Social and cultural factors framing the teaching and learning of primary science in Australia, Germany and Taiwan

There has been increasing interest in international comparisons of teaching and learning extending from the TIMSS and PISA comparisons of achievement to video studies that compare pedagogical practices of teachers from different countries and cultures. Video capture of classrooms across national boundaries has raised questions about the varying foci of teaching and learning including relative attention to reasoning in mathematics and science classrooms and the possibility of significant cultural determinants of classroom practice. Given that teaching and learning are embedded in culture, any comparisons of teaching across countries needs to take account of the contextual factors that shape the history and culture of teaching in those countries. This Chapter provides a framework to consider the broader social and cultural factors that shape the ways in which the teaching and learning of science are transacted in different countries.