumentation skills effectively. The study also examined whether teachers' argument skills and…

This case study focuses on teachers' professional development in NanoScience and nanoTechnology (NST). In the context of a Community of Learners (CoL), in-service teachers in collaboration with science education researchers, nanoscience researchers and experts from science museums, developed a teaching module. This module integrates NST topics…

In this paper, (a) we present a framework for developing a science content (i.e., science concepts, scientific methods, scientific mindset, and problem-solving strategies for socio-scientific issues) used to design the new Cypriot science curriculum aiming at ensuring a democratic and human society, (b) we use the previous framework to explore the…

With the development of science and technology, a basically optimistic ideology of progress has emerged. This deterministic attitude has been challenged in recent decades as a result of harmful side-effects generated by the way technology and science have been approached and used. The study presented here is a part of a larger international and…

Discusses the recent efforts by the Greek Comprehensive School to connect the school with natural, cultural and social environments. Provides an outline of a new textbook "Ecology and Environment." (TW)

Environmental Education since its emergence, through the international conferences of the 1970s, has been described as an interdisciplinary field which means that it requires contributions from a number of other disciplines, science being one of them. Many educators have questioned the possibility of traditional school disciplines to promote the…

Explores the arguments used by 14-year-old students in making decisions about the design of a road in their area. Describes the general perspective of such an approach and the process of argumentation, then analyzes the nature of the students' arguments which are discussed on the basis of a specifically-constructed network. Contains 20 references.…

Presents the text of a 1984 speech made before the Eighth General Assembly of the Standing Conference of Rectors, Presidents, and Vice-Chancellors of European Universities. The address covered the interplay of science, philosophy, politics, and the evolution of the university from an authoritarian to a democratic institution. (JDH)

Describes a study of Greek high school students' (n=116) perceptions of the ozone layer. Finds that students have a good understanding of the position and purpose of the ozone layer in terms of protection from ultraviolet rays, but students also hold misconceptions linking the ozone layer to the greenhouse effect and other forms of local…