This book provides a critical review of research in mathematics education published in or about the Australasian region in the four years from 2020 to 2023. Research in Mathematics Education in Australasia 2020-2023 (RiMEA 2020-2023) is the eleventh edition of the four-yearly review of mathematics education research in Australasia. It is compiled by the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (MERGA). It is primarily focused on research from Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore but also includes research from other Southeast Asian countries and the South Pacific. Although each edition of RiMEA is shaped by the preceding volumes, each new edition evolves in response to events coinciding with each new review period. Following an introduction by the editors, RiMEA 2020-2023 will contain a reflection chapter authored by the editors of the previous edition, 'Research in Mathematics Education in Australasia 2016–2019,' on how research in mathematics education in theAustralasian region has progressed over the four years since. This book provides a comprehensive critical review of research literature in the Australasian region on significant topics published within the review period. It serves as a resource for researchers and promotes quality research in the Australasian region. Furthermore, it provides an introduction to mathematics education research in the Australasian region for Ph.D. candidates, early career researchers, and other researchers beginning a new field of research.

This book presents the work of academics who contributed their work at the International Science Education Conference (ISEC) 2021, in alignment with the conference theme '20/20 Vision for Science Education Research.' Collectively, the chapters aim to evoke intellectual dialogues on current and future trends in science education. It features chapters that are grouped thematically into three sections: Questions and Questioning in Science/STEM education, Developing Science Teaching and Assessment, and History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science/Engineering, and Informal Learning. Through the various sections, the book presents empirical studies in science and engineering classrooms or laboratories, puts forward a framework for problem-based learning, provides an account of a prominent scientist’s efforts in promoting practical science through analysis of historical documents, and uncovers trends in informal science learning space research through a review of literature. Each section is introduced by a commentary with further insights and thought-provoking questions on ideas raised in the chapters. The book also includes a 'Notes to Our Future Colleagues' section in each chapter, which presents readers with a collective vision for the state of science education research in the year 2050.

This book examines evolving trends in pre-employment and continuing education, focusing on how formal learning affects learners’ skills, career motivation, and work readiness. It also addresses adult workers’ skills development, continuous training and workplace learning, highlighting key enablers, barriers and factors influencing their motivation and employability. Drawing on insights from experienced scholars and practitioners from Singapore and some Asia-Pacific contexts, including Australia, Bangladesh, and China, the book uniquely integrates the synergy between pre-employment and continuing education, offering a deeper understanding of their interconnectedness in fostering a sustainable workforce. As a comprehensive resource, it provides valuable insights for advancing higher education, vocational training, continuing education, workplace learning, and workforce development.

Mathematical modelling as use of mathematics to solve or deepen understanding of real-world problems is an inherent part of mathematics, and education research in this field is increasingly important. This chapter critically reviews mathematics education research, from the early years through to tertiary education, and related curricula documents published by Australasians or with particular relevance to Australasia. Contributions to the field are organised in six broad areas: (i) developments in curricula on the teaching of mathematical modelling intended to promote mathematical thinking and ways of working, (ii) practices of mathematics and practices of mathematical modelling, (iii) teacher preparation and professional learning, (iv) assessment of mathematical modelling, (v) interdisciplinarity and connections with data modelling, and (vi) research as design: honouring the mathematics in mathematical modelling.

This is the first time a chapter with an explicit focus on mathematical thinking has been included in the MERGA Research Review. Reviewed in this chapter is an impressive body of deep, multifaceted, and diverse research in mathematics education published by Australasian scholars between 2020 and 2023. In the first part of the review, we elaborate on the complexity of this review and the decisions we made to execute it. The review itself attends to the prominent kinds of mathematical thinking; the role of the Australasian context; conceptual, methodological, and theoretical approaches employed by researchers; and the scholars’ ways of navigating the elusive nature of mathematical thinking in their research. We conclude with some insights into evident strengths and areas for potential growth.

In this chapter, we draw on reports of Australasian research over the previous 4 years (2020–2023) to examine evidence pointing to productive pedagogical practices and their impacts on mathematics teaching and learning. The framework of productive pedagogies (Lingard et al., 2001), which has been theoretically and statistically validated, is adapted to structure a coherent review of more than 78 studies across four key dimensions: (i) practices for enhancing intellectual quality, (ii) supportive classroom environments, (iii) connectedness, and (iv) recognition of difference as a strength. Subsequently, studies that examine novel approaches to develop productive pedagogical practices among preservice and practising teachers are also appraised. This review demonstrates the strong and diverse body of research that seeks to understand the nuances of effective teacher practice.

The rapid pace of technological advancements and the growing complexity of global challenges require a dedicated focus on continuous learning and skill development. The skills that may be sufficient for current job roles can quickly become obsolete as new job skills emerge. To remain relevant in the face of evolving work environments and the demands of a volatile global economy, numerous countries have recognised the crucial role of workers’ adaptability and continuous learning throughout their working lives. Thus, adopting a mindset of lifelong learning is intricately linked to the individuals’ ability to constantly equip themselves with the necessary skills to thrive in the future for sustainable employability. This concluding chapter will summarise the key insights and findings presented by the chapters of this book as well as provide recommendations for research, policy and practice.

This chapter offers the reader an introduction to this volume; the eleventh in the series Research in Mathematics Education in Australasia (RiMEA11). This research series, conceived and commissioned by MERGA, offers critical analyses, organised by theme, of the preceding four-year period of mathematics education research in Australasia. These review chapters play a crucial role in identifying noteworthy and persistent trends, offering potential avenues for further research. Presented within this introductory chapter is an historical perspective of the review series, an outline of the development of RiMEA11 (2020–2023), and the scope and structure of this quadrennial review.

Drawing on data from a baseline study (2015–2016) of pedagogical practices in Singapore, this article elucidates teachers’ pedagogical reasoning and their enactment of formative assessment practices in primary science classrooms. Based on classroom observations and teacher interviews, the article surfaces teachers’ pre-lesson and in class decision-making in relation to evidence of student learning in the classroom, which is pertinent given the curricular focus on Assessment for Learning (AfL) in line with the emphasis on inquiry-based learning. Data is drawn from classroom observations (video-recorded) of 49 lessons corresponding to five curricular units at the Primary 5 level in five primary schools islandwide. Descriptive data pertaining to formative assessment practices is based on coding analyses of lesson videos using a largely binary coding scheme, with subsequent compilation of the coded data in SPSS. Thematic analyses of post-lesson interviews (audio-recorded) yield insights into teachers’ immediate sense of the lesson and rationale for their decision-making. Data-driven, inductive analyses of semi-structured interviews (audio-recorded) surface teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and reasoning. The findings show that teachers largely provided detailed feedback focused on informing students’ learning during scientific investigations. The teacher’s exposition and whole class interactions show substantial evidence, with a dominance of teachers’ closed questions. Teachers gauged students’ ongoing learning via formative monitoring and elicitation of verbal responses, which formed bases for their teaching decisions. Student initiations and time constraints often caused teachers to alter their lesson plan. Teachers believed in helping students excel in high-stakes examinations. The findings warrant a stronger focus on learner-centred feedback, teachers’ questioning, and students’ metacognitive learning. Discipline-specific formative assessment needs more attention. Teachers’ tacit decision-making needs to be made more explicit. Overall, the article enhances our theoretical understanding of teachers’ pedagogical reasoning in relation to formative assessment, and surfaces the realities of employing AfL and realising the curricular emphasis on inquiry in primary science classrooms.

The Twenty-first century is frequently depicted as a dynamic era marked by rapid change, unpredictability, complexity, and ambiguity. The global COVID-19 pandemic has significantly accelerated digital transformation across various industries, resulting in the emergence of new sectors and roles requiring novel skill sets, while also making many existing jobs obsolete. These developments underscore the evolving landscape of work and highlight the urgent need to reform pre-employment education, forging stronger connections with continuing education and workplace learning to meet the changing demands of the workforce. This introductory chapter highlights the importance of developing a resilient, future-ready workforce to face new challenges brought about by changing times. It provides a brief overview of the book and outlines three main sections with each section focusing on a key theme. The three key themes are: (i) Future-Oriented Learning and the Development of Graduates’ Work Competencies, (ii) Enhancing Adult Workers’ Employability Through Continuing Education and Training, and (iii) Supporting Workplace Learning and Skills Development for Individual and Organisational Growth. The subsequent chapters of the book explore these three themes extensively, providing detailed insights that contribute to research, policy and practice.

The third and final part of this book examines three chapters on seemingly disparate threads, but they all ultimately provide a perspective on the historical development of learning in science and engineering under changing circumstances, albeit at different time scales. This look back is particularly apt as we attempt to chart our titulary “pathways through science education”, which I consider as encompassing both where we have been to where are we going. Examination of the former can help inform the latter as well as provide the background to how we got here and why we do what we do. In this case, the context is the teaching and learning of science and engineering in both formal (practical work, apprenticeship) and informal approaches.

In an increasingly competitive and volatile global economy, many organisations are investing more resources in continuing education to help workers to upskill and reskill to respond to changing business needs and increase organisational productivity. However, workplaces may vary in their ability to provide support for workers’ training needs and transfer of skills. In the current study, we examined how perceived workplace learning support may affect workers’ motivation to transfer training, training transfer and readiness to change. The study used a convenience sample of 143 adult learners who attended continuing education courses in Singapore. Informed consent from each participant was obtained prior to data collection. Results from path analysis revealed that perceived workplace learning support positively predicted workers’ motivation to transfer training. In addition, perceived workplace learning support predicted training transfer and readiness to change via motivation to transfer training. Motivation to transfer training therefore served as a mediator variable in this study. This study suggests that organisations could consider implementing effective learning support structures to develop supportive workplace learning environments to promote workers’ training transfer and work performance.

Science centers and museums (SCMs) have traditionally functioned as repositories of science-related material, gathered for public viewing and carrying an implicit mandate of educating those who enter. With time and the increasing expectations of visitors, museums have evolved to include interactive elements in their exhibits. SCM exhibits typically provide visitor experiences that are designed to attain educational goals in an informal setting. SCMs are now recognized as important players in the communication and dissemination of science to the larger public. Visits to SCMs afford opportunities to foster an interest in science, a passion for the learning of science, and to talk about science in less formal ways, such as between family members as opposed to school settings. A systematic review of high-quality empirical studies in the area of science education in the context of science centers and museums conducted between 2000 and 2020 is presented. Content analysis of 113 studies selected for this review aimed to summarize and highlight trends in the research. Common areas of research, thematic elements, and relationships were identified and discussed. These centered on visitors’ learning experiences, their perceptions of and interactions with exhibits and the environment of SCMs, the work of museum staff in designing and curating exhibits, and the design of exhibits. The overall implications of this analysis relate to the broader perspectives and understanding of science learning in such informal settings, the influences behind exhibit design and presentation, and pertinent issues facing SCMs.

In today’s world of rapid changes and uncertainties driven by the advancements of science and technology, it has become imperative for our university graduates to possess lifelong learning attributes and twenty-first century competencies (21st CC) to meet the new demands and challenges of their future career. Supporting individuals’ attributes and competencies will enhance lifelong employability for personal development, competitiveness, and social inclusion. Recognising the importance of bridging lifelong learning and career success of our future graduates, the present study sought to predict career success (career management, adaptability, resilience) from lifelong learning attributes (willing to learn, intrinsic motivation) and 21st CC factors (critical thinking, innovation). Hierarchical regression models were conducted on 899 final-year university students from a Singapore university. Findings suggest that lifelong learning and 21st CC are important predictors for career success. Practical implications and limitations are also discussed. This is a preview of s

Workers experience many challenges and changes, hence, the ability to adapt and thrive at work is important for keeping up with work-related demands. The current study identified goal orientations as antecedents of career adaptability and thriving at work. It also examined the relationships between learning goal orientation, performance goal orientation, career adaptability, learning and vitality. This study is based on a convenience sample of 232 adult individuals who attended postgraduate courses at a university. They voluntarily participated in the research by responding to an online questionnaire. The results showed that learning goal orientation was a positive predictor of career adaptability, thriving at work in learning and thriving at work in vitality, while performance goal orientation only positively predicted thriving at work in learning. Implications in educational practices for adult learners were discussed and workers could be encouraged to pursue more learning goals to promote better adaptability and thriving at work.

The purpose of this study is to adapt a multi-dimensional measure of Individual Innovative Behaviour developed by (Kleysen and Street, Journal of Intellectual Capital 2:284–296, 2001) used in work contexts and further validate it in the higher education contexts. The participants were 934 undergraduates from five universities. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the factorial structures proposed by the previous studies. The results showed that individual innovative behaviour was a multi-dimensional construct with five factors: opportunity exploration, generativity, formative investigation, championing, and application. One general score for individual innovative behaviour could be generated from calculating the composite score based on the five first-order innovative behaviour factor scores. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Educators have long struggled with evaluating the cognitive demands of assessment items in valid and reliable ways that are also easy to use. A recent approach to meet such an important assessment need involves developing coding schemes based on the Legitimation Code Theory (LCT). In this paper, we propose a major refinement to one such coding scheme that utilizes semantic gravity (SG) and semantic density (SD) codes within the Semantics dimension of LCT. SG codes reflect the level of abstraction of ideal/expected student responses to assessment items: answers to highly abstract questions are less context-dependent and require more generalized responses either drawing across different sections of the syllabus or even between science disciplines. In contrast, SD codes indicate the level of complexity: highly complex questions require more logical reasoning phases and/or multiple steps to generate acceptable solutions. Our research thus expanded (Rootman-le Grange and Blackie, Chem Educ Res Pract 19:484–490, 2018) seminal framework that focused on evaluating college-level chemistry questions for their cognitive demands to now code items across the major science disciplines—chemistry, physics, and biology—at secondary grades. The revised coding scheme (with moderate to substantial interrater reliability indices) was developed with/for short-answer, constructed response items taken from the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary-level examinations. While our coding scheme has targeted secondary science questions for 15–16 year olds, it is likely applicable for similar test formats in science at primary, middle-school, senior high, and university levels.

This study presents the development of a content-language integrated analytical tool for examining students’ challenges in science writing. We describe its role in the professional learning of teachers and illustrate its impact on enhancing the teachers’ language awareness. When teachers assess their students’ science writing, science conceptual accuracy is high on teachers’ agenda given the predominant albeit legitimate concern for conceptual development. Consequently, the language demands central to effective writing are often neglected. To address this gap, we developed a multi-level evaluation framework from our analysis of a range of student science written texts, which could be used as a tool by teachers to assess their students’ language. The framework was used in a professional learning program to raise three in-service biology teachers’ language awareness to improve their students’ ability in writing scientific texts. Analysis of videos and transcripts of science lessons revealed three main ways in which the teachers adapted this framework to clarify the criteria for successful writing as well as provide feedback in their Grade 10 classrooms. Their instructional uses of the framework illustrated the procedural dimension of their enhanced language awareness. Implications for the professional development of science teachers are discussed.

This chapter serves as a commentary for the chapters in Part I of the book. A common thread across the three chapters in Part I is the practice of good questioning in science/STEM. This commentary explains how questioning is an epistemic practice and makes a distinction between asking question and good questioning. It makes an argument for why we should educate students for good questioning in science/STEM, summarizes what the three chapters inform us about questions and questioning at three different grade levels, and highlights potential directions for future inquiry into good questioning.

The largest section in this edited collection, Part II pulls together four substantive chapters that variously examine aspects of science teaching and assessment. Given this diversity of subtopics, it seems not unreasonable to enlist a few theoretical lenses to detect if there are any interesting trends or patterns to make sense of these chapters. Table 5.1 below is my attempt although I do acknowledge that another science educator might easily arrive at a different set of analytic ideas held together by a compelling narrative. In addition, readers might realize that my choice of concepts do not typically appear side-by-side in the scholarly literature as what has been done here. There is a reason for this: I recall the provocation by Giles Deleuze who argued that novelty or insight comes when we place disparate things/thoughts together, when we continue to add/edit/revise things that appear settled or closed to further interpretation (Deleuze and Guattari, A thousand plateaus: capitalism and schizophrenia, The Athlone Press, London, 1988). Hence, there are no closures because this interrupting process opens up new possibilities, visions, and relations that enrich life. For he and his collaborator Felix Guattari, the budding analyst should favor the conjunction AND over the verb IS (et[and] and est[is] are pronounced identically in French).