This book highlights the development and outcomes of research on and practical experience in science education in Taiwan. As the outcomes of the scholarship on science education in Taiwan have garnered attention in science education communities around the world, this book gathers the most relevant research on Taiwan, presenting it in a cohesive overview that will move science education forward in terms of policy, research and practice.

This book discusses the scope of science education research and practice in Asia. It is divided into five sections: the first consists of nine chapters providing overviews of science education in Asia (China, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Oman, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand). The second section offers chapters on content analysis of research articles, while the third includes three chapters on assessment and curriculum. The fourth section includes four chapters on innovative technology in science education; and the fifth section consists of four chapters on professional development, and informal learning. Each section also has additional chapters providing specific comments on the content. This collection of works provides readers with a starting point to better understand the current state of science education in Asia.

This book is a collaborative product of an official project approved by the East-Asian Association for Science Education (EASE), one of the most important professional societies of science education in Asia. This EASE book is compiled with a unique approach. It consists of well-structured four sections: (A)The Historical Development of Science Education in East Asia, (B)The Achievements of Science Education Research in East Asia, (C)Science Teacher Training in East Asia, and (D)Some Challenges to Research in Science Education in East Asia. Its fifteen chapters are co-authored/collaborated by renowned scholars from regions of East Asia. The book successfully integrated and consolidated the research, findings, curricular developments, and science teaching practices that have shaped ongoing educational agenda and student learning outcome in an unprecedented approach. Six Regional Coordinators from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan worked together with Editors and more than fifty science educators to assure the book project adequately reflects the trends and practices in this region. The six Regional Coordinators are: (1)Prof. Weiping HU, Shaanxi Normal University, (2)Prof. Winnie SO Wing Mui, The Education University of Hong Kong, (3)Prof. Masakata OGAWA, Tokyo University of Science, (4)Prof. Jinwoong SONG, Seoul National University, (5)Prof. Huann-shyang LIN, National Sun Yat-sen University, (6)Prof. Chi-jui LIEN, National Taipei University of Education. This book intends not only to serve as references, but also a complement of existing perspectives from western countries. Insights gained from the integration and consolidation of East-Asian developmental trends and perspectives would allow science educators, teachers, and policy makers make wise decision for future advancements for their own countries/regions. 1. Why We Study the History of Science Education in East Asia: A Comparison of the Emergence of Science Education in China and Japan. 2. The Advent of Science Education for All: A Policy Review across East-Asian Regions. 3. Trend and Development of School Science Education in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Korea. 4. National/Regional Systems of Research Training in Science Education: The Experiences in Japan and Hong Kong. 5. Science Education Research Trends in East Asian Areas: A Quantitative Analysis in Selected Journals. 6. Current Trends of Science Education in East Asia (1995-2014): With a Focus on Local Academic Associations, Journal Papers, and Key Issues of Science Education in China Mainland, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. 7. Diversity Dilemmas of Science Education in East Asia. 8. A Comparison of Elementary School Science Textbooks in East Asia. 9. Primary School Science Teacher Training in East-Asia: In the Continuous Reforming for the Quality Assurance. 10. Pre-service Education of High School Science Teachers. 11. Science Education Reform and the Professional Development of Science Teachers in East Asian Regions. 12. Affective Aspects of Science Education in East Asia Regions. 13. Science Learning in Informal Environments in East Asia: Focusing on Science Museums/Centers. 14. Introducing Modern Science and High Technology in Schools. 15. Government Policy in Developing a STEM Curriculum: The Case of the High-Scope Program in Taiwan.

This comprehensive book presents emerging research findings and promising reform practices in the field of teacher education, curriculum, assessment, teaching and learning approaches, pedagogical innovations, and professional development in educating the next generation of globally competent students. It reflects the current trends and highlights contemporary teacher education programs in twenty greater Asian countries and regions. It offers insight into improving teacher education in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Brunei, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, and Macau. The handbook contains chapters written by experienced international teacher educators who draw on their experience and expertise to perennial issues and formidable challenges in teacher preparation and meaningful school reforms. This volume is a valuable resource and essential companion for teacher educators, faculty members, staff developers, trainee teachers, undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers, school leaders, policy-makers, and professional learning communities to refresh their knowledge and improve their understanding. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in evolving issues in teacher education.

This book is based on presentations at the International Science Education Conference (ISEC) 2014. It showcases a selection of the best papers by researchers and science teachers from the Asia-Pacific region, North America and the United Kingdom. Centered on the theme of “Pushing the boundaries – Investing in our future”, they pursue new ways of helping learners appreciate the diversity and changes in science that result from a globalised world facing complex and diverse environmental and technological issues. The chapters touch on various themes in science education that explore and investigate issues of scientific literacy, societal challenges and affect, and teacher professional development. Its comprehensive themes make it a valuable textbook for graduate students of master’s and Ph.D. programs. It also appeals to pre-service and in-service teachers as a resource on innovative pedagogical practices and creative methods of professional development. With a selection that emphasises the research-practice nexus in education research, it serves as an introductory handbook for teachers to connect with the current issues facing science education.

"Context-based science education has led to the transformation of science education in countries all over the world, with changes also visible in learning environments and how these are being shaped. These changes involve authentic problems on research and design, new types of interactions within communities of practice, new content areas and also new challenges for teachers in teaching, motivating, scaffolding and assessing their students, among other things.This book focuses on context-based science education and its resulting changes in the perspective of research on learning environments. It also focuses on the implications for the teachers and the professional development of their competencies and beliefs.The book consists of eleven chapters by experts in various themes surrounding learning environments research and science education, preceded by and concluded with a chapter with reflections on context-based learning environments in science by the editors of this book. The conclusion they draw is that professional development of science teachers may be the most important and the most difficult part of the process of teachers creating context-based learning environments in science, as is the focus in the title of this book."

This book provides an overview of science education policies, research and practices in mainland China, with specific examples of the most recent developments in these areas. It presents an insiders’ report on the status of Chinese science education written primarily by native speakers with first-hand experiences inside the country. In addition, the book features multiple sectional commentaries by experts in the field that further connect these stories to the existing science education literature outside of China. This book informs the international community about the current status of Chinese science education reforms. It helps readers understand one of the largest science education systems in the world, which includes, according to the Programme for International Student Assessment, the best-performing economy in the world in science, math and reading: Shanghai, China. Readers gain insight into how science education in the rest of China compares to that in Shanghai; the ways Chinese science educators, teachers and students achieve what has been accomplished; what Chinese students and teachers actually do inside their classrooms; what educational policies have been helpful in promoting student learning; what lessons can be shared within the international science education community; and much more. This book appeals to science education researchers, comparative education researchers, science educators, graduate students, state science education leaders and officers in the international communities. It also helps Chinese students and faculty of science education discover effective ways to share their science education stories with the rest of the world.

This edited volume is a state-of-the-art comparison of primary science education across six East-Asian regions; namely, the People’s Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Republic of China, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, and Singapore. While news of educational policies, classroom teaching, assessment, and other educational innovations here often surface in the international media, this book brings together for the first time relevant information regarding educational systems and strategies in primary science in East Asia. Above all, it is a readable yet comprehensive survey—readers would have an accurate sense of what has been accomplished, what has not worked so well, and what remains to be done. Invited experts in comparative education research and/or science education also provide commentary by discussing common themes across the six regions. These types of critical synoptic reviews add much value by enabling readers to understand broad commonalities and help synthesize what must surely be a bewildering amount of very interesting albeit confusing body of facts, issues, and policies. Education in East Asia holds many lessons (both positive and negative) to offer to the rest of the world to which this volume is a timely contribution to the literature.

This book project poses a major challenge to Japanese science education researchers in order to disseminate research findings on and to work towards maintaining the strength and nature of Japanese science education. It also presents a unique opportunity to initiate change and/or develop science education research in Japan. It provides some historical reasons essential to Japanese students’ success in international science tests such as TIMSS and PISA. Also, it helps to tap the potential of younger generation of science education researchers by introducing them to methods and designs in the research practice.

Gifted education has come to be regarded as a key national programme in many coutnries, and gifted education in science disciplines is now being recognised to be of major importance for economic and technological development. Despite these initiatives and developments internationally, there are very few discussions on gifted education in science drawing upon practices and experiences in different national contexts. In support of an international dialogue between researchers and practitioners, often working within isolated traditions, this book offers information on key influential approaches to science education for gifted learners and surveys current policy and practice from a diverse range of educational contexts. The volume offers an informative introduction for those new to studying gifted science education, as well as supporting the development of the field by offering examples of critical thinking about key issues, and accounts of the influences at work within education systems and the practical complexities of providing science education for the gifted. The contributions draw upon a variety of research approaches to offer insights into the constraints and affordancxes of working within particular policy contexts, and the strengths and challenges inherent in different approaches to practice. Chapters include: Teaching science to the gifted in English state schools: locating a compromised 'gifted & talented' policy within its systemic context Models of education for science talented adolescents in the United States: Past, present, and likely future trends Navigating the shifting terrain between policy and practice for gifted learners in Tanzania Science education for female indigenous gifted students in the Mexican context Gifted Science Education in the Context of Japanese Standardization This book will appeal to scholars, practitioners and policy makers who are in the field of gifted science education.