What is STS Approach: Historical and Practical Background

Abstract

There has been a growing interest in the STS (Science, Technology, and Society) Movement in the United States. The author received a grant from the Ministry of Education in Japan to work with Robert E. Yager at the University of Iowa, which has been a center of STS Movement across the country. He surveyed to clarify the feature of STS Approach based on literature and field survey on the Iowa STS Projects during 1991-1992. A summary of the results is shown below. 1. NSTA took the initiative for overcoming "the Crisis in Science Education in U.S.A." in late 70's .. Therefore, the NST A declared the position statement firstly, "Science/ Technology/ Society: Science Education for the 1980's" in 1982 and secondary, "Science/Technology/Society: A New Effort for Providing Appropriate Science for All" in 1990. 2. The author clarified that STS Approach presents the new paradigm in science education comparing the Golden Age (1955-1974) with the mid-1970's and 1990's in the United States. Therefore, STS Approach will become the new paradigm to meet the crisis in science education in Japan.