This dissertation consists of three essays focused on policies that hold the potential to reduce gender and socioeconomic gaps in the developing world. The first two chapters focus on higher education while the last chapter focuses on STEM gender gaps during primary school. Chapter 1 looks at the impacts of new transportation infrastructure on…

Despite the increasing demand for non-formal science learning activities, few studies report on practitioners' perspectives and experiences with designing and implementing such activities worldwide. This paper focuses on their challenges by drawing upon twenty-two interviews with practitioners involved in diverse science learning activities in…

This paper features a summary of comments and suggestions from participants in the Alberta Science Education Leaders' Symposia on the future of secondary science education. Topics discussed include needs, challenges, and concerns in science education; suggestions for change; renewing secondary science programs; professional development of…

Describes a wave of reforms set in motion by Nobel laureate Leo Esaki, to encourage industry to play a bigger role in graduate education through a new program that enables doctoral candidates to work in 31 participating corporate and government labs near the University of Tsukuba, Japan. (LZ)

The Education Act of 1989 brought into existence the New Zealand National Qualifications Authority (NZQA), of which the first major task was to develop a national qualifications framework (NQF; New Zealand Government, 1989). The NQF was initially envisaged as a unified framework into which all secondary, vocational, and tertiary qualifications…

Presents a brief description of the Dutch school system's structure. Describes the most important issues that have contributed to the development of physics education resulting from changes with respect to the physics curriculum, the final physics examination, and stimulation by a Dutch curriculum development project. (RT)

This paper explores questions about the ways in which students, teachers, administrators, and parents negotiate new sets of roles and expectations for schooling in the innovative climate of a new middle school. A new school in an Australian city has implemented a coordinated package of approaches including integrated curriculum, portfolio…

Urges making science and technology in primary and secondary schools in China accessible to all students. Recommends restructuring the curriculum and defines objectives for six-year mandatory elementary schools. Includes tables describing current structure. Describes research efforts undertaken to strengthen science and technology education using…

This article suggests that a genuine reform endeavor towards the "Science for All" paradigm should adopt a holistic approach. There are several countries around the world that adopted the "Science for All" paradigm at the beginning of the 21st century. However, while looking closely at the amount of change that took place in…