Contributions to Research on Preservice and Inservice Science Education and the Current Status of Initial Science Teacher Education

In this paper, firstly we review Australian university science educators’ contributions to the Australian Journal of Teacher Education. These publications demonstrate a wide range of interesting and targeted initiatives to enhance the teaching and learning science by preservice and inservice teachers. Secondly, we examine the current situation of initial teacher education programs and development for future possibilities of science teacher education in Australia. This analysis shows that attention has concentrated disproportionately on entry standards and the theory-versus-practice tensions, while the conditions shaping retention, workload, and equitable subject-matter staffing remain substantially unaddressed.