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Science Education in Shanghai, China: What Does It Look Like Other Than PISA Score?

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Science Education in East Asia

Abstract

Chinese teens from Shanghai outperformed the rest of the world in mathematics, reading, and science in recent Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests. Such stunning performance has drawn attention from all over the world to Shanghai’s K-12 educational system. On one hand, the test performance is indeed an indicator of the strength of the educational system in Shanghai. On the other, questions remain for the real quality of science education in Shanghai. This chapter aims to help us understand questions such as: What is the “real” quality of science education in Shanghai? What do the scores mean with regard to Shanghai teenagers’ science learning? What implications can we draw from the science education in Shanghai for the larger science education community? After providing an overview of the educational context of Shanghai, this chapter reviews the various aspects of K-12 science education in Shanghai, including the curriculum reform, assessment, pedagogical innovations, science teachers’ conceptions and practices, and particularly, students’ science learning. This chapter concludes with discussions and implications for science education in Shanghai as well as for the international community.

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Correspondence to Xinying Yin .

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Yin, X., Guo, X., Wang, L. (2015). Science Education in Shanghai, China: What Does It Look Like Other Than PISA Score?. In: Khine, M. (eds) Science Education in East Asia. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16390-1_8

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