Science Today: Problem or Crisis?

BOOK COVER......Page 1
HALF-TITLE......Page 2
TITLE......Page 3
COPYRIGHT......Page 4
CONTENTS......Page 5
CONTRIBUTORS......Page 7
FOREWORD......Page 9
SCIENCE, PEOPLE AND SCHOOLS......Page 10
Part I  VIEWS AND CONFLICTS......Page 13
MISCONCEPTIONS AND COMMON SENSE......Page 14
VARIETY AND DISCOVERY......Page 16
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES......Page 18
CONCLUSION......Page 19
DISCIPLINES ARE CULTURES......Page 21
Explanations by scientists......Page 22
The Romantic divide......Page 24
INTER- OR MULTI-DISCIPLINARY APPROACHES: ‘SCIENCE STUDIES’ OR ‘STS’......Page 25
CAVEAT EMPTOR: ABOUT EXPLANATIONS OF SCIENCE......Page 26
CONCRETE EXAMPLES......Page 28
IS SCIENCE NEUTRAL?......Page 29
WHO OR WHAT THEN IS SCIENCE? TROUBLE WITH DEMONS......Page 30
COLD WINDS FROM A WIDER WORLD: THE MEANING OF LIBERALISM......Page 32
THE LEGACY OF NAIVE SCIENTISM......Page 33
STABILITY, MYTHIC AND OTHERWISE......Page 34
CONCLUSION......Page 35
THE EYE OF THE CULTURAL STORM?......Page 37
PUS: THE CONTESTED TURF......Page 38
GOLEM SCIENCE......Page 39
UNNATURAL SCIENCE......Page 41
Part II  DEMOCRACY AND THE CURRICULUM......Page 44
5  INTEREST IN SCIENCE AND PUBLIC POLICY......Page 45
THE NATURE OF SCIENCE......Page 47
EDUCATION......Page 49
Resilience......Page 50
SCIENCE EDUCATION......Page 51
CONCLUSION......Page 54
RESPONDING TO SOCIO-SCIENTIFIC ISSUES: WHAT DO PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW?......Page 56
HOW HAS THE SCIENCE CURRICULUM ATTEMPTED TO TEACH ABOUT THE NATURE OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE?......Page 58
‘Process science’......Page 59
Science investigations......Page 60
HOW CAN WE TEACH ABOUT SCIENCE AS PRACTICE?......Page 61
BIOTECHNOLOGY: IMPROVING NATURE?......Page 64
FEEDING THE WORLD?......Page 66
Herbicide-resistant crops......Page 68
MAKING COWS MORE EFFICIENT?......Page 69
BIOTECHNOLOGY EDUCATION: WHAT ALTERNATIVES?......Page 70
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 71
Part III  SCIENCE FOR ALL?......Page 72
THE LEGACY OF THE 1960s......Page 73
UNPREDICTED SOCIAL CHANGES......Page 74
UNCOVERING ALTERNATIVES......Page 75
CONTRADICTIONS IN INTENTIONS......Page 76
CHOICE IN THE CURRICULUM......Page 77
CONCEPTIONS OF SCHOOL SCIENCE......Page 78
Academic scientists......Page 79
Academic science educators......Page 80
10  TOWARDS A FUNCTIONAL PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE......Page 82
SOME ISSUES AND TENSIONS......Page 83
A FUNCTIONAL PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE......Page 85
SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION......Page 87
WHAT SHALL WE CALL IT?......Page 89
SCIENTIFIC CULTURE......Page 90
SCIENCE EDUCATION IN THE SCHOOLS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION......Page 91
NEW TRENDS IN THE SCIENCE CURRICULUM......Page 92
PROBLEMS AND HOSTILITIES......Page 93
THE INFLUENCE OF CURRENT CONTROVERSIES......Page 95
IN WHAT WAYS DOES THE PUBLIC USE RECEIVED INFORMATION?......Page 96
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE......Page 97
HOW MIGHT INTERVENTION SHIFT ATTITUDES TO SCIENCE?......Page 98
A PLEA FOR DISCOURSE......Page 99
Part IV  SCIENTISTS AND THE PUBLIC......Page 100
13  FROM BIG BANG TO DAMP SQUIB?......Page 101
14  SCIENCE THROUGH PLAY......Page 110
Hands-on exploration......Page 113
EXPLORATORY SCIENCE CENTRES FOR HANDS-ON SCIENCE PLAY......Page 114
Appreciating nothing......Page 116
CONCLUSIONS......Page 117
WHY SHOULD RESEARCHERS COMMUNICATE WITH THE PUBLIC?......Page 118
Benefits......Page 119
Difficulties......Page 120
MRC research scientists......Page 121
Why take research into schools?......Page 122
Scientific research in schools......Page 123
Researchers in residence......Page 124
Carrots and sticks......Page 125
REFERENCES......Page 127