Tímarit um menntarannsóknir - 01.06.2012, Blaðsíða 92

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Meyvant Þórólfsson
applications of science, then sophisticated
science concepts and scientific methods in
physics, biology and chemistry, but ignor-
ing utilitarian and pedagogical ideas, and
finally the science for all emphasis, scientific
literacy and STS (science–technology–so-
ciety). Although these reform waves may
not have reached Iceland at the same time
as nor in similar ways as in other Western
countries, the reform game of the 1960s
was without doubt the most intriguing
curriculum game presented here, as else-
where in the Western world. Akker (2003)
portrayed it as the origin of modern cur-
riculum development for school science.
About twenty years after the game was
initiated in the USA and UK in the 1950s
Icelandic science education rhetoric was
saturated with its ideology. Respected
scientists and scholars complained about
poor and erroneous learning materials and
unsophisticated instruction.
According to the science education lit-
erature, contemporary science educators
still face some fundamental questions
about the future of science education.
Those questions comprise problems such
as attempting to serve two goals, prepar-
ing a minority of students to become fu-
ture scientists and educating the majority
of students in general science and thus
promoting scientific literacy. This main
problem regards the purpose of science
education. Science educators also need to
resolve problems related to decreasing in-
terest in science and falling enrolment in
advanced science courses, which is closely
connected to understanding how people
learn and thus a need to take pedagogical
theories into consideration. It also relates
to epistemology and our ideas of knowl-
edge, information and communication.
Finally and principally there is the prob-
lem of poor science teacher education. The
status and quality of science instruction
needs improvement, not only regarding
content knowledge, but also regarding
pedagogical knowledge and pedagogical
content knowledge (PCK).
In the 1970s Icelandic scientists and
scholars complained that science educa-
tion, both learning conditions and instruc-
tion, were weak and learning materials
were outdated and even full of errors. Un-
fortunately, according to recent research
Icelandic science education appears not to
have improved much since.