We begin by arguing that curriculum development should start with aims rather than, as is typically the case, with subjects. We, therefore, ask what might be the fundamental aims of school education. We conclude that they are twofold, namely, to enable each learner to lead a life that is personally flourishing and to help others to do so too.…

The question of where to locate teaching about the relationships between science and religion has produced a long-running debate. Currently, science and religious education (RE) are statutory subjects in England and are taught in secondary schools by different teachers. This paper reports on an interview study in which 16 teachers gave their…

Worldwide, science education reform movements are stressing the need to promote "scientific literacy" among young people. Increasingly, this is taken to include empowering students to engage critically with science-related news reporting. Despite this requirement now featuring in statutory curricula throughout the UK, there has, to date, been a…

Constructivism is a widely influential perspective in science education research. However, there have been strong criticisms of attempts to adopt constructivism as a principle underpinning official science curriculum policy (for example in New Zealand). Over the past decade recommendations for classroom pedagogy in extensive official guidance…

This article draws on two research studies concerned with student teachers' learning of subject-specific pedagogical knowledge: a naturalistic study within two secondary school science departments and a collaborative action research project focused on two contested aspects of the history curriculum. Both confirmed the complexity of the process by…

The article discusses selected findings of a narrative review, funded by the Institute of Physics, in response to the continuing decline in the number of girls studying physics post-16 in England; 177 selected sources, of national and international research literature about girls' participation in physics, were reviewed. In the article, we argue…

Attempts to link school science education with citizenship are not new. They range from the General Science movement of the first half of the last century to more recent initiatives such as "21st Century Science" in the UK and "ChemCom" in the USA. This article reviews some of these earlier attempts, with particular reference to the UK, examines…

The question of whether religious explanations about the origin of life should be taught alongside scientific accounts in compulsory science education has sparked controversy in several countries for decades. An important site for these controversies is media reporting. This article presents the results of a quantitative and qualitative analysis…

Much has been written about the standards agenda in relation to primary pupil performance levels on end of key stage tests. A range of policy "levers" such as numeracy and literacy strategies have been utilized to hike the annual cohort percentages towards the government targets. However, whether measurable (by standardized testing at ages 7 and…

Examines the status of human genetics education. Provides an updated report of the work being done at the BSCS Center for Education in Human and Medical Genetics. Includes reports of regional conferences and of West German educational programs. (MA)

Presents the Human Sciences Program (HSP) developed by the Biological Sciences Curriculum (BSCS) staff. The program is described as modular, activity-centered, personalized, interdisciplinary, and flexible. The article also presents the HSP classroom trial schools and the dissemination centers. (HM)

Describes the factors which led to the development of the three year Human Sciences Program designed by the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) staff for the middle grades. Also presents the major learning and instructional characteristics of the Human Sciences modules. (HM)

Analyzes the Human Sciences Program (HSP) in the light of some issues related to basic skills. These issues are: (1) HSP and the three Rs; (2) HSP and other basics; and (3) HSP and classroom discipline. (HM)

Compares teacher predictions with student-use data for nine teacher-selected activities during field testing of the Human Sciences Program (HSP). The comparison reveals that in six of the nine activities, a large discrepancy exists between teacher predictions and actual student-use data. (HM)

The purpose of this paper is to isolate the historical and philosophical treatment of genetics in school and college curricula. To do this, a qualitative analysis was made of 128 biology textbooks or textbook series published between the years 1907 and 1977. The results of this study are reported. (Author/MA)