Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Change – A Desired Permanent State in Science Education

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Second International Handbook of Science Education

Part of the book series: Springer International Handbooks of Education ((SIHE,volume 24))

Abstract

Calls for reform in education abound in a climate of rapid change. Research evidence, however, suggests that fundamental, sustainable, and widely spread change is inherently difficult to achieve. The challenge is augmented by dilemmas in the realization of ambitious goals, and the fact that science education does not operate in isolation, but is nested within schools and societal institutions. Based on cases of change in different educational contexts, issues persist and keep reemerging. Yet, despite not fully realized expectations, past attempts left imprints which gradually accumulated into significant contributions. While aware that schools and teachers need stability, the main message is that to rejuvenate and enhance science education continuously, change is a desired permanent state that should become the norm.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 429.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 549.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 549.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Arzi, H. J. (1988). From short- to long-term: Studying science education longitudinally. Studies in Science Education, 15, 17–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arzi, H. J. (1998). Enhancing science education through laboratory environments: More than walls, benches and widgets. In B. J. Fraser & K. G. Tobin (Eds.), International handbook of science education (pp. 595–608). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arzi, H. J. (2007). Travels in and between practice and research. In K. Tobin & W.-M. Roth (Eds.), The culture of science education: Its history in person (pp. 289–300). Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baird, J. R. (1986). Improving learning through enhanced metacognition: A classroom study. European Journal of Science Education, 8, 263–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beasley, W., & Butler, J. (2002, July). Implementation of context-based science within the freedoms offered by Queensland schooling. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Australasian Science Education Research Association, Townsville, Queensland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, J., Holman, J., Lubben, F., Nicolson, P., & Otter, C. (2005). Science in context: The Salters approach. In P. Nentwig & D. Waddington (Eds.), Making it relevant: Context-based learning of science (pp. 121–153). Münster, Germany: Waxmann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, J., & Lubben, F. (2006). Context-based chemistry: The Salters approach. International Journal of Science Education, 28, 999–1015.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, J., Lubben, F., & Hogarth, S. (2007). Bringing science to life: A synthesis of the research evidence on the effects of context-based and STS approaches to science teaching. Science Education, 91, 347–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Black, P. (2003). Testing, testing: Listening to the past and looking to the future. School Science Review, 85(311), 69–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burke, W. W. (2008). Organization change: Theory and practice (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burris, C. C., Wiley, E., Welner, K. G., & Murphy, J. (2008). Accountability, rigor, and detracking: Achievement effects of embracing a challenging curriculum as a universal good for all students. Teachers College Record, 110, 571–607.

    Google Scholar 

  • Butler, J. (1995). Teachers judging standards in senior science subjects: Fifteen years of the Queensland experiment. Studies in Science Education, 26, 135–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, E. (1987). Assessment in Queensland secondary schools: Two decades of change, 1964–1983 (Historical Perspectives on Contemporary Issues in Queensland Education No. 4). Brisbane, Queensland: Department of Education.http://education.qld.gov.au/library/edhistory/topics/assess

    Google Scholar 

  • Coburn, C. E. (2003). Rethinking scale: Moving beyond numbers to deep and lasting change. Educational Researcher, 32(6), 3–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, D. K., Raudenbush, S. W., & Ball, D. L. (2003). Resources, instruction, and research. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 25, 119–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cronbach, L. J. (1989). Lee J. Cronbach. In G. Lindzey (Ed.), A history of psychology in autobiography (Vol. 8, pp. 64–93). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cuban, L. (1993). How teachers taught: Constancy and change in American classrooms 1890–1990 (2nd ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cuban, L. (2009). Hugging the middle – How teachers teach in an era of testing and accountability. New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dewey, J. (1922). Human nature and conduct: An introduction to social psychology. New York: Modern Library. Retrieved July 16, 2008, from http://www.brocku.ca/MeadProject/Dewey/Dewey_1922/Dewey1922_24.html

    Google Scholar 

  • Dudley, R., & Luxton, P. (2008, September). The development of the P–12 assessment policy in Queensland, Australia. Paper presented at the annual conference of the International Association for Educational Assessment, Cambridge, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elmore, R. F. (1996). Getting to scale with good educational practice. Harvard Educational Review, 66, 1–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fensham, P. J. (2008). Science education policy-making: Eleven emerging issues. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fullan, M. (2007). The new meaning of educational change (4th ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, J. K. (2006). On the nature of “context” in chemical education. International Journal of Science Education, 28, 957–976.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodlad, J. I. (2007). Foreword: A tale of lost horizons. In C. Kridel & R. V. Bullough, Jr. (Ed.), Stories of the Eight-Year Study: Reexamining secondary education in America (pp. ix–xiv). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, P. W. (1992). Conceptions of curriculum and curriculum specialists. In P. W. Jackson (Ed.), Handbook of research on curriculum (pp. 3–40). New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, D., Bellocchi, A., & Ritchie, S. M. (2008). Making connections: Learning and teaching chemistry in context. Research in Science Education, 38, 365–384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kridel, C., & Bullough, R. V., Jr. (2007). Stories of the Eight-Year Study: Reexamining secondary education in America. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Labaree, D. F. (2004). The Ed school’s romance with progressivism. In D. Ravitch (Ed.), Brookings papers in education policy (pp. 89–112). Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • LeTendre, G. K., Hofer, B. K., & Shimizu, H. (2003). What is tracking? Cultural expectations in the United States, Germany, and Japan. American Educational Research Journal, 40, 43–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindblom, C. E. (1959). The science of “Muddling Through”. Public Administration Review, 19, 79–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Millar, R. (2005). Contextualized science courses: Where next? In P. Nentwig & D. Waddington (Eds.), Making it relevant: Context-based learning of science (pp. 323–346). Münster, Germany: Waxmann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, I. (2008). 24 years of PEEL – Have the goalposts shifted? PEEL Seeds, 100, 11–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council. (2006). America’s lab report: Investigations in high school science. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Noddings, N. (2007). When school reform goes wrong. New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearsall, J. (Ed.). (1998). The new Oxford dictionary of English. Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Redefer, F. L. (1950). The Eight Year Study …. after eight years. Progressive Education, 28(2), 33–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarason, S. B. (2002). Education reform: A self-scrutinizing memoir. New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwab, J. J. (1978). The “impossible” role of the teacher in progressive education. In I. Westbury & N. J. Wilkof (Eds.), Science, curriculum, and liberal education: Selected essays, Joseph J. Schwab (pp. 167–183). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (Reprinted from School Review, 67, 139–159, 1959.)

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, W. R. (2001). Institutions and organizations (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sugrue, C. (Ed.). (2008). The future of educational change: International perspectives. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyack, D., & Cuban, L. (1995). Tinkering toward Utopia: A century of public school reform. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyack, D., & Tobin, W. (1994). The “grammar” of schooling: Why has it been so hard to change? American Educational Research Journal, 31, 453–479.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, R. W. (1949). Basic principles of curriculum and instruction. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tytler, R. (2007). Re-imagining science education: Engaging students in science for Australia’s future (Australian Education Review No. 51). Camberwell, Victoria: Australian Council for Educational Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watzlawick, P., Weakland, J. H., & Fisch, R. (1974). Change: Principles of problem formation and problem resolution. New York: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, R. (2003). Changing the script for science education. In R. Cross (Ed.), A vision for science education: Responding to the work of Peter Fensham (pp. 170–183). London: RoutledgeFalmer.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, R. T., & Mitchell, I. J. (1994). Metacognition and the quality of learning. Studies in Science Education, 23, 21–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Independent Scholar, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Hanna J. Arzi

Authors
  1. Hanna J. Arzi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hanna J. Arzi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Science & Mathematics Education Centre, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, West Australia, Australia

    Barry J. Fraser

  2. The Graduate Centre, City University of New York, New York, 10016-4309, New York, USA

    Kenneth Tobin

  3. Ctr. Mathematics & Science Education, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Rd., Kelvin Grove, 4059, Queensland, Australia

    Campbell J. McRobbie

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Arzi, H.J. (2012). Change – A Desired Permanent State in Science Education. In: Fraser, B., Tobin, K., McRobbie, C. (eds) Second International Handbook of Science Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education, vol 24. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9041-7_59

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation