Although science is viewed by some as objective, analytical and unaffected by morals and values, the practice of science does raise many ethical issues. From an ethical standpoint, science teachers have an obligation to ensure that their students develop the skills to enable them to evaluate and make decisions about ethical issues associated with scientific advances so that they can make informed choices as adults. An appropriate forum for such a pedagogical concern is the subject of bioethics education.The purpose of this doctoral study was to investigate the teaching of bioethics in science. Specifically, the study attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of a range of innovative pedagogical strategies utilised by teachers who were incorporating bioethics education into their secondary science curricula. Bioethics education is concerned with enabling students, firstly, to appreciate the range of ethical issues associated with the life sciences and, secondly, to develop decision making skills based on ethical theories.Using an interpretive case study approach underpinned by a constructivist theoretical framework, I examined the teaching practice of three science teachers in different school systems. Each of these teachers taught Year 10 or Year 11 science courses that included a bioethics component. The research process was informed by an ethic of care and the constructivist criteria of credibility, transferability and ontological authenticity.As a result of the early data generated, I adopted the role of a bricoleur and used alternative research methods to pursue emergent research questions. I developed a survey consisting of four bioethical dilemmas. Bioethics students were asked to resolve each of the dilemmas and provide reasons to support their decisions. Using an ex post facto research design, I compared students who had studied bioethics with a comparison ++ / group of students who had not. I also wrote narrative tales in an endeavour to provide an authentic account of the learning of individual students. Commentaries on the tales, by students and teachers, helped to enrich my understanding of students' learning experiences in the bioethics classes.The research findings are presented as 'inferences', a term which acknowledges the context dependent nature of the data generated. Five themes emerged from the data analysis which, together, indicate (1) the nature of potentially successful teaching strategies for bioethics education and (2) obstacles to students' successful engagement in learning bioethics: teacher attributes; design of bioethics courses; student attributes; impact on student learning; and physical and social constraints. Another key finding concerns the difficulty facing researchers who wish to 'measure' the impact of bioethics teaching on student learning.All three teachers displayed potentially successful teaching strategies. They were committed to the inclusion of bioethics education in their science courses. They had clearly articulated pedagogical goals related to bioethics education. They endeavoured to create safe learning environments in which students could clarify and explore their developing ethical values. When students expressed extreme views, the teachers, through careful questioning, challenged them to consider alternative ethical positions.In relation to the design of bioethics education courses, most of the learning activities in which students participated were based on small group and whole-class discussion (e.g., role plays, oral presentations). These activities provided opportunities for students to examine a topic in depth. Importantly, students were provided with information to help them understand the scientific content area before they could appreciate the associated ethical issues.In ++ / the three cases, it appears that bioethics education had a variable effect on student learning. Attributes were identified that may have influenced student engagement in opportunities to learn bioethics: the students' moral maturity, academic ability, attitude to learning, beliefs about science and ethics, family and religious background.Evidence suggests that exposure to bioethics education can affect favourably students' attitudes to science. However, the results of the bioethical dilemma survey suggest that, on average, there was no difference in the way that students resolved dilemmas, regardless of whether or not they had been exposed to bioethics education. Although there was considerable variation amongst students, most of the students' responses differed from those of experts in that the students tended to focus solely on the rights of individuals, without considering the long term consequences of their decisions.Constraints were identified that may adversely affect the impact of bioethics education in science: scarcity of resources, including insufficient teaching time; and, amongst science teachers, lack of expertise in the content areas that raise bioethical issues and lack of experience in the types of learning activities appropriate for bioethics education.The findings of this research study are significant as they highlight important issues that may need to be considered by curriculum planners and science teachers who wish to incorporate bioethics education into science curricula.

The primary purpose of this research was to develop a model for a professional science master’s program combining biotechnology and business. The objectives were to identify stakeholder preferences for various dimensions of a professional science master’s program combining biotechnology and business and to identify differences in priorities between subgroups. A secondary purpose was to examine user preferences between Web-based and traditional methods of conducting a Delphi study and the panelist’s impressions of its usefulness for program development. Prior to the first round, demographic data were collected on panelists regarding their gender, age, years experience in their current field, position title and education levels. Round 1 started with eight open-ended questions designed to investigate (a) learning objectives, (b) internships, (c) thesis vs. nonthesis degrees, (d) program focus (e) possible entry level positions, (f) roles for the industry advisory board, (g) recommended hours of hands-on experience and (h) other issues of importance. The final round ended with three questions to assess the panelists’ perception of the usefulness of the Delphi for program development in higher education. Twenty-four panelists started Round 1 and participation in subsequent rounds varied from 17 in Round 2 to 11 in Round 4. Education level varied and included all levels of education in science and business. Issues emerged early in the study regarding development of different program tracks and the program goals, which were clarified in subsequent rounds. Significant differences occurred between industry and academic subgroups for two tracks, six skills designated for tracks, method of evaluating the internship, and entry-level positions appropriate for new graduates. When analyzed by level of confidence (high confidence vs. low confidence), significant differences occurred for (a) the number of semesters of hands-on experience students should have upon graduation, (b) skills recommended for core curriculum, (c) skills recommended for tracks, (d) compensation level and (e) entry level positions for new graduates. Perceived usefulness of the Delphi for program development was varied with only 10 panelists responding--five in favor, three undecided, and two against.

It is impossible to imagine our schools or community without framing such a view around a corporate structure. Money, capital, and economic stakeholders are all around us, building a corporate landscape that all members of the community must travel through in the course of their everyday lives. To suggest that education should be void of any type of economic influence would be to deny that a very important thread of our communities' tapestry exists. As we look at the way that these education intentions move outside our own communities and connect us to other communities and the world, we see corporate education economics framed in either a global or communal perspective. A corporate science education perspective tends to treat science with strict positivism, and technology with hard determinism. Communal theories of science education view science as post-positivistic and technology with a softer determinism; as a result social implications emerge, and the science becomes more socially constructed. It supports the personal capital of all students, regardless of their view of science or technology. It allows students to "border cross" more easily so they can "scaffold" new science information onto previous learning. This research consists of exploring how biotechnology education emerged within the state, how the resources intersected within a biotechnology conference and how teachers conceptualized biotechnology practices in their own classrooms. The researcher pieced together a sketch of the history of how biotechnology curriculum arose in high school biology classes. The researcher also explored the hybrid nature of biotechnology resources such as an educational conference where teachers attend workshops and lectures. The practices of two teachers in a public high school and one in a private school setting were also analyzed. / Ph. D.

Abstract The great advancement in biotechnology makes huge influence on our modern life; how to improve the ability of our future citizens to accommodate the upcoming technology is one of the key issues in science education today. This study developed a set of experimental teaching modules ¡V The great future of the biotechnology ¡V for the junior high students for this purpose. There were two parts of this experimental teaching module: the first one was a hands-on learning course, in this activity students operated the basic biotechnological instruments and derive their own hypothesis. Another was a role-playing public hearing, debating about ¡§We should prohibit the importation of genetic modified food¡¨. Twenty-five eighth grade gifted students in the Kaohsiung municipal Kuo-chang junior middle high school were chosen as the sample to participate this research. Based on the questionnaires and the learning portfolios of the students, we found that students highly affirm this kind of learning. They reflect that the activities have helped them to gain the scientific knowledge, scientific learning process and skills, and the positive scientific attitude. The ability of the oral presentation, communication, judgments, problem-finding and evaluation ability have been enhanced through this learning process. The teaching module is also good for developing the strategy of corporation team work, considerate, and democratic. Activities like this teaching module are highly recommended to incorporate into the regular curriculum.

Biotechnology accompanies human society from its distant past and certainly will have a major impact on its future. For this reason, young people should become familiar with biotechnology in matters of its nature, potential and risks, not only through the media, but also and particulary in context of school education. This work is dedicated to teaching of biotechnology at the secondary level, and its first objective is to characterise its current state. For this purpose an analysis of curriculum and textbooks of secondary level was performed and indicative survey of knowledge of biotechnology and attitudes towards it among students aged 14-19 years was conducted. The second goal is to propose a possible way of including biotechnology topics in education, firstly as a part of school curriculum, and furthermore through educational materials oriented on the practical work of students connected with active knowledge acquisition and shaping their attitude towards it.