Teachers' beliefs are strong predictors of their practices. They guide how teachers understand the implementation of effective inquiry-based lessons. The cross-case analysis indicated that the fundamental problems observed in many Thai pre-service science teachers' classroom inquiries stemmed from their beliefs on teaching science. Although the…

The main purpose of this research was to develop a paradigm, pattern, and mechanism for the professional development of science teachers in area networks that were consistent with the needs of educational institutions according to the key priority agenda for development. The target groups used in this study were teacher production institutions and…

This study aimed to develop a learning progression (LP) for botanical literacy and assess the impact of a garden-based education course on Thai pre-service science teachers (n = 49). The inquiry- and community-based education course was taught over a 15-week period. To measure botanical literacy, a 50-item multiple-choice test was employed. A…

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education plays an important role in teaching and learning for the 21st century. Science teacher education is making great efforts to prepare STEM teachers for modern classroom practice and enable them to adapt their STEM knowledge and practices to the needs of students' contexts. However,…

According to constructivist theory, learning is a construction of new knowledge based on prior knowledge. As a consequence, science teachers are encouraged to take students' prior knowledge into account. It is evident in many cases that although students' prior knowledge is often not consistent with scientific knowledge, they may have some…

The purpose of this research was to study primary science students' conceptual development as it related to their understanding of materials and their properties: in particular, to determine how and why some students changed their concepts while others did not. The participants were thirty-two Grade 5 (10-11 year old) students. An instructional…

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…

This study explored 30 Grade 1 to 6 (6-12 years old) Thai students' existing ideas about energy. The study employed the Interview about Event (IAE) approach. During IAE, the cards of an event or things were showed to students in order to probe their views of energy concepts. Findings indicated that young students held various alternative…

Outlines current practices and future trends for science education in Thailand. Advocates a change in the teacher's role to that of facilitator and the increased incorporation of technology and multimedia approaches to science education. (WRM)

Discusses the problems of science education in Thailand and presents a hands-on teaching approach in science and mathematics as a revolutionary approach to these problems. (YDS)