In order to educate elementary students scientifically literate as expected in the science curricula in many countries around the world, science teachers need to be equipped with the diverse aspects of scientific literacy. This study investigates whether pre-service elementary science teachers at universities in Turkey have a satisfactory level of…

A curriculum is a master plan that regulates teaching and learning. This paper compares Finnish and Thai primary school level science curricula to the PISA 2006 Scientific Literacy Framework. Curriculum comparison was made following the procedure of deductive content analysis. In the analysis, there were four main categories adopted from PISA…

In different countries efforts have been made to integrate critical thinking into science curricula, recognizing that it is necessary to live in a plural society with citizenship competence. However, this objective has not been appropriately implemented in classrooms. One of the obstacles is the fact that teachers do not have a clear idea about…

To enhance scientific literacy in the general public efforts are needed that both inspire and engage the learner. Often such efforts are provided through school programs or science learning centers, however, in many rural communities such resources are unavailable. Alternate strategies are needed to provide individuals with quality educational…

The goal of this study was to develop an instrument for assessing grade 10 and 11 student's levels of scientific literacy in the areas of problem solving and decision making. In concentrating on determining the scientific literacy of gymnasium level students, it was taken as a first; previous international studies like PISA have focused on ninth…

This study is based on the creation of a theoretical tool for determining competencies and knowledge in science education which stakeholders value as necessary for students to become productive members of the future work force as well as responsible citizens. Stakeholders' opinions (N = 85) were gathered from persons in different walks of life by…

Historically, science was introduced into the school curriculum to enable students, who were entering university to study science related subjects, to gain some background knowledge before beginning studies at the university level (Fensham, 2008, p 14). Unfortunately this view is still very prevalent among policy-makers and teachers today. And…

This article draws attention to the difference between interest and relevance in science education while recognising both can be considered components of intrinsic motivation--motivation for learning coming from students themselves. Research has shown the importance of intrinsic motivation and this study seeks an approach to enhance this through…

The main goal of the study was to describe and understand the development of beliefs related to the thinking and decision-making made by five teachers in teaching chemistry during a two-year intervention study. The participating teachers implemented and, in the second year of the study, developed teaching modules which were geared to the promotion…

This paper is intended to stimulate discussion and recommendations related to science and technology education and its role in sustainable development. It puts forward points of view and addresses concerns in science education. The paper recognizes that all in not well within science and technology education and that there are concerns related to…

In this paper, we present data related to how a Portuguese teacher developed the module "A big problem for Magellan: Food preservation." Students were asked to plan an investigation in order to identify which were the best food preservation methods in the XV and XVI centuries of Portuguese overseas navigation, and then establish a parallel between…

This paper shows how PARSEL modules help to realize the German standards in practice. After analyzing the disappointing results of the TIMSS- and PISA-studies, which caused a kind of "PISA-shock" in Germany, and looking at school systems of winning nations, several changes have been initiated in the German educational system. The most radical…

The study describes the process of adopting new curriculum materials, which had been developed in the PARSEL project in several European countries, into the local educational science classroom of another country. The goal of the PARSEL project was to raise the popularity and relevance of science teaching by enhancing students scientific and…

The PARSEL project was initiated to disseminate teaching modules, based on a philosophical model, which was in line with a need to promote scientific literacy, in a manner considered to be both popular and relevant for students. The project was based on the belief that this approach would allow students to better realize that science was for all,…

SOMA (States-Of-Matter Approach) is an introductory chemistry program for all students in the tenth or eleventh grade (age 16-17), which introduces chemistry through the separate study of the three states of matter. SOMA is basically a formalistic approach. In this paper, we discuss the use of PARSEL modules in providing a teaching approach to…