In England, there has been a teacher recruitment and retention crisis for many years. In such a crisis, it is important that initial teacher education (ITE) providers are able to identify, recruit and educate 'high quality' applicants to join the teaching profession. In this study, we focused on two case studies of beginning teachers who were…

This article utilizes a framework for classifying different scientific methods suggested by a philosopher of science (Brandon "Synthese," 99, 59-73, 1994) called Brandon's Matrix. It presents findings from teachers who took part in a funded project in England that looked at the nature of scientific methods in science investigations.…

The worrying decline in the status of primary school science in schools in England has been linked to low teacher confidence in teaching science and to schools being heavily focused on achievement in English and mathematics. This article reports on a novel professional learning strategy that was provided for 23 primary science leaders over five…

Argumentation is widely recognised as a core practice of science, but the relation between argumentation in the teaching of science in contrast to the teaching of other school subjects has not been sufficiently addressed. In this study, we investigate science and religious education (RE) teachers' instructional practices related to argumentation…

A significant issue in the teaching, learning and summative assessment of practical science is that the underpinning model of scientific methods is based on a fairly simplistic and linear account that does not represent how scientists actually do practical work. In this paper, we examine how science teachers in England and Wales view scientific…

Three new physics teachers graduating from a university provider of initial teacher education in England were paired with a recently retired physics subject specialist teacher in order to provide informal mentoring during their first year of teaching. The aim of this was to explore if a mentoring intervention of this kind could support teacher…

This paper proposes ten salient practices of research mentoring activity in high school settings for teachers and technicians based upon survey and interview findings from 96 English and Scottish high school teachers from STEM disciplines, working in research collaborations with scientists. Mentoring high school research provides career…

This paper reports the findings from a cross-sector research project designed to question how the development of university-school partnerships can influence university academics' pedagogic practice in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Findings from this research are offered at time when, in parallel with countries around…

This is the third special issue of "Primary Science," and it is one that offers primary school teachers an insight into an initiative that does wonders for primary science leadership, learning and teaching -- the Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM). In this article, Shaun Wingrove describes the transformation from dull to shiny science…

This is the third special issue of "Primary Science," and it is one that offers primary school teachers an insight into an initiative that does wonders for primary science leadership, learning, and teaching -- the Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM). In this article, Claire Burchell explains how the PSQM enabled her to make the…

This is the third special issue of "Primary Science," and it is one that offers primary school teachers an insight into an initiative that does wonders for primary science leadership, learning, and teaching -- the Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM). In this article, Elizabeth Nally shares her PSQM experience and what it has done for her…

This study investigates the impact of a professional development programme for teachers that encourages more cognitively challenging, practical, and interactive science lessons. Using a Randomised Controlled Trial, its impact was measured by pupil learning outcomes. Pupils aged 9-10 at 42 primary (elementary) schools in Oxfordshire (England) were…

In March last year the authors was asked to take over as science coordinator in her primary school. The school had signed up for the Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM, www.psqm. org.uk) and the author attended the first PSQM meeting with very little idea of what it entailed. This turned out not to be a problem: her mentors were a huge source of…

Research into classroom dialogue suggests that certain forms are especially productive for students' learning. Despite the large number of studies in this area, there is inadequate evidence about the prevalence of the identified forms, let alone their productivity. However, scarcity is widely presumed. The overall aim of the study reported in this…

Primary schools rarely have dedicated science laboratories, which means teachers spend their lunchtimes rushing around collecting resources they need from the "science cupboard" to prepare their classrooms for a science lesson. The lessons have to be very teacher-led, restricted by what resources are available. The Phiz Lab programme,…