This report is the outcome of a project to map key school science initiatives across the country, to identify gaps and recommend actions to improve science education. It has been presented to state and territory education authorities with the aim of achieving agreement about priority actions to be pursued through national collaborative efforts. begins with an overview of the nature and purpose of science education to provide a context for the following section, the state of science education in Australia. Here, a synthesis of the findings is presented in three sections addressing students and the curriculum, teacher education for science and professional learning, and systemic and community relationships. A total of eight action areas are identified, relating to curriculum, assessment, resources, initial teacher education, professional learning, teacher supply and demand, systemic issues and community resources of science learning, and actions are recommended.

Hackfing,Director, Graduate School;Edith Cowan University,Bradford St. Mount taw!ey, WA 6025, Australiam.hackling@ecu,eolr.a·u :. . ..,' ;-~.The authors of this paper thank the teachers. students and otherparticipants Jor their willing collaboration in thll' research. Thisresearch project was funded by.the Australian FederalGovernment througll the Department of Education, Training andYouth Affairs and was conducted in collaboratioo with theAustralian Science Teache'n, Associatiort: the Australian

This paper reports on a large scale study that investigated the quality of teaching and learning in science in Australian schools. Its purposes were first, to describe ideal practice in the teaching and learning of school science; second, to describe the nature of teaching and learning of science in Australian schools; and third, to make recommendations to move the actual closer to the ideal.

Laboratory work has always been the most distinctive feature of secondary science teaching and learning. With the increasing emphasis on student centred learning and the importance of developing investigation and problem-solving skills there is value in reflecting on the type of laboratory work that is carried out in the science curriculum. The purpose of this study was to determine the nature of the laboratory work undertaken by lower secondary science students, and in particular, to determine the openness to inquiry of these activities. The study also examined the factors that influence teachers in determining the type of student investigations that occur in the science laboratory. Data from a survey of Perth lower secondary science teachers reveal low levels of inquiry and interesting insights into teacher's perceptions about the benefits of open inquiry for students and the difficulities for teachers. The difficulties identified by teachers represent barriers to change that must be addressed if more open inquiry laboratory work is to be implemented in schools.

The study attempts to identify the factors which affect teacher's reluctance to teach science, then explains an approach to help teachers teach science in a worthwhile manner over the school year while monitoring any changes in their confidence and competence. It was found that the condidence and competence of the teachers improved during the year such that they were able to teach successful science lessons on a regular basis.

The recent nationalDiscipline Review of Teacher Education in Mathematics and Science outlines the lack of confidence of many preservice primary school teachers in teaching science. This study explores the attitudes of 170 primary school teachers in a Perth school district.

In general terms the study indicates for the three schools examined the relationship between the academic grade of junior secondary advanced science students and creative right hemispheric thinking is weak, but the relationship between the student's grade and rational logical thinking is much stronger.