In this editorial article, we draw on our experiences to create an opening for critical reflection in honor of Paulo Freire's centenary. We start by addressing the need to overcome the productivity logic of the Academy and instead prioritize thinking and being in communion with others. We orient toward Freirean critical hope as an impetus to move…

Science museums have long been heralded as important informal science education sites where people can engage in voluntary and experiential science learning. In this paper, we identify and raise questions about how science museum responses to a global pandemic could impact on accessibility of informal science education for the public. To explore…

Despite the long-standing interest among science educators in using history of science in science teaching, little has been discussed around whether and how non-Western histories of science could be incorporated into science education. This study considers some opportunities and challenges of addressing East Asian history of science (EAHOS) in the…

While there are many different frameworks seeking to identify what benefits young people might derive from participation in informal STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) learning (ISL), this paper argues that the sector would benefit from an approach that foregrounds equity and social justice outcomes. We propose a new model for…

India has borrowed a colonial legacy of English language education from its British colonizers. Post-Independence, education policies pertaining to the language of instruction in school education have unequivocally been supporting multilingual education. However, the policy mandates have not been translated in the same way in classroom practices.…

The M(East) ward of Mumbai is home to one of Asia's largest open landfill sites. Waste, therefore, is a source of livelihood for millions of people living in the vicinity of this landfill site. In this article, we analyze the educational discourse on waste in the schools of the M(East) ward to understand how it is positioned with respect to the…

This article aims to investigate environmental education in preschools by taking Donna Haraway's call of "staying with the trouble" together with preschool children seriously, here-and-now, in explorations of dirty water and water purification. This posthumanist inspired research project draws theoretically and methodologically on the…

In this work, indigenous knowledge of Indonesian medicinal plants and their preparation for traditional medicines in Semarang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia, is investigated. This indigenous knowledge was incorporated into STEM-based teaching/learning as a meaningful aspect of science education in Indonesia. This indigenous knowledge was also…

The link between science education and early childhood education is still blurred. This is so because many science education researchers apparently, but mistakenly, believe that the way young children interrogate and investigate the world around them is not appropriate for their understanding of scientific concepts. Although there is an effort…

Teaching the theory of evolution has often faced various challenges, including teachers' internal conflict between the theory of evolution and their personal religious beliefs. This multiple case study examined the perceptions of and approaches to teaching evolution of six Indonesian Muslim biology teachers who were working in three different…

In this paper, we reflect on Felicia Moore Mensah's study, "Educating Klaren: Ideology in Teacher Education Impacting Teaching Black Students." We grounded our reflections in our attempts to better understand the sociocultural perspectives of Klaren and Mensah. We also provide our insights on the importance of where science is situated…

What affect does female participation in the Training Future Scientist (TFS) program based on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and Maslow's Hierarchies of Needs have on achievement levels in science and their attitude toward science and interest in science-based careers? The theoretical framework for this study was developed through a…

This essay takes up a question that was left unanswered in the paper by Parsons and Morton, namely, why the African American students interviewed in the study described their best teachers as they did. The theoretical perspectives of Rogoff and Boykin are applied to show the importance of culturally resonant science classrooms that hum with the…

This article describes a summer enrichment science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) camp for African-American girls and young women aimed at addressing mathematical and science self-efficacy and reinforcing the importance and usefulness of mathematics and science with a socially transformative curriculum. The research questions…

This forum paper dialogues with Crystal Morton and Demetrice Smith-Mutegi's "Making it matter: Developing African American girls and young women's mathematics and science identities through informal STEM learning." Their article unveils the experiences of participants in Girls STEM Institute, and how they challenged beliefs about their…