Issues in Upper Secondary Science Education: Comparative Perspectives

Abstract

Secondary schooling is coming back onto the global education agenda as the expansion of primary enrollments in even the poorest countries, the rising middle classes in developing countries, and the power of the "knowledge economy" discourse in the minds of policy makers the world over all reinforce its importance. One of the core subject areas in all these dynamics is science. Science is particularly iconic, as it retains its close identification with modernity, with technological progress, and with economic competitiveness. In this context, this volume on international experiences of science education is particularly welcome. Moreover, its insistence on focusing specifically on upper secondary science is an especial strength. As the editors note, it is at this level that we see the transition between two ideologies of science education: whereas the dominant discourse of science in basic education is one of science for all, the upper secondary phase marks a shift toward producing future scientists and technologists. It also marks a zone of transition between learner-centered and skills-based approaches and a strong emphasis on content. Thus a focus on senior school science provides important insights into science's perceived roles in schools and societies. As well as being a site of an important discursive shift about the purpose of a set of subjects, the senior school science focus also allows exploration of what goes on in the highest-status part of a system where the positional worth of both subject and school is so powerful in signaling candidates' merit to universities. This leads to questions about why many are enrolling in such programs. In some chapters, there is a sense that many are being pushed or lured by the prospects of later income and status, leading to questions of what effects are likely on motivation. The book also offers insights into the fluidity of the borderlands of education.