The purpose of this study is to comparatively investigate the science teaching curricula in Turkey, which have undergone changes four times since the millennium. For this purpose, we carried out a technical and taxonomic examination of the learning outcomes listed in the science curricula that were introduced in 2000, 2005, 2013, and 2017…

The Chinese government has implemented centralised science curriculum standards to change science teaching from a didactic to inquiry-based approach to support all students in acquiring science literacy. Framed through theoretical perspectives of inquiry-based instruction and cultural pedagogy, this study examined the influence and impact of these…

Curriculum-assessment alignment is a well known foundation for good practice in educational assessment, for items' curricular validity purposes. Nowadays instruments are designed to measure pupils' competencies in one or more areas of competence. Sub-competence areas could be defined theoretically and statistical analysis of empirical data by…

The paper analyzes conceptualizations in the science frameworks in three large-scale assessments, Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The assessments have a shared history, but have developed different conceptualizations. The…

The aim of this study was to investigate Turkish Science teachers' views about gender equity in the scope of science education. This study was conducted with the quantitative methodology. Within this scope, a 35-item 5-point Likert scale survey was developed to determine Science teachers' views concerning gender equity issues. 160 Turkish Science…

This paper, through discussion of a teaching intervention at two secondary schools in Hong Kong, demonstrates the learning advancement brought about by group work and dissects the facilitating role of teachers in collaborative discussions. One-hundred and fifty-two Secondary Two (Grade 8) students were divided into three pedagogical groups, namely…

Science Without Borders is a unique interdisciplinary science course that uses group and active-learning strategies and is in high demand among nonscience majors at a masters-level university. Registrar data showed that nonscience majors were far more likely to choose this course compared with other, discipline-based science courses. In an…

Assessment of learning plays a dominant role in formal education in the forms of determining features of curriculum that are emphasized, pedagogic methods that teachers use with their students, and parents' and employers' understanding of how well students have performed. A common perception is that fair assessment applies the same mode of…

Children have formal science instruction from kindergarten in Australia and from Year 3 in China. The purpose of this research was to explore the impact that different approaches to primary science curricula in China and Australia have on children's conceptual understanding of science. Participants were Year 3 children from three schools of high,…

Discusses the policy and practice implications of five articles published in this issue. Argues that the "one size fits all" approach cannot work in systemic reform. (Contains 23 references.) (YDS)

Analyzes Korean 8th grade students' achievement in physics-related areas of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study-Repeat (TIMSS-R) and investigates the implications for revising the physics-related areas in the national curriculum. (Contains 44 references.) (Author/YDS)

This document is the first in the Secondary Education Series and is a product of the cooperation between the Human Development Network Education Team and the Human Development Sector Unit of the Latin American and Caribbean Region. The purpose of this book is to demonstrate the present valuable information found in developing nations and the…

Studies how the cultural context of curriculum policy relates to what students are taught in the classroom by using data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Explores how what constitutes school science varies from one culture/nation to another, and that these differences pervade all instantiations of curriculum.…

To explore the policy implications of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the National Institute on Educational Governance, Finance, Policymaking, and Management of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) in the U.S. Department of Education, and the Consortium for Policy Research in Education held a…

This policy brief takes a close look at the ways in which the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)-1995 and TIMSS-1999 data have helped to inform changes in policy and practice as schools, districts, and states respond to the call for improvement in mathematics and science achievement. This policy brief is based primarily on…