Internationally regarded science education experts have called for a revamp of the science curriculum in Australia and New Zealand to prevent young people falling behind on the skills their futures depend on.
In a new report, the Australasian Science Education Research Association (ASERA) recommends incorporating artificial intelligence into the science curriculum, having dedicated science specialist teachers in early childhood and primary school settings, and improved professional learning to better equip generalist classroom teachers to teach science.
Research shows as many as one in five teachers of science in secondary schools have limited formal background and are not qualified to teach science (teach out-of-field).
The Science Education: Fit for the Future White Paper provides direction for the development of a new 'National Science Education Strategy' across all levels of schooling in Australia and New Zealand, with recommendations covering policy, practice and research.
ASERA working group member Emerita Professor Vaille Dawson, from The University of Western Australia’s Graduate School of Education, said the report stressed the need to support teachers to manage the tension between ‘science for all’ and producing future scientists for Australia’s economic prosperity.
“We need to support teachers with a science curriculum that can prepare all young people to counter the wave of mis- and dis-information they face daily,” Emerita Professor Dawson said.
ASERA President and Managing Director Professor Linda Hobbs, from Deakin University, said the recommendations sought to future-proof science education by helping students connect science to their personal lives and the wider world.
“We know that prospering nations are those whose citizens understand and value scientific knowledge and can apply it in community decision-making and in pursuing science-related careers,” Professor Hobbs said.
“That's why we need to address the continued decline in student interest and enrolment in senior secondary science subjects and university science.
“The flow-on effect is a decline in the number of students pursuing careers in science teaching, which in turn affects the overall quality and availability of science education.
The paper’s recommendations aim to address 21st century challenges including the rise of AI, climate change, global health crises, biodiversity loss, energy transition, changing perspectives on Indigenous knowledges, and the concerning rise in misinformation about science, especially on social media.