The purpose of this edited book is to enrich the literature related to STEM education at kindergarten, primary and secondary levels in Asia, with particular attention given to the analysis of the educational context in a number of Asian countries, including STEM-related policies, pedagogical practices, and the design and evaluation of STEM programmes. The discussions look into impacts on student learning outcomes and the ways in which STEM education is catering for schools and students' interests and needs. The contributors are experts in STEM education or are leading major research and development projects in STEM in their regions. The book's first section is focused at the macro-level on the conceptualization and formulation of STEM education policies in different regions, contributing to our understanding of the current status of STEM education in Asia. The second section examines some features of STEM learning and teaching at the classroom level and includes studies on student learning in STEM programmes. Pedagogical innovations implemented in different parts of Asia are also reported and discussed. The third section moves to teacher education and teacher professional development. It discusses practices of teacher professional development in the region and reports on current provisions as well as challenges. Together, the contributions from different Asian regions invite researchers and educators to learn from effective STEM practices, and point out areas for further development. Chapters "An Overview of STEM Education in Asia" and "STEM Teacher Professional Development for Primary School Teachers in Hong Kong" are available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com.

Consistent with international trends, there is an active pursuit of more engaging science education in the Asia-Pacific region. The aim of this book is to bring together some examples of research being undertaken at a range of levels, from studies of curriculum and assessment tools, to classroom case studies, and investigations into models of teacher professional learning and development. While neither a comprehensive nor definitive representation of the work that is being carried out in the region, the contributions-from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand-give a taste of some of the issues being explored, and the hopes that researchers have of positively influencing the types of science education experienced by school students. The purpose of this book is therefore to share contextual information related to science education in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as offering insights for conducting studies in this region and outlining possible questions for further investigation. In addition, we anticipate that the specific resources and strategies introduced in this book will provide a useful reference for curriculum developers and science educators when they design school science curricula and science both pre-service and in-service teacher education programmes. The first section of the book examines features of science learners and learning, and includes studies investigating the processes associated with science conceptual learning, scientific inquiry, model construction, and students' attitudes towards science. The second section focuses on teachers and teaching. It discusses some more innovative teaching approaches adopted in the region, including the use of group work, inquiry-based instruction, developing scientific literacy, and the use of questions and analogies. The third section reports on initiatives related to assessments and curriculum reform, including initiatives associated with school-based assessment, formative assessment strategies, and teacher support accompanying curriculum reform.

Consistent with international trends, there is an active pursuit of more engaging science education in the Asia-Pacific region. The aim of this book is to bring together some examples of research being undertaken at a range of levels, from studies of curriculum and assessment tools, to classroom case studies, and investigations into models of teacher professional learning and development. While neither a comprehensive nor definitive representation of the work that is being carried out in the region, the contributions-from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand-give a taste of some of the issues being explored, and the hopes that researchers have of positively influencing the types of science education experienced by school students. The purpose of this book is therefore to share contextual information related to science education in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as offering insights for conducting studies in this region and outlining possible questions for further investigation. In addition, we anticipate that the specific resources and strategies introduced in this book will provide a useful reference for curriculum developers and science educators when they design school science curricula and science both pre-service and in-service teacher education programmes. The first section of the book examines features of science learners and learning, and includes studies investigating the processes associated with science conceptual learning, scientific inquiry, model construction, and students' attitudes towards science. The second section focuses on teachers and teaching. It discusses some more innovative teaching approaches adopted in the region, including the use of group work, inquiry-based instruction, developing scientific literacy, and the use of questions and analogies. The third section reports on initiatives related to assessments and curriculum reform, including initiatives associated with school-based assessment, formative assessment strategies, and teacher support accompanying curriculum reform. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781315717678, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.