This discussion paper focuses on the purpose of, and vision for, Irish primary science education prior to the redevelopment and publication of the primary science curriculum in 2024. Scientific literacy is broadly accepted as the goal of science education. Despite this, curricular analysis focusing on scientific literacy in Europe is scarce. There…

Pseudoscience is a ubiquitous aspect of popular culture which constitutes a direct challenge to science, and by association, to science education. With the exception of politically influential pseudosciences trying to impose themselves on official curricula such as creationism, science education authorities and professional organisations seem…

This paper describes and discusses the role of practical work in science education in Ireland. The 2002 report of a government Task Force on the Physical Sciences, set up to consider the problems facing the teaching of the physical sciences in second-level schools in Ireland, has resulted in rapid reform of the science curriculum at both junior…

Attempts at integrating mathematics and science have been made previously but no definitive, widely adopted teaching model has been developed to date. Research suggests that hands-on, practical, student-centred tasks should form a central element when designing an effective model for the integration of mathematics and science. Aided by this…

This paper describes a novel science education initiative developed for 8-to 12-year-old children by the Biomedical Diagnostics Institute at Dublin City University, Ireland. "Me and My Body" (MAMBO) is an interactive, multi-faceted programme that enables children to explore and understand the dynamic physiological parameters of the human…

Describes Irish secondary science and discusses the management of science in schools. Identifies two key features of Irish school science, the collegiate nature of science departments and the difficulties in carrying out practical work. (MM)

Described is the chemistry syllabus the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland designed for use in the secondary classroom. The syllabus presents chemistry as the science of the various forms of matter and their transformations and enables the student to assess the social importance and contribution of chemistry to society. (DS)

The new science curriculum in Ireland is promoting a more scientific culture in the primary phase. For many years, science teaching in the Republic of Ireland at primary level was little more than a comprehension exercise. However, with the introduction of the new curriculum in 1998, science education has changed radically, becoming a more…

Provides information on physics courses at universities, polytechnics, colleges of technology, and colleges of education in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Includes courses offered, honors degree courses, special entry requirements, course structure, and notes with information specific to each institution. Also includes name of contact…

Discusses the decrease in number of students taking physics at the senior secondary level and presents an outline of the colloquium which met in September, 1998, in Ireland through the cooperation between the Irish Department of Education and Science and other European union education ministries. (Contains 21 references.) (YDS)