This edited volume is a state-of-the-art comparison of primary science education across six East-Asian regions; namely, the People's Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Republic of China, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, and Singapore. While news of educational policies, classroom teaching, assessment, and other educational innovations here often surface in the international media, this book brings together for the first time relevant information regarding educational systems and strategies in primary science in East Asia. Above all, it is a readable yet comprehensive survey-readers would have an accurate sense of what has been accomplished, what has not worked so well, and what remains to be done. Invited experts in comparative education research and/or science education also provide commentary by discussing common themes across the six regions. These types of critical synoptic reviews add much value by enabling readers to understand broad commonalities and help synthesize what must surely be a bewildering amount of very interesting albeit confusing body of facts, issues, and policies. Education in East Asia holds many lessons (both positive and negative) to offer to the rest of the world to which this volume is a timely contribution to the literature.

Klappentext

This  edited  volume is a state-of-the-art comparison of  primary  science  education  across  six  East-Asian  regions;  namely,  the  People's  Republic  of  China, Republic  of  Korea,  Republic  of  China, Hong  Kong  SAR,  Japan,  and  Singapore.  While  news  of  educational  policies, classroom  teaching, assessment,  and  other  educational  innovations  here  often  surface  in  the  international  media,  this  book  brings  together  for  the  first  time  relevant  information  regarding educational systems and strategies in primary science in  East  Asia.  Above  all,  it is  a  readable yet comprehensive  surveyreaders  would  have  an  accurate  sense  of  what  has  been  accomplished,  what  has  not  worked  so  well,  and  what  remains  to  be  done.  Invited  experts  in  comparative  education  research  and/or  science  education  also provide  commentary  by  discussing  common  themes  across  the  six regions. These  types  of  critical  synoptic  reviews  add  much  value by enabling  readers  to  understand  broad  commonalities  and  help  synthesize  what  must  surely  be  a  bewildering  amount  of  very  interesting  albeit  confusing  body  of  facts,  issues,  and  policies. Education in East Asia holds many lessons  (both positive and negative) to  offer  to  the  rest  of  the  world to which this volume is a timely contribution to the literature.

Inhalt

1. Introduction, Yew-Jin LEE & Jason TAN.- Part I - The regional chapters.- 2. Primary Science Education in Hong Kong, Wing Mui Winnie SO, Zhi Hong WAN, & Yu CHEN.- 3. Elementary Science Education in Japan, Kenji MATSUBARA.- 4. Primary science education in China, Weiping HU & Xin SHOU.- 5. Primary Science Education in Taiwan, Ying-Tien WU, Li-Jen WANG, Teng-Yao CHENG & Zong-Rong YANG.- 6. Progress and challenges of elementary science education in Korea, Mijung KIM, Hye-Gyoung YOON, & Mee-Kyeong LEE.- 7. Primary Science Education in Singapore, Yew-Jin LEE.- Part II - The expert commentaries.- 8. The End of Science Education in East Asia? Adam LEFSTEIN.- 9. Some comments on primary science from outside the East Asian region, Terry RUSSELL.- 10. Scientific literacy in East-Asia: Shifting towards an inquiry informed learning perspective, Umesh RAMNARAIN.- 11. Curriculum, Pedagogy, Teacher Training and Recent Reforms in Primary Science Education, Lorraine Pe SYMACO & Esther G. S. DANIEL.- 12. The role of teacher education in advancing reform in Primary science education, Carla ZEMBAL-SAUL.- 13. Institutional Pressures on Primary Science and the New Ecosystem of Knowledge, Elizabeth H. MCENEANEY.- 14. Coda.