The author compares two frameworks, one proposed by Sauvé (2005) for environmental education (EE) and the other prepared by Pedretti and Nazir (2011) for Science, Technology, Society and Environment (STSE) education. With the aim of investigating the utility of the two frameworks as tools for analysis of science teaching practice, the author…

The rapid diversification of communities in Ontario has necessitated the provincial government to reevaluate public school curriculums and policies to make schools more inclusive and reflective of its diverse population. This article critically analyzes the content of the latest revised science curricula for Grades 1 to 10 and assesses the degree…

Though science education has been prominent in the Canadian educational system, researchers increasingly recognize the scientific and educational value of integrating traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) into their curriculum. Despite national strategies to integrate TEK, Canada has yet to initiate a comprehensive study of its prevalence and…

New science curricula in Ontario position science, technology, society, and environment (STSE) objectives at the fore of all science courses. A professional learning community (PLC) consisting of 24 elementary teachers and a facilitation team was established to assist teachers in meeting the challenges of STSE education. Specifically, we examine…

This article focuses on some of the intersections of two worldviews: Western modern science and a Buddhism-based way of life in Thailand. It enters the debate on the place and practice of Indigenous forms of knowledge and the clashes with formal science education curricula. Our goal is "balanced bi-gnosis": the possession of, and proficiency in,…

Teachers' feelings of uncertainty are an overlooked, though crucial, condition necessary for the promotion of educational change. This article investigates the feelings of uncertainty that preservice teachers have toward the conduct of science as inquiry and the extent to which methods courses can confront and embrace those uncertainties. Our work…

High school students' views regarding the best ways to adapt biology studies to fit their interests were explored using 87 written questionnaires containing closed-ended and open-ended questions. The closed-ended questionnaires indicated that the participants are very positive regarding their experience as biology learners and highly interested in…

In her article, "The Scientification of Skin Whitening and the Entrepreneurial University- Linked Corporate Scientific Officer," published in this issue, Amina Mire (2012) deconstructs the tacit investments implicit in such discourses of beauty, in particular those linked to cosmetic products that purport to fight the "war on aging" through the…

In this article we discuss research that was conducted as part of a project on citizen science education. We present the research and some of the results, and then take a position on the pertinence of examining, in science classes, questions on citizen participation in socio-technical debates and the roles and capacities of the social actors…

Through a qualitative research design, this article investigates the impacts of differentiated laboratory instructional materials on English language learners' (ELLs) laboratory task comprehension. The factors affecting ELLs' science learning experiences are further explored. Data analysis reveals a greater degree of laboratory task comprehension…

Introduces the project "Rekindling Traditions" which illustrates one modest way of addressing the underrepresentation of Aboriginal people in careers related to science, a situation that arises from a colonial type of science education. Integrates Western science content into a local community's Aboriginal Science. (Contains 85 references.)…

Reports on a study that takes its point of departure from four facets of human functioning to which scientific literacy may contribute from a personal, social, and scientific disciplinary perspective. These include everyday coping, social decision making, working in technological industrial enterprises, and extending the frontiers of science and…

Comments on the article 'Time to Change Drivers for Science Literacy' by Peter Fensham and addresses two issues: (1) Why is reforming the science curriculum so hard?; and (2) What are the potential possibilities of and problems with Fensham's reform proposal? (Contains 12 references.) (Author/YDS)

Comments on the criticisms of Fensham (2002) of scientific literacy curricula being designed by scientists and science educators. Suggests that an analysis of literacy leads to several propositions from which the analogy with scientific literacy can be drawn. (Author/YDS)

Comments on Fensham's (2002) argument that it is "time to change drivers for science literacy". Explains the science, technology, and society (STS) movement which has been a candidate for remodeling the curriculum to achieve universal scientific literacy. Makes a plea for teaching students how to find out about the science underlying current…