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This paper explores the fundamental axes that currently converge for the needs of nature and humanity. The philosophical statements contained in this reflection become valid when it comes to articulating ethical codes with the advancement of science and, at the same time, educating through an axiological system that leads to sustainable human development. In this order of ideas, it is pointed out how Western progress has led to catastrophic events for life on the planet, coupled with the excessive use of science, without any ethical criteria to regulate their actions. However, as a result of the moral reflection of recent times, of the voices of various social groups, scientific improvements have been questioned and directed towards the production of knowledge that allows human activity to be deployed positively on nature and on society, taking into account that, to make this possible, it is necessary to combine ethics, science and education, to walk towards progress in terms of sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies indicate that more than 80% of the Spanish teachers use almost exclusively the textbook in the activities developed in the classroom. These data point to the importance of evaluating the quality of existing textbooks, particularly in the way they incorporate basic competencies into the school curriculum. In this paper, the learning activities included in three Science textbook of Spain are analyzed, for the fourth year of primary education, with the aim of identifying whether the scientific competence is present. More specifically, we look for learning activities that explore inquiry methodologies, which are directly linked to scientific work and to the understanding of the Nature of Science. The results reveal a similar pattern in the three editorials, the conceptual dimension being the most worked out, and with only a few activities that promote the development of the methodological and integrate dimensions. No learning activities were found with an inquiry approach, however in two of the three publishers some proposals have been found that include engineering designs, although with an inadequate orientation for a correct development by the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the epistemological tensions generated due to the search for legitimization of scientific knowledge. It stems from the discussion about science seen through "nomothetic" and "ideographic" standpoints, coming to the conclusion that there is a tendency to theorize from a vision that comes from an organizational order, putting on the back burner, to a large extent, the legitimizer tension that occurs in the socialization of scientific knowledge. The paper also values possibilities to analyze social sciences from Bourdieu's scientific field concept, who breaks up certain inertias about the official positions that theorize about science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores a female conception of knowledge and attempts to reveal the need to incorporate the gender perspective into the educational world with the purpose of removing the effects of inequity discrimination in the training of women. Its main focus lies in the theory of gender that has sustained extensive criticism of the Western way of thinking and of the construction style of scientific knowledge from an androcentric viewpoint. It argues that gender epistemology differs from the classical epistemology - adopted by most of the scientific and philosophical literature- which tries to negate its ideological content to project an image of scientific universality and neutrality. he paper attempts to relate the nature-culture and male-female dualism that falls within the framework of the traditional epistemological approach with gender pedagogy and the exclusion and invisibilization of women in scientific production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of the literature on choosing science courses in school and the determining factors in such choice in light of the important role that this choice plays in the present crisis in the science professions. The factors that influence this choice are personal, school-related, and extra curricular. The most important personal factors are gender and attitudes toward science and toward school science subjects; the paper analyses both attitudes and gender in particular. The quality of science education as implemented through curricula, teachers, and fairness issues are some influential school-related factors. There are many, diverse out-of-school factors. Finally, several proposals to improve the choice of science subjects are discussed, such as strengthening academic counseling in school and innovating science education by giving it a humanistic twist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the traditional approach to the sociology of science based upon Karl Mannheim's sociology of knowledge. Robert Merton's program is discussed as the basis of sociology of science. Furthermore, Kuhn is acknowledged as having set up the foundation for a new paradigm in the sociology of science. This paper intends to defend the work of Kuhn as the framework by which other current studies in the social sciences under the name of «sociologies of scientific knowledge» have come about. Finally, several key pedagogical issues taken from the traditional sociology of science as argued by Merton are discussed. It has been found that pedagogy in terms of sociology of science has closely followed the framework used by the other social sciences. Several advances and achievements that have recently made some headway are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to create a methodological approach to promote environmental education in students of Agronomy, from the Chemistry discipline. It was used the simulated cases methodology with focus science, technology, environment and society (STES). The proposal was implemented for three courses and its results helped students show greater appreciation of the study of Chemistry. This proposal help to the responsibility and commitment of students to the search for possible solutions to social and environmental issues, with arguments from Chemistry's content and consistent with the social, cultural and political context in which these problems manifest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the practical teaching experience conducted by a professor of parasitology over eleven years, valuing the pedagogical interest has raised the incorporation of different teaching resources over the years in relation to both the needs of students as technology requirements have been imposed on our society. Are valued, the benefits of using crossword puzzles with definitions and short videos on DVD and teaching a university discipline in order to improve the teaching-learning process of students in the Bachelor of Pharmacy University of Alcalá. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manipulative activities are a popular learning tool that promotes the effectiveness on scientific and technological education. Aiming to promote its widespread use in all possible areas, in 2003 it was established the educational network "Hands-on Science" (HSci) in the frame of the Socrates program of the European Commission. It enrolled initially twenty-eight institutions from ten European countries (BE, CY, DE, ES, MO, MT, PT, RO, SL, UK) and a multinational consortium (CoLoS). Once finished the three-year project the network was established as an international association with the same purposes and philosophy. In an open and open-minded and participated way we approach and involve teachers, schools and educational boards, presenting, discussing and implementing well-established practices of the learning of Science and Technology. Its objective is to promote the development and use of manipulative activities in formal and informal learning, so that students "do" science rather than simply being "exposed" to it, while in the same time increasing society' scientific literacy. In this paper we will briefly present the main objectives, pedagogical strategies and proposals of the network as well as the outstanding achievements so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why popularize science? Nowadays, there are different proposals to communicate science, although its major interest lies in spreading it. Based on this reflection, which has started from a previous analysis, are established the differences between: a) the simple sense of communicating or spreading science and b) popularizing it. Every communication process of science, in the sense of popularizing it, must take into account the scientific contents as objects of communication, which are products of a social process and respond to a historic, economic, political and cultural context in which they have been produced and from which it is possible to understand them. This paper provides some contributions to popularize science, with a theoretical background based on the principles by Freire, Kaplun and Moscovici. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on Edgar Morin's framework of Complex Thinking the paper explores a perspective of Science Education which goes beyond the traditional disciplinary approach. This argument is illustrated with examples of dialogic relationships of Science and Fine Arts and clues are put forward of how to explore such dialogic relationships in an educational context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]