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Although the number of publications on formative assessment in science education has long been high, there is no bibliometric analysis or scientific mapping in the literature to understand research trends in formative assessment research. This research aimed to examine the bibliometric results of articles on formative assessment in science education. Based on the criteria for inclusion and exclusion, 94 articles were selected for analysis. The results show that between 2015-2016 and 2020-2022, the number of publications on formative assessment increased substantially. Among the top ten institutions that contributed to the research are three institutions from the United States. The results also show that the United States had the most publications. Analysis of the co-citations showed that the "Journal of Research in Science Teaching," "Science Education," and the "International Journal of Science Education" were cited more than 100 times. The three most cited studies were published in "Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy, and Practice." The results show that the researcher used formative assessment, students, science education, teaching, education, engineering education, curricula, STEM, and e-learning in research on formative assessment. In light of the obtained results, practical suggestions for further studies are made in the conclusion.

A virtual microscope resource was created when face-to-face labs were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 to replicate the learning goals of an introductory petrology course on microscopy. This virtual microscope resource utilized images and videos of thin sections, as well as 3D rock models to allow students to complete labs online. It also incorporated directed questioning and feedback as would be provided by demonstrators (teaching assistants) in a face-to-face lab. Insights obtained from student reflective questionnaires (n = 75) were used to adapt the online resource so that it could be used in conjunction with the face-to-face lab, thus becoming a blended lab resource in the subsequent year. These reflective questionnaires were utilized again to provide feedback on the revised version of the resource for blended learning. Findings showed that students in the blended learning cohort rated the quality of the available online material higher than the previous students. The blended learning cohort appreciated the immediate feedback from the resource, as well as its ability to provide remote access to lab materials. They also gained confidence by being able to review the material multiple times online. We conclude that blended resources are a useful tool in introductory petrology which we hope to see become more commonplace in the future.

For over two decades now, the application of Citizen Science to Education has been evolving, and fundamental topics, such as the drivers of motivation to participate in Citizen Science projects, are still under discussion. Some recent developments, though, like the use of Artificial Intelligence to support data collection and validation, seem to point to a clear-cut divergence from the mainstream research path. The objective of this paper is to summarise the development trajectory of research on Citizen Science in Education so far, and then shed light on its future development, to help researchers direct their efforts towards the most promising open questions in this field. We achieved these objectives by using the lens of the Affordance-Actualisation theory and the Main Path Analysis method.

Formative assessment has been long emphasised as a powerful means for enhancing science learning. However, there is still a lack of research to investigate the impacts of formative assessment on both students' motivational beliefs and behaviours in science learning. This study examined such impacts using data from six Western and six East Asian countries/economies in PISA 2015. 96,491 15-year-old students were included. The SEM analysis of overall data showed that (i) formative assessment had both direct effects on students' science learning behaviours and indirect impacts mediated by students' motivational beliefs and (ii) the total effect of teacher feedback on science learning behaviours was greater than adaptive instruction. The comparison between Western and East Asian datasets indicated that (i) the impact of teacher feedback on East Asian students' motivational beliefs was greater than that on their Western counterparts; (ii) the impact of adaptive instruction on Western students' motivational beliefs was greater than that on East Asian counterparts; and (iii) the direct impacts of teacher feedback and adaptive instruction on science learning behaviours were similar for both groups of students. Suggestions were made on how to effectively implement formative assessment to enhance science learning in different cultural contexts.

There is often a steady trajectory of curriculum change under the surface of developments that might seem arbitrary or inconsistent. This article traces the change from key competencies to science capabilities and, most recently, to enduring competencies. All these changes (and names) respond to increasing awareness of the challenges involved in weaving curriculum elements together. For the Science learning area, these challenges centre on how best to understand why the Nature of Science strand was included in the Science learning area, and what difference it should make to learning experiences. Other learning areas can doubtless describe similar types of curriculum weaving challenges.

Science education researchers and curriculum documents have advocated scientific inquiry for more than six decades; however, inconsistent findings concerning its effects on students' learning outcomes have been revealed in recent analyses of large-scale international assessment data (e.g., the Programme for International Student Assessment [PISA]). This has evoked considerable concern given the significant role that inquiry plays in science education. To unpack the complex influence of inquiry on science achievement, this study used the PISA 2015 data from eight Western or East Asian regions to explore the effects of inquiry on students' science achievement and the mediation of attitudes toward science. The results indicated that despite the negative effects that the investigation aspect of inquiry had on science achievement, the explanation aspect of inquiry had positive effects on science achievement for the Western, East Asian, and whole samples. When all of the effects of both the investigation and explanation aspects were integrated, the overall influence of inquiry on students' science achievement was found to be positive for the whole and East Asian samples and slightly negative for the Western sample. This study highlights the necessity of considering different facets of inquiry and different types of effects when investigating the effects of inquiry on science achievement and achieving a better balance between the investigation and explanation processes when implementing inquiry in school classrooms.

Background: In science education asynchronous online interactions have increased dramatically during the recent pandemic and some of these practices will stay. One of the characteristics in asynchronous exchanges is the spacing and sequencing of online interaction. It means that dialogue partners do not necessarily receive immediate feedback as is the case in a face-to-face exchange. This article presents student produced stories in science education as part of asynchronous activities. When we communicate experiences with the world through stories, we also convey embodied information. The question arises what role the body may play in such exchanges. Purpose: The article explores the role embodiment plays in science education when communication takes place asynchronously, specifically when students are tasked to share their science explorations with others. Sample: Three examples (primary, secondary and tertiary science education) are presented. Data were ethnographically collected that include fieldnotes, videos (including video observations), photos, interviews, student and teacher prepared materials. Design and methods: Using a storytelling method, the article presents how the materiality of the online asynchronous environment affords embodiment. Storytelling as a method was chosen to give participants a voice. Results: Embodiment played an important role in all three examples. It helped students to share how they conducted experiments for others to follow or share their experiences or impressions about scientists' work. Embodiment expressed students' emotions associated with the topics that were presented. Embodiment personalized the students' productions and was a deliberate choice for sharing information about inquiring about star constellations, e-mobility or the nature of scientists' practices. Discussion: In asynchronous online dialogue students can reflectively share through their stories how they perceive and inhabit the world. Embodiment plays an important part of meaning making and as exemplified here, allows to show and share understanding.

The importance of genetic diversity, especially within small populations of endangered species, is becoming increasingly apparent. Genetic engineering techniques that could potentially enhance diversity are now being developed. However, the use of such techniques would require social licence and yet within the general population there is limited understanding of the importance of variation within a species. This qualitative study explored the potential of introducing the concept of within-species variation to New Zealand primary school children (5 to 11 year olds) with the aim of preparing these students to make critical decisions about the use of these techniques in their futures. Eighty-four children participated in the study and their explanations for the impact that differences between individuals may have were analysed revealing their scientifically acceptable understanding of the concept. But findings also highlighted potential misconceptions that they may retain. These misconceptions include a belief that animals think and behave in a manner similar to humans or that variations within a species are for identification purposes only. Findings showed that the concept of within-species variation could be introduced to primary school children. However, to do this successfully curriculum documents may need to be reviewed and teachers may require specific professional development.

The way science education is positioned and practised in New Zealand primary schools varies widely. In this qualitative case study, participants in senior management from five Auckland primary schools were asked how they perceived science, how it was taught and reasons for the pedagogical approaches chosen. It was clear all schools were different in terms of population and the pedagogical approaches used to teach science. Science was taught in a range of configurations--from siloed to transdisciplinary integrative approaches and by classroom teachers, specialists and outside providers. The schools in this study who saw 'science as everywhere' and practised collaborative teaching were more likely to teach science through integration.

Sustainable development requires the valuing of Indigenous knowledges. The complex and intertwined processes of coloniality and globalisation have contributed to spreading a dominant set of Western knowledge, values, and practices discrediting local Indigenous knowledges and wisdom (Thaman, 2003). Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), to "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all", requires educators to recognise that non-Western students continuously negotiate the disconnect between their formal Western education and their cultures. Developing educational sustainability requires resetting this educational imbalance. Culturally sustaining pedagogy acknowledges and encourages cultural pluralism something often absent in the teaching of Western Modern Science. Here I describe the "'Ulungaanga faka-Tonga Fonu" model, a response to Thaman's directive that embedding Indigenous knowledges in higher education institutions' formal curriculum enriches student experience by providing diverse understandings, perspectives, and wisdoms. This model demonstrates a way to engage with Tongan knowledge in formal teaching spaces.

In this article, I report a two-year study of working closely with science teachers and examining perceptions of Year 9 (12-13 year olds) students in 13 New Zealand secondary schools. The Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) was used. The questionnaire was administered to 327 students in the first year and 362 students in the second year to find out their perceptions of their preferred learning environments in order to compare this with their perceptions of the actual situation. The data were used to plan improvements in learning environments through a teacher professional learning process by redesigning programmes and encouraging changes in students' classroom behaviours. Co-constructive learning strategies and reshaping of lessons to include current topics were used as tools to encourage students' expression of opinions, personal relevance and shared control in their learning. After each subsequent year-long intervention, the CLES was re-administered to reveal that there had indeed been an improvement. The research is distinctive because it is a learning environment study in New Zealand schools examining students' psychosocial perceptions related to their first-year experiences of science at the secondary level.

Online strategies designed to enable practical learning were in use prior to the pandemic. Nevertheless, in response to the rapid shift to online delivery during lockdowns, face-to-face practical learning was often postponed and replaced with traditional transmissive and theory-focused modes. This paper reports undergraduate and postgraduate university students' online learning experiences in New Zealand, where some practical learning approaches were evident particularly in the fields of teacher education, health or medicine, and sciences. Using multiple methods, data stemmed from a national survey followed by individual interviews and focus groups. Findings affirm that practical learning is possible in hybrid contexts, and is no less real than learning on campus. In-home or community-based activities, virtual simulations, online practice, and video-based learning all offer engaging opportunities for practical learning.

This article reports on a case study from a larger project exploring ways in which online citizen science projects can enhance students' learning in science and in digital technology. In this case, two teachers integrated the digital technology curriculum with the science capability "interpreting representations" using the engaging context of Mars. As part of the unit, the students contributed to the online citizen science project AI4Mars, did some unplugged computational thinking, and then transferred this learning to learning to program mBots. Our aim is to inspire others to plan curricula that integrate opportunities for developing students' science capabilities and their digital technology skills.

This paper reports on an ongoing professional learning and development (PLD) initiative in New Zealand. The Academy is designed to provide primary and intermediate classroom teachers with the knowledge, materials and support needed for effective delivery of "The New Zealand Curriculum's" science subject area. Specifically, this paper reports on the Academy's interconnections of government policy, professional learning and development, teachers' practice and students' learning. Results indicate how relevant, useful and meaningful education through science has influenced classroom teachers' practice. The implications support the critical importance of effective connections between content, policy and practice in the ongoing development of teaching practice.

An intentional teaching approach provided a Wellington kindergarten with valuable avenues for supporting the teaching and learning of young children from refugee and immigrant backgrounds. Despite reservations about implementing this approach, teachers found that it was possible to use it in a child-centred way. The teachers' research inquiry into scientific learning provides examples of how intentional teaching supported positive and beneficial learning outcomes for young children. The inquiry highlighted the importance of slowing down, the value of repetition, the depth of child engagement in scientific activities and the significance of sensory learning. Intentional teaching was found to contribute to significant learning happening over time.

The ability to understand science is important for productive participation in societies that rely on scientific knowledge to guide decision-making. A challenge is how to motivate and engage all learners in science, and not just those destined for science-related careers. This challenge becomes more acute in senior secondary high-stakes assessment contexts where science traditionally becomes discipline-based and optional. The New Zealand framework curriculum and modular credit-based secondary exit qualification introduces systems-level flexibilities that support the offering of learning choices that can take science on a track different to conventional discipline-based courses. This article reports on findings of an eight-month study involving three cycles of collaborative action research with a Year 12 science class. We describe and analyse students' experiences when a teacher opened learning choices using different types of science inquiry in a new General Science course. Students were working on the New Zealand senior secondary exit qualification. Findings show how students can respond to different levels of choice to learn and achieve more on their own terms. While tensions and cautionary notes are floated, findings demonstrate how offering flexibility and choice to non-specialist science students can make science more accessible by responding to diverse learning motivations and interests.

The Ministry of Education's recent changes to NCEA to incorporate mana orite mo te matauranga Maori has become the source of consternation for many kaiako in secondary schools in Aotearoa New Zealand. Kaiako are struggling to understand what integrating mana orite and matauranga Maori into their programmes looks like. This article is intended as a lay person's guide to understanding two things. First, what the terms "mana orite" and "matauranga Maori" are, and secondly, what mana orite mo te matauranga Maori may look like in their programmes of study.

This study adds to the debate that both basic and applied research enhance each other; likewise, the arts and science disciplines are equally relevant in solving complex societal and environmental problems. Thus, investment in one should not lead to a deprivation of the other. One may suppose that although both basic and applied research remains a top priority of universities, funding opportunities are shifting more focus to applied research to the disadvantage of basic research. When academics engage in applied research, it does not mean they are ignoring basic research. However, pursuing funding opportunities sometimes compromise research autonomy because most external funds come with strings attached, such as influencing what research is done -- basic research or applied research or elements of both. The study uses four faculties in two New Zealand universities as a case study based on Biglan's (1973) classification of academic disciplines, as their differences can influence the nature of research and funding support. It recommends that university administrators and funding institutions avoid the shift in access to resources that deepens the imbalance between the arts and science disciplines.

In this article, we consider how assessment might reinforce New Zealand curriculum goals of knowing and doing in science for active and informed participation in societies that rely on scientific knowledge to guide decision making. This focus constitutes an orientation towards "sustainable assessment". Sustainable assessment encompasses the capacities students need to learn lifelong across formal and informal settings, and alerts students to the use of their learning for societal good. Within science education, socioscientific issues (SSIs) have been found to engage students and to support the development of socioscientific reasoning. We focus on perspective-taking as an important dimension of socioscientific reasoning required to assess and operationalise the social and citizenship dimensions of an SSI. Perspective-taking acts as a bridge to the appreciation of other socioscientific reasoning domains such as complexity, inquiry, skepticism, and if and how scientific evidence might contribute to the negotiation and resolution of an SSI. We introduce and discuss two strategies that provide scenarios for students' learning and demonstration of SSIs reasoning: concept cartoons as making visible student analysis of the complexity inherent in SSIs; and concept mapping as a tool to build representations and explanations of complex SSIs. Both can support integrated formative--summative assessment of perspective-taking across different phases of SSI investigation. Importantly, these scenarios (and others) can be used to support an explicit focus on the what and how of sustainable assessment and learning for societal benefit.

Science capabilities were introduced within the New Zealand context following the revised "New Zealand Curriculum" (NZC). These capabilities are a small set of things that NZC intends students to be able to do in science, which weave the nature of science with content strands. Using pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) to understand teacher knowledge, this article explores how a New Zealand secondary school embraced science capabilities and how it is assessing them. A concerted and targeted effort over the last decade saw significant shifts in teacher thinking, and the school now utilises science capabilities for significant portions of the curriculum design and assessment in Years 9-11. Moving away from traditional approaches, the school now reports on student progression with respect to what they can do. It is intended that the thinking and approaches reported here will support other secondary schools if they are making changes to their science curriculum.

This paper reports on the illuminatory and exploratory phase of a study into how two educational systems are interconnecting content, policy, and teaching practice into science professional development (PD). New Zealand implemented a new curriculum in 2007 for full implementation in 2010, which should have altered how science was delivered in primary classrooms. New Zealand, however, began limited PD in science education in 2012. The state of Arkansas in the United States of America endorsed the Next Generation Science Standards in 2015, adopted the new Arkansas K-4 Science Standards in 2016 and Years 5-8 in 2017. Arkansas, however, began its science PD in 2015. Through face-to-face discussions during PD sessions, this study investigated how the teachers were experiencing PD explicitly based on the interconnections of content, policy, and practice. The results of this first phase highlight how due to their participation in PD, teachers in both Arkansas and New Zealand are now talking about how they build on what their students' know and have experienced. The implications of this research note teachers not only need both the time and opportunity to experience learning but also support as they then implement their new learning into their own classroom practice.

This paper presents a literature review of theory and briefly presents insight from a case study. The literature review attempts to explain what Putaiao is, how it is being taught, and the learning of Putaiao. It also investigates the Putaiao curriculum and the challenges currently being faced. The literature covers students from early childhood, primary, and secondary school, and in this review, it is mainly limited to Maori immersion classrooms and schools. Further work is needed focusing on teacher education and professional development of Putaiao teachers. Putaiao as a subject is facing several challenges that may be combated through more specific interventions - rather than studies investigating Kura as a whole. Despite the challenges faced, the literature overall has a positive outlook in which Putaiao is enjoyed by students who see it relates to their own knowledge and culture. The case study took place in a Maori medium school that caters for year 9-13 students. Two teachers from a Maori medium school (Kura) who had no background in science and their year 9 and 10 classes voluntarily participated in this research. Through support to teachers in the form of upskilling themselves and learning along with the students, teachers gained confidence and began to teach Putaiao. Teachers willingly learn new vocabulary to pass it on to their students. In addition, among mainstream schools, many of the studies had positive impacts by raising awareness among teachers of how to teach Maori students, and how to incorporate some of the values that are fundamental to Putaiao.

International and national studies have revealed a sharp decline in student science engagement during the middle years of schooling. In Aotearoa New Zealand, over 20 years of cross-sectional evidence has repeatedly shown high levels of student engagement with science in primary school and lower levels in high school, but very little evidence in-between. In this study, we conducted an engagement survey (n = 429) across Years 7-10 (11-15 yo) to better understand this gap. We found that decreasing engagement with science was only apparent when considering school science, but not in other contexts like choosing science careers or science outside of school. Contrary to common rhetoric of a 'decline' in student engagement with science, we suggest that the middle years are marked with uncertainty about the role of science in students' lives, which would benefit from a shift toward contextualised curricula.

This paper reports on findings from a research project concerned with how electronic networking tools (e-networked tools), such as the Internet, online forums, and mobile technologies, can support authentic science inquiry in junior secondary classrooms. It focuses on three qualitative case studies involving science teachers from two high schools together with their Year 9 and Year 10 classes. The ways teachers and students view and take up the affordances of mobile phones to support authentic science inquiry are of interest. Data were collected from teacher reflections, student interviews, a student survey, classroom observations and student work. The findings highlight three key themes that illustrate the advantage of using mobile phones as part of the classroom culture to video record group practical investigations, support students' developing abilities to think like a scientist, and enable the sharing of learning beyond the classroom. The findings have implications for practice and can contribute to a better understanding of the ways mobile devices can support and extend science inquiry in New Zealand secondary classrooms.

Over the last two decades, education in Australia and New Zealand has focussed on improving student underachievement in schools. There is concern that this focus is having a negative impact on meeting the needs of high-ability students, including those who are potentially high-ability science students. It appears the freedom the national curriculum gives schools to identify and then provide for high-ability science students is problematic, and there is no clear picture emerging of how schools are identifying and providing for the learning needs of these students. This review of literature identifies tools teachers may choose to use to identify high-ability students in science such as using a range of characteristics combined with evidence of students'substantive, procedural, and epistemological understandings of science ideas.The means of meeting these students' needs is considered within the extant literature, with curriculum acceleration identified as the preferable approach to making appropriate academic provision for high-ability science students.

This article presents findings from a doctoral study which examined the ways teaching teams in six New Zealand early childhood education (ECE) centres fostered and supported young children's scientific experiences. The focus of this article is the pedagogical practice of using provocations to facilitate scientific opportunities. The way provocations fostered science occurrences will be explored drawing on the experiences of teachers in two of the centres involved in the research. The article will discuss where the pedagogical approach of provocations originates and provide examples of how provocations can facilitate opportunities for investigations around scientific concepts.

The continued underserving of Maori and Pasifika communities by New Zealand universities has resulted in the need to hold universities and the wider tertiary education system to account through widespread data analysis. This paper analyses Maori and Pasifika enrolment in the Society and Culture and Natural and Physical Sciences fields of Aotearoa New Zealand. The data indicate further targeted investment is needed in both fields, however, areas of investment differ between and within the fields. This paper also argues that the increasing use of Ministry of Education data to analyse current and past Maori and Pasifika inclusion in Aotearoa New Zealand universities means that this data needs to be transparent and reliable.

This paper highlights the use of a drama convention--"Role on the Wall"--to teach the Nature of Science (NOS) in a Year 7/8 classroom. Students were positioned as "expert" scientists re-investigating the science behind the sinking of the Wahine in a Mantle of the Expert unit. Students drew a "Role on the Wall" of a scientist. The inner body portion outlined characteristics they thought scientists have and in the outer portion they listed the tasks scientists do. This approach can support the teaching of NOS, as it provides opportunities for students to collaboratively construct understandings about scientists and their activities. Differences were noted between the visual language and the oral language used to describe scientists. Shifts in student understanding about scientists were also examined in relation to student comment from classroom discussion and student interviews.

Field note-taking skills are fundamental in the geosciences but are rarely explicitly taught. In a mixed-method study of an introductory geothermal field lesson, we characterize the content and perceptions of students' note-taking skills to derive the strategies that students use in the field. We collected several data sets: observations of the field lesson, hard-copy notebooks (n = 42), and interview data (n = 16). Our analysis of the notebooks revealed note-taking strategies on two dimensions, consistent with earlier findings in the literature: students' ability to write in their own words (uniqueness; U), and the amount of necessary information recorded (completeness; C). We propose several factors that influenced the students' notes: lecturer differences, previous field experience, and gender. Two different lecturers (1 and 2) taught the lesson on two different days. The note-taking task covered similar content but was not scripted, resulting in lecturer differences. Lecturer 1 included rich peripheral information, and the other reiterated the need ''to think for yourself'' and ''focus on observations'' (resulting in higher U scores for lecturer 2's students). We also found that students with ''high'' previous field experience had higher U scores. Interview data corroborated this finding, indicating that field experience helped students to ''know what to look for.'' Lastly, female students generally achieved higher C scores than male students. Females used more words (verbosity), and this likely led to higher values achieved. To improve note-taking skills, we suggest breaking down complex field lessons into simple, manageable parts to manage students' cognitive load.

This paper reports on a study investigating the effectiveness of a new professional learning development (PLD) initiative in New Zealand, The Sir Paul Callaghan Science Academy (The Academy). The Academy is designed to provide primary and intermediate (students aged 5 to 13) classroom teachers with the knowledge, materials and support needed for The New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007). After the Academy's first two years of operation, results indicate that The Academy has shown how relevant, useful and meaningful education through science can impact on both individual classroom teacher's practice and entire school programmes. The implications of this paper support the critical importance effective PLD plays in continued teaching practice.

In an exploratory project over 12 months, we investigated the role and impact of online citizen science (OCS) participation in primary school science education in four schools. Our inquiry focused on the potential of participation in online citizen science projects to support development of science capabilities for citizenship, teacher practices in embedding this new paradigm in their science units, and student behaviour when participating using different digital device setups. Our findings help teachers follow the successful practice of their colleagues who participated in our project. Findings also helped to develop professional development resources that are shared on the Science Learning Hub. We also report insights that have important implications on the development of best practices for purposeful digital device use in classroom settings.

In 2018, a research project funded by New Zealand's Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) explored the impact of online citizen science (OCS) projects on the science education of primary school children in New Zealand. This article provides an in-depth case study from this project in order to share ways in which one teacher used OCS projects specifically to develop students' science capability, "Critique evidence". Comparing data from students' conversations and work with the progress indicators for the science capabilities released by the Ministry of Education in 2019 suggests that many of the students were achieving at or above the expected level. We suggest that teacher professional learning and development in relation to the intent of science in "The New Zealand Curriculum," and the purpose of the science capabilities, was a significant enabler. [Written with assistance from Markus Luczak-Roesch, Cathal Doyle, Cameron Pierson, Yevgeniya Li, Brigitte Glasson, Carol Brieseman, Matt Boucher, and Dianne Christenson.]

This article provides a critical commentary on the recently released learning programme, "Climate Change: Prepare Today, Live Well Tomorrow" (Climate Change programme). The Climate Change programme is sorely needed in this time of climate emergency and we believe it to be a great start in guiding teachers in this important work. Here we comment on its science focus and its attention to wellbeing and participation, and we make some recommendations for how teacher practice can build on what the Climate Change programme has begun for climate-change education.

"Wetekia kia rere" is an expression in the Maori language that refers to "unleashing potential". This paper discusses questions of power relevant to challenges recently identified by government officials regarding learners' experiences of science education in New Zealand schools. We begin by summarising the Treaty relationship (Treaty of Waitangi, considered to be the country's founding document first signed in 1840) that informs the framing of New Zealand's science curriculum guidelines. Next we outline some official New Zealand education strategies along with several policy guidelines relevant to the aspirations of Maori communities for a transformative science curriculum. This is followed by a discussion of how the historical processes of ecological imperialism, environmental racism and institutional racism have combined to attenuate Maori experiences of science education. A review of international literature is then presented to support calls for the development of place-conscious approaches to science education which validate Maori knowledge and learning contexts and Maori initiatives to seek eco-justice. Finally, a case study of a Pa Wananga (Maori learning community) is provided to suggest potential solutions to some of the problems discussed previously.

There has been concern around the lack of postgraduate qualified scientists and engineers (e.g., Gago et al., 2004; Koslow, 2005; Lovitts & Nelson, 2000). However, to be effective in increasing the number of science postgraduates, a greater understanding of why students go on to do graduate studies must be developed. Presented here is a study on the views held by science graduates from a cooperative education (co-op)/work-integrated learning (WIL) degree, who are currently undertaking graduate studies, on how their work placements influenced their decision to do further studies. These graduates cited greater awareness of career prospects and the experience of doing research during their work placement as motivators to carry on with graduate studies. These graduates also indicated an awareness of hierarchy within the workplace and were motivated to undertake graduate studies so they can obtain careers at these higher levels. The research findings suggests that the perhaps traditional views held by some co-op practitioners and faculty, where co-op students are directed readily into the employment sector, may be a too limiting view of co-op/WIL.

Over the past decade, there has been a significant reduction for New Zealand initial teacher education student teachers to experience education through a science context. This paper presents the stories of two graduates from a large New Zealand university and their journeys into the classroom. Richard graduated with a Bachelor of Teaching (Primary Education) and Joy with a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Primary). Using narratives of place, these two provisionally registered (beginning) teachers discuss why they took science in their initial teacher education programmes and how they are teaching science. Specifically, Richard and Joy discuss what obstacles they faced and how they are overcoming them. Through their narratives, they raise questions, issues and concerns about their practice of teaching that would be beneficial for school leaders not only in education through science but also in the wider primary educational sector.

Science and education for sustainability have recently become estranged. Both of these learning areas are also experiencing issues that are affecting students' understandings in these areas. This paper presents a framework of learning containing 12 components that reconstructs the relationship between these two areas and could have the potential to overcome their current issues. A 15 week science/education for sustainability programme that was undertaken by 22 New Zealand students aged 11-12 years was analysed in terms of the components of the proposed framework. An interpretive analysis of the learning that took place showed beneficial effects on students' understandings. Not only did these students demonstrate understandings of sustainability and development of their scientific literacy, they also showed an emerging politicisation in that they were able to take action on an issue in a number of ways. It was also suggested that further components could be added to the proposed framework in order to develop additional knowledge and skills that could enable students to gain a deeper understanding of and ability to make decisions about the multifaceted environmental issues found in today's world.

Research has shown that one of the factors that enable effective teachers is their rich "Pedagogical Content Knowledge" (PCK), a special blend of content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge that is built up over time and experience. This form of professional knowledge, first theorized by Shulman (1987), is topic-specific, unique to each teacher, and can only be gained through teaching practice. The academic construct of PCK is recognition that teaching is not simply the transmission of concepts and skills from teacher to students but rather a complex and problematic activity that requires many and varied on the spot decisions and responses to students' ongoing learning needs. This research addresses the key area of early career teacher education and aims to investigate the use of a "Content Representation" (CoRe) as a planning tool to develop early career secondary teacher PCK. The study is designed to examine whether such a tool, co-designed by an early career teacher (ECT) with expert content and pedagogy specialists, can enhance the PCK of early career science and technology secondary teachers. The content and pedagogy experts generally worked constructively with the ECTs in designing their CoRes. The ECTs noted that they highly valued the input of the experts and felt that the design process had enabled them to identify and access the knowledge about the key concepts of the topic, as well as learn new pedagogical techniques for delivering particular content material. All the ECTs reported that they felt that being involved in discussions with the experts in the construction of the CoRe helped them to understand the big picture of the topic. Although the teachers kept in mind the needs of the curriculum and assessment through these discussions, they felt that the CoRe discussions were somewhat liberating in allowing exploration of what the topic itself was all about. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

Constructivism posits that the teacher's role is to help their students to actively construct new understanding for themselves. Diagnosis of students' prior understanding followed by carefully planned teaching sequences enables learners to grasp hitherto unknown concepts. Assessing whether they can then apply their new knowledge in new contexts verifies whether or not they have learnt what the teacher has taught. Using these three steps (diagnose, engage, evaluate) to structure a self-study highlighted the gap between rhetoric and reality in a science education methods course. This self-study research--which draws on journal entries; students' and colleagues' perspectives generated through questionnaires and interviews; and critical friends critique and questioning--had a significant impact on my teacher education pedagogy.

The displaying of a sense of wonder when responding to aesthetic experiences of natural phenomena has been identified as having a significant impact on an individual's learning in primary science education. This paper attempts to review the significance of the influence of "wonder" arising from students aesthetic reactions to exploratory activities can have on their subsequent engagement and learning in science. Current challenges facing the teaching and learning of science in the New Zealand primary school context are identified and used to justify the need for change of approach to the teaching of primary science. The calls for more affective goals for primary science education are identified and linked to literature that explores the impact of aesthetic experiences on learning in science education. A tentative taxonomy that distinguishes different types and situations where aesthetic experiences may occur is presented. Finally, "Creative Exploration" an inquiry based model for teaching and learning in primary science is introduced. (Contains 2 tables.)

National and international data is raising concerns about levels of student interest and engagement in science in school and student retention into tertiary study. For today's students the Internet plays an important role as a source of information and means for communication with peers. This paper reports on a Ministry of Research Technology and Science funded initiative, managed through The University of Waikato, that aims to make New Zealand science research more accessible to New Zealand teachers and students. The New Zealand Science Learning Hub [SLH] illustrates how effective collaboration between research organisations, industries, science educators and teachers has enabled the development of a resource which is dynamic, up-to-date and relevant and that can be used to inform the teaching of science in New Zealand schools. The Science Learning Hub provides teachers with information about current research, which is related to concepts currently taught in year 5-10 classes (8-14 year olds). The site has content arranged in contexts for example, Icy ecosystems, Hidden taonga, Nanoscience, You me and UV, Future fuels, and The see through body. Each context includes text and images describing NZ research, video material such as interviews with scientists and sequences depicting scientists at work, teaching and learning materials, and links to science education literature. A feature is a "connections tool" which allows teachers and students to trace their journey through each context. Initial research indicates that teachers appreciate that this range of information is accessible in one place and has been quality assured. Students are keen to engage with and actively explore the range of media within the SLH contexts.

This article explores the issue of university student recruitment and retention beyond the first and second year of studying science. The research investigated the "image" students have of science, the demands they face in studying science and student self-efficacy, and the relative importance of these factors as perceived by 140 returning New Zealand year two science and engineering students, using questionnaires and focus group interviews. Results indicate that returning students are generally confident in their ability to cope with their science studies. However, a significant minority of students was unsure or not coping with issues such as course workloads, and findings suggest that during their first year science students need to be reassured that they are valued, and that their education is taken very seriously by the institution and their lecturers. Student commentary suggests this can be achieved by personalising lectures, ensuring personal contact with lecturers and monitoring how students are coping with the challenges and stresses that affect workload issues and subsequently their academic progress.

This paper traces the development over several years of an initiative, involving student journals, that was introduced into a tertiary science education course for pre-service teachers in order to improve communication between the lecturer and students. The narrative recounts how the nature and uses of the journals evolve subsequently as a result of reflective practice by the course lecturer and students. This introduction of intentional reflection by the course lecturer, informed by ongoing action research, is providing valuable insights into the nature and extent of student learning and the actions required to improve outcomes for students.