Science education

Science education covers how science is taught and learned—whether to kids in school, college students, or adults in the general public. It involves science content, the scientific method, some social science, and teaching methods. Standards in this field set goals for what students should understand from kindergarten through high school and beyond, typically covering physical, life, earth, space, and human sciences.

Historical background

The first known paid science teacher in a British public school was William Sharp, who left Rugby School in 1850 after adding science to the curriculum. His work reportedly created a model for teaching science across British public schools. In 1867, the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS) issued a report calling for instruction in "pure science" and the development of a "scientific habit of mind." The progressive education movement backed the idea of mental training through science. BAAS pushed for separate pre-professional training in secondary science, aiming to prepare future members.

Early progress in science teaching was hindered by a shortage of qualified teachers. A key step was the founding of the first London School Board in 1870, which debated the school curriculum, along with the creation of courses to train science teachers. Thomas Henry Huxley influenced both efforts, and John Tyndall helped shape physical science instruction.

In the United States, science education was unstandardized until the 1890s. A curriculum emerged slowly after debate between two approaches: citizen science and pre-professional training. Following a conference of thirty leading secondary and college educators in Florida, the National Education Association formed a Committee of Ten in 1892. This committee, chaired by Charles Eliot of Harvard, organized future meetings and set up subject committees for major high school subjects.

Nine conference committees were created: Latin; Greek; English; Other Modern Languages; Mathematics; History; Civil Government and Political Economy; physics, astronomy, and chemistry; natural history; and geography. Each had ten specialists from colleges, normal schools, and high schools. Their reports were submitted to the Committee of Ten, which met for four days in New York City to produce a comprehensive report. In 1894, the NEA published the results.

The Committee of Ten stated that high school should prepare all students for life, supporting their well-being and society, while also preparing some for college. It backed the citizen science approach, focusing on mental training, and did not consider science performance for college admission. BAAS continued its older model in the UK. The U.S. adopted a curriculum where elementary science focused on simple natural phenomena (nature study) through field experiments; secondary science emphasized lab work with specific experiments; and teaching centered on facts and principles for college preparation.

This mix of mental training and pre-professional training has dominated the curriculum ever since. However, a movement toward a humanistic approach—including the arts (STEAM), science, technology, society, and environment education—grew and became more widespread in the late 20th century. Reports from the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), such as Project 2061, and from the National Committee on Science Education Standards and Assessment set goals linking classroom science to real-world applications and social impacts.

Fields of science education

Science is a universal field that studies the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. Science education is usually divided into three fields: biology, chemistry, and physics. There is also a large body of scientific literature supporting the inclusion of teaching the Nature of Science, which is slowly entering national curricula.

Physics education

Physics education deals with matter and energy and their interactions. The Physics First program, endorsed by the American Association of Physics Teachers, has 9th graders take introductory physics. This aims to deepen their understanding of physics and allow more detail in later biology and chemistry classes, while also increasing the number of students who take 12th grade or AP Physics—often elective courses in U.S. high schools.

In the last twenty years, U.S. high school physics education has declined because many states now require only three sciences, which can be met by earth/physical science, chemistry, and biology. This means many students skip physics in high school, making it harder for them to take science courses in college. At the university level, appropriate technology-related projects are used.