Globalization: Science education from an international perspective

The special issue of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching aims at building closer international cooperation, with a specific emphasis on valuing and keeping cultural diversity. It explores three closely linked aspects of this international effort, including the transformation of the world economies and cultures, the increasing challenges faced by global socio-scientific issues, and the globalization of science education research. Globalization is a widely used term describing processes of global distribution of ideas and goods, including scientific, technological, economic and cultural products, and developments. Several studies have contributed significantly to the development of global perspectives of science education and to the internationalization of science education research.