Editorial: Asia-Pacific Science Education (APSE): Expanding Research on Equity and Inclusion Science Education in the Asia-Pacific Region

Abstract

In January 2021, the Korean Association for Science Education (KASE) will hold their annual international winter conference (see https://www.kase2021 .org/). The theme for the conference is “Walking Together Toward Inclusive Science Education by Creating Equitable Science Learning Opportunities” (공평한 과학 학습 기회를 통해 함께 하는 과학 교육 만들기). Inclusive science education refers to the practice of “including” students with diverse learning needs, such as students with special education needs and culturally and linguistically diverse students, in classrooms with regular education students. Ideally, these students would receive appropriate educational support designed to maximize their strengths while engaging them in learning content similar to their peers during the same science lesson. In education systems with sufficient resources and well-trained teachers, these students can benefit from being educated alongside their peers. In the Asia-Pacific region, research specifically focusing on the needs of diverse students is emerging. To support researchers to learn more about this topic and to encourage more interest in pursuing research agendas exploring equity-related topics, the KASE organization invited 11 international scholars and their collaborators to share their research focused on equity issues in science teaching and learning. Eight of these scholars have contributed manuscripts for a special issue of APSE focusing on the same topic. As such, this issue features papers exploring equity issues related to special education, cultural and linguistic minorities, and teaching and learning in informal science education contexts around the world – but with connections and implications for research and teaching in