In this thesis, I present a modest polemic about science cultural myths and their influence on school science. My analysis is critical because I seek ultimately to free teachers and students from repressive science cultural myths. Within this thesis, my critical analysis reveals the character of prevailing science cultural myths and provides evidence of their power within school science to legitimate specific forms of science knowledge to the exclusion of other forms. Subsequently, I propose a philosophical science framework for enabling teachers and students of science to transform their teaching and learning practices. These three aspects provide the framework of my thesis.The first step in my critical analysis involved the identification of the major characteristics of cultural myths. A cultural myth is a shared network of beliefs that regulate and order social practices that forgets how it was created. I argue that myths are characterised by their apparent invisibility once their historical evolution has been forgotten. Using this definition, I then examined the genesis of myths during the emergence of experimental philosophy in Western Europe in the 17th century and identified the following science cultural myths: myths associated with a naive realist perspective of observation and experimentation; myths that present science as justified, true knowledge; myths of a mechanical cosmology; and myths associated with the apparent transparency of language.Next, I examined literary aspects of school science, specifically textbooks, to search for the presence of these science cultural myths. I argue that the science presented in school science can be described as science stories, and that within these stories there is an iterative relationship between the 'facts' selected for the telling and science cultural myths. I identified four different types of stories that I ++ / call heroic, discovery, declarative and politically correct science stories, each of which helps to maintain specific myths of science. Using literary theory, I developed an approach to analysis and reconstruction of school science stories that can be used by teachers and students to assist them to transform science stories. Such an approach would help students to hear the multiple voices of science, rather than the mythical single dominant voice.I examined also the power of science cultural myths to assist or enforce the enculturation of pre-service teachers into school science. This examination was a twostep process. Firstly, using repertory grid analysis and interviews, I identified the dominant notions of science held by pre-service teachers before they began teaching Later, in follow-up interviews conducted after they had gained some teaching experience, I obtained critical insights into the interaction between the notions of science held initially by the pre-service science teachers and those endorsed by the school science culture. The results indicate the power of science cultural myths to obligate pre-service teachers to adopt uncritically specific practices within school science.Finally, I propose a philosophy of science for science education that consists of five key referents: construction, tentativeness, dynamism, neopragmatism and critique. This holistic philosophy offers science educators a framework for evolving a school science culture that is critically aware of science cultural myths and their power and that can promote the multiple voices of science.

It has long been acknowledged that pre-service Early Childhood teachers enter university with a notable lack of confidence, high levels of anxiety and an aversion to science and mathematics. Unless redressed during their time spent at university, such negative attitudes may ultimately influence the quality of science education these teachers offer to young children. This study considers the affective attitudes to science and science education of those people considered to be central to the education of young children.Specifically the study investigates the attitudes and backgrounds in science/ science education, of academics, pre-service and in-service teachers together with their attitudes towards teaching science to young children. The attitudes to science of a group of young children, aged between 4 and 8 years, were also investigated in the study. The potential links between the attitudes held by each group was of great interest to the researcher who considered the ways that academics promoted the teaching of science to young children, the factors influencing the willingness of pre-service and in-service teachers to present science to young children and the effect that teachers have on the responses of young children to science.The findings suggest that in contrast to the attitudes towards science of pre- and in-service teacher groups in the study, the young children and academics displayed attitudes such as interest, curiosity, confidence and enjoyment towards their experiences in science. There was a strong link between the memory of prior experiences in science and the present attitudes to science of the adult participants. The implications of the study are that science education in the early years will be enhanced if ways can be found to provide more positive science related experiences for pre-service and in-service teachers.

This study focused on the relationship between gender and science.The position taken was that this relationship is in need of theoretically informed clarification, from a perspective which allows for the questioning of taken-for-granted assumptions about knowledge. Thus, the sociology of knowledge, a discipline concerned essentially with the ideological basis of knowledge, provided the theoretical underpinnings for the study.The study's overall purpose was to advance understanding of the gender/science relationship through the development and testing of a theory. Secondary school science, an area in which the problematic gender/science relationship is of particular concern and an area which suffers acutely from lack of theory in this regard, was selected as the specific focus.The problem central to the study concerned the manner in which the structure of curriculum and assessment in secondary schools appears to influence the relationship between gender and science. In addressing this problem, the study involved two major tasks. The first task was to develop a theory which reconceptualises and integrates three strands of previous research, namely, (i) theories about the sociology of knowledge and the school curriculum, drawing initially on the research of Bernstein (1971b), Young (1971b) and Broadfoot (1979); (ii) empirical research, conducted mainly by science educators, concerning the manner in which science curriculum and assessment policy and practice appear to interact with gender; and, (iii) theories developed from the postmodernist feminist critique of science. The second task was to test this theory through a socio-historical analysis of patterns of sex differences in participation and achievement in secondary school science in one Australian State, namely Western Australia.The theory of the gender code of school science is the major outcome of the integration ++ / of the intellectual and empirical activities described in this thesis. Essentially, it is a conceptual, sociological framework in which gender is a central category. It is shown, in this study, to have both descriptive and predictive power with respect to the gender/science relationship at secondary school level.

The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding of the patterns of science achievement for 154 ninth-grade girls and boys on multiple-choice and short-answer constructed-response items. The study was guided by a model, developed from an extensive review of the literature, incorporating the dimensions of generalised self-efficacy, item- specific self-efficacy and worry. These variables were operationalised through selected or specifically developed quantitative and/or qualitative research methods, and a series of equivalent multiple-choice and short-answer constructed-response achievement items was constructed for two different unit tests. The participants in the study rated their item-specific self-efficacies on 5-point Likert-type scales immediately before answering each of the achievement items, and they completed a series of worry items from Spielberger's Test Anxiety Inventory halfway through each test. Qualitative data were collected by surveying all the students and by interviewing selected students. The quasi-experimental analyses revealed the absence of any practically important gender-related differences in achievement for the multiple-choice and the constructed-response achievement items. However, the boys reported more item-specific self-efficacy and less worry than the girls for each of these item-response formats, and each of these gender-related differences was judged to be practically significant. The qualitative data provided additional evidence that the girls' self-perceptions of their efficacy for answering multiple-choice and short-answer constructed-response items was lower than that of the boys. It also provided support for the model underpinning the study. Overall, there was no evidence of any practically important interactions between gender and item-response formats, for either item-specific self-efficacy, worry or achievement, ++ / indicating that neither of the item-response formats used in the study, with this group of students, advantaged one sex over the other. Additionally, the findings from this study suggested that sufficient time should be allowed during testing so that all students can complete tests to the levels of their capabilities and that, during tests, the influence of students' self-efficacies is mediated through the quality of their engagement with test items.

Science is sometimes seen as contained in a little box on its own, separate from the rest of the world. The questions underpinning this thesis set in train thoughts about investigating the chosen topic, the teaching and learning of physical and chemical change, using a very wide range of methodologies. The perspective is of someone involved in the teaching of the physical sciences for more than 40 years. The topic still remains contentious in teaching chemistry.The thesis sets out the evidence for and against the teaching of physical and chemical change and tracks the historical origins of the concept, its changing definitions and the research relating to the concept of physical and chemical change. A number of historically based textbook case studies are presented, some of which the author considers to be pioneering. The study ends with consideration of the public understanding of science, wondering whether the concept of physical and chemical change can be helpful in this respect.The conclusions reached are not in themselves remarkable, expressing a belief, that overall the concept of physical and chemical change is of benefit to the chemical community and perhaps to the wider public.

The growing diversity of school populations around the world means that for many students the language of instruction in mainstream classrooms is not their first language. Content-based second language learning in a context such as a science classroom is considered advantageous as it enables the learner to manipulate a target language such as English in a way which is meaningful. However, science students who have yet to achieve communicative competence in English are disadvantaged when it comes to developing a deep understanding of scientific concepts. Many mainstream science teachers have concerns about this significant group of learners who can be left on the periphery of the class to cope as best as they can. Very often teachers aim to meet the needs of English Second Language (ESL) learners without any specific knowledge of the strategies which would enhance learning and ensure that learning environments encourage participation and interaction. The students themselves have not only to deal with language and sociocultural issues but must face the cognitive demands of science including negotiating its specialised language. / The study had two main purposes. The first goal was to describe the current situation with respect to nine ESL learners of science and their teachers in selected learning environments in Australia. The secondary purpose was to bring about improvement in the students' situations by employing specifically designed interventions. The study had three focal areas: the language; the teaching and learning environment; and the ESL student. It was conducted in three phases. Phase one involved investigating the current situations in the three focal areas. Phase two involved reflection, planning and development of the broad interventions and specific strategies which were used to assist teaching and learning. In phase three the strategies were implemented and their effectiveness was analysed using a multidimensional interpretive framework. Changes in communicative competence, interactional and participative competencies and academic competence were observed. The interventions which were intended to promote communicative competence for the language focus, involved integration of language and literacy instruction with science education. To improve participation and interaction in the teaching and learning environment, individual assistance was provided. In order to promote academic competence for the students, content, process and/or product modifications were made to science courses. / Data for the qualitative case studies was collected using classroom observation, teacher and student interviews, checklists of strategies and language errors, and portfolios of student work. Observations of the science classes in phase one revealed that, even for the students with very limited English language proficiency there was little ESL specialist support available. Mainstream subjects like science provided opportunities for language development, with biology lessons consistently including more activities which involved a combination of speaking, listening, reading and writing than did chemistry or physics classes. However, there was no coordinated approach to integrating language education with science education. The development of cognitive1 academic language took longer than 10 years for some of the students in the study. The non-technical language used in science lessons affected the students' understanding much more than the teachers were aware. Teachers' attitudes and beliefs strongly influenced the interaction and participation of ESL students in science classrooms. Developing language skills prevented ESL students asking and answering questions in class and academic progress in science was impeded by limited opportunities for ESL students to clarify their understanding. Achievement in science was affected by assessment instruments which were infused with specific linguistic or cultural knowledge. / After the introduction of the interventions, improvements in communicative competence occurred for all students with the greatest progression occurring in the students with less developed language skills. Interaction and participation improved markedly in the science classrooms where teachers provided individual assistance to students. Academic competence increased in all cases. The most promising approaches included: addressing the specific language needs in a particular unit of work; the development of customized materials; the provision of weekly tutorials; and the revision of assignment drafts.

The thesis presents a critique of the nature of 13 to 15 year-old students' images of futures. Arguments are made for their importance to the individual community and culture and their value and use in a science learning setting.This study of the nature of futures images is based upon data collected from small samples in two school settings between 1990 and 1999 using a guided fantasy approach. The diversity of student hopes and fears for futures is categorised using several research tools developed from the futures literature. The results identify a range of futures scenarios ranging from highly utopic to highly dystopic and themes including human interactions, the natural and built environment and the nature and use of futuristic technologies.The importance of student images of futures is discussed from the personal perspective of the students and then considered in the broader context of society and Western culture. The data are examined through a number of theoretical frames including psychology, history and the futures field of enquiry. The consensus seems to be that expectations of the future are inseparable from human nature and influential in determining the viability of cultures.The value of student images of futures in science learning is explored through a case study of one of my own Year 9 classes. In teaching this class I used the technique of futures imaging integrated into a critical futures teaching approach utilising a constructivist planning model. I found that students' futures images revealed a broader aspect of student worldviews than is usual in science learning environments, and were valuable in exposing student prior knowledge, interests and concerns. Student learning seemed to be enhanced using this futures oriented approach.

This thesis investigates professional learning in a school-based community of science teachers. Transcripts of science staff meetings were analysed using two frameworks. These frameworks relate to the notions of community and professional learning. The school-based community is interpreted in terms of three metaphors of understanding: meanings, practice and identity. Professional learning is interpreted in terms of how the teachers learn the episteme, techne and phronesis of their science teaching. I propose that professional learning occurs when teachers engage in virtues-based personal reflection and/or public discourse around episteme, techne and phronesis in the spaces 'in-between' the metaphors of community. This proposition raises implications for the accessibility of professional learning and the relationship between community and organisational boundaries.

This study focuses on curriculum integration for several reasons. Firstly, because there appeared to be no clear definition of integration nor a consensus on what constituted good integration. Secondly, there were few studies on integration and the type of learning involved. I believe that a study looking at an integrated unit in depth should help to shed light on what integration is and how it can be accommodated within the school system. Thirdly, an opportunity existed to observe such a unit within an established middle school. As integration is purported as being "the way" young adolescents should be taught, a middle school setting seemed ideal to me. I thought that this setting should be far enough removed from the content driven senior school to allow for its complete and uninhibited development, especially given the philosophy of this well developed middle school. Fourthly, I am interested in the potential of integration as a way of focusing on learning outcomes rather than curriculum inputs. My own theoretical perspective, with a heavy leaning toward constructivist ideas, caused me to lean towards qualitative rather than quantitative research methodologies and methods. I wanted to do justice to the study by clearly describing the social context of the school and the curriculum. Basil Bemstein's pedagogic code was seen as a way of providing the framework for the development of such a method of description. As this pedagogic code had seldom been used in a study such as this, a complete investigation of its descriptive and analytic power was seen as being of benefit to future curriculum research. The study involved two major tasks. The first task was to develop the framework to a point that it would provide a descriptive language for the recording and analysis of a school culture. / This was done by reconceptualising theories about the sociology of knowledge drawing on research by Bemstein (1971a; 1971b; 1977; 1990; 1996; 2000), Young (1971), Daniels (1987; 1989; 1995; 2001), Morais (1992) and Parker (1994) and modifying the resulting mapping tool developed to suit the complexity of the data gathered. The second task was to apply this framework to the observational data and to derive a description of the culture of the school and the micro-cultures of the two units of study observed within this school. From this description meaning was generated in the form of propositional statements about the development of an integrated unit of study within the culture of a school.

It has become a habit of our time to lament about the state of the world and simultaneously profess that there is not really anything we, as individuals, can do about it because there is just too much that needs fixing. In this thesis, I challenge this view on the basis that science teachers in particular are in a unique position to raise students' awareness of problematic issues in relation to the world around them by providing students with necessary knowledge. However, sound knowledge does not equate with a positive attitude, this is why I contend that providing students with factual knowledge might not be enough to enable them to participate in the public discourse on making the world a 'better place' in which to live. Given the pervading influence of science on our daily lives, this discourse necessarily includes a focus on science, scientific research and its uses. However, many science educators traditionally have taught science without addressing ethical questions. I argue that the inclusion of a discourse on ethical science-related issues into science teaching might open an avenue for science educators to offer students opportunity for practising their future engagement in the public discourse about science by learning to reflect critically and collaboratively on their attitudes, beliefs and values. This thesis presents an interpretive case study, situated in the 7th Moment of Qualitative Research, which investigated the planning and implementation of a specially designed 'Ethics in Science' curriculum, in the context of national curriculum reform in Austria. The 'Ethics in Science' curriculum was implemented in two science classes in a public senior high school in Austria by a biology teacher and a mathematics/physics teacher. / The study explored the appropriateness of a science teaching approach that uses dilemma stories as a pedagogical tool for initiating individual reflection and classroom discourse on ethical issues. The study was designed as a 'bricolage', drawing from ethnography, hermeneutic-phenomenology, feminism and biographical research. Autobiography caused me to engage in critical self-reflection on my own attitudes, beliefs and values, bringing to the fore the relationship between my personal history and my own ethical sensitivities. This was helpful as a 'primer' before engaging students in the act of reflection. The use of multiple methods for data-generation served the purpose of crystallisation. Integral philosophy and critical constructivism were theoretical referents for my research on the teaching and learning. The Theory of Transformative Learning and a perspective on moral learning that combines several types of ethics served as a referent for interpreting the analysis of student learning. I have drawn on the multiple perspectives of the students, teachers and myself as the researcher. It was very important to me to maintain the participants' original voices as often as possible in order to establish 'polyvocality'. Findings indicate that the teaching approach using dilemmas led to critical thinking, in some cases to critical self-reflection, and seemed to help with initiating a classroom discourse. Overall, it appears that the dilemma teaching approach can promote rational, social and emotional learning. On the teachers' side, this type of teaching seemed to challenge the teachers' existing skills with regard to facilitation and moderation of class discussion and the self-restraint needed to avoid imposing their opinion on students. / An issue for the teachers concerned their uncertainty about when to intervene in group-processes. The data-analysis also led to seemingly contradictory results which I interpreted using a dialectical 'dilemma' framework wherein the synthesis of two contradictory poles serves as a starting point for a higher level of understanding. I identified seven 'pedagogical dilemmas' - pedagogical because they are related to teaching and learning in the context of a dilemma teaching approach, and 'dilemma' because they require a choice on the side of the educator who intends to use a dilemma teaching approach. These pedagogical dilemmas were related to the dilemma stories, the individual reflection phases, the collaborative discourse phases, the ideal frequency of dilemma units, the teachers' skills, so-called problem students, and the time-requirements in relation to the dilemma units.