New Perspectives in Science Education

Abstract

In the face of the ongoing globalisation of the world, changes in industrial structures and the accompanying arrival of a knowledge-based society, countries around the world are searching for a new vision of the future of school education under the name of educational reforms. Among them, the speed of educational reform in Asian countries is tremendous, and it is a fact that Japan and other East Asian countries (South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and China) have achieved in less than a century the modernisation of education that took Western countries two or three centuries to achieve slowly, drawing on the experience of Western countries.

In Japan and China, the Courses of Study were revised in 2017. It was the first major revision in 10 years in Japan and the first in 16 years in China, and a major feature of the revisions in both countries was the trend towards a change in education that emphasises student enquiry and practice in order to develop a well-balanced and holistic human resource. From a historical perspective, both countries have a top-down approach, with one teacher in charge of a class standing on the lectern and teaching approximately 40 students. However, the educational reforms in both countries aimed to move away from an examination-oriented education and shift to competency-based education.

In this study, while the emphasis is on inquiry courses, we look back at the history of education in both countries, focus on the meaning of inquiry activities as defined by each country and the purpose of inquiry activities, explore what kind of inquiry education is unique to Japan and China, and in the process, formulate a unit plan for high school biology that cultivates scientific inquiry skills that fits the education in both countries, and develop a concrete lesson plan. The aim is to create a high school biology unit and a concrete lesson plan that fosters scientific inquiry skills that fit the education in both countries.

References

[1]     Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (2022): Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education (2022 Edition), Beijing Normal University Press.

[2]     Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (2008): Commentary on the Courses of Study for Junior High Schools, General Provisions, Notification of 2009.

[3]     Sato, Manabu, Changing Classes, Changing Schools: From Integrated Learning to the Creation of Curriculum (Shogakukan, 2000).

[4]     Kennedy, J. K. & Lee, J. C., Changing Roles of Schools in Asian Societies: Schools for the Knowledge Society, Routledge, 2010.