Science education holds an indispensable and significant position in cultivating scientific and technological talents as well as innovative talents, including the imparting of scientific inquiry methods, the cultivation of scientific attitudes, and the nurturing of innovative spirit and practical abilities. Learning science is not the exclusive domain of a few scientists and engineers; it is of great significance to everyone. The ultimate goal of science education is to cultivate the public's scientific literacy, enabling them to become high-quality national builders with scientific literacy. To fully leverage the significant value of science education in national strategies, it is necessary to start from an early age, cultivate a fertile ground for talents, and foster a large number of high-level scientific and technological talents.

Looking at the international stage, countries such as the UK, the US, Japan and South Korea attach great importance to the support of science education and the construction of an ecological system, providing a strong guarantee for the development of science education in primary, secondary and tertiary schools. On the one hand, the scientific education support system includes the cultivation of high-level professional talents, the active participation of professional association networks, the in-depth development of theoretical and empirical research, and the funding from social organizations such as foundations. On the other hand, countries are actively expanding the utilization of informal learning environments outside schools and striving to build a diversified and coordinated scientific education ecosystem. Science museums, science and technology centers and other science and technology venues are important places for conducting informal science education. Science and technology competitions have become an informal science education activity with significant and unique value. Science and technology research and development institutions, families, communities, media and other entities all play important roles in building a science education ecosystem.

1.Attach great importance to the cultivation of multi-level professional talents in science education

The history of establishing science education programs in countries such as the UK and the US is relatively long, and they have formed distinctive disciplinary systems and curriculum structure systems. At the undergraduate level, on the one hand, the curriculum of the Science Education major is flexible, offering training courses for science teachers at different educational stages. For instance, at universities such as the University of Florida in the United States, undergraduate students majoring in science education can choose their study courses and decide on their future careers based on three different educational stages: kindergarten to grade 5, grade 4 to grade 8, and grade 7 to grade 12. The requirements for the course plans vary among different educational stages. On the other hand, the curriculum structure of the Science Education major is reasonable, emphasizing the cultivation of students' comprehensive abilities. Generally, it includes general education courses, subject science courses, and educational science courses. The course content features extensive coverage, comprehensiveness, and a strong emphasis on practice. General education courses provide future science teachers with a wide range of liberal arts and science knowledge and skills. The subject science courses cover subjects such as biology, chemistry, physics, earth and space, and focus on breaking down the barriers between disciplines. Educational science courses include educational psychology, scientific teaching methods and strategies, course organization and design, etc. At the master's and doctoral levels, in addition to cultivating researchers in science education, it also trains science teacher educators, that is, advanced talents who can not only conduct research in science education but also cultivate talents in science education.

2. Professional association networks participate in and support science education through multiple channels

The development of science education in countries such as Europe, America, Japan and South Korea has received the participation and support of many professional association networks. The ways in which these professional associations participate in and support science education are also three-dimensional and diverse. The American Association for the Advancement of Science was founded in 1848 and is the world's largest comprehensive scientific organization. It has had a profound impact on science courses in the United States and even internationally. The main sources of funds for the association include donations from individuals, foundations, enterprises, and government funding. The British Association for Science Education was established in 1963. It is the largest subject association in the UK and a non-governmental professional association for science education, aiming to promote and develop science education from primary school to university. In East Asia, the Japan Association for Science Education, the Japan Association for Science Education Research, the Korea Association for Science Education, and the Korea Association for Science Talent Education are typical representatives. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan provides financial support to the Japan Society for Science Education. The society has branches all over the country, covering education in multiple disciplines such as physics, chemistry, biology, geoscience, information, and computer science, as well as business such as science exchange and popularization. The ways for these professional associations to participate in and support science education are diverse. For instance, the American Association for the Advancement of Science promotes the development of science education in primary and secondary schools by holding academic symposiums, carrying out various projects to promote science education, conducting investigations and research, publishing papers or reports, and publishing magazines and books. The UK Science Learning Centre is an important support institution for enhancing the quality of science teachers in primary and secondary schools. It is funded by the government and various charitable foundations. Every year, it offers hundreds of training courses and admits thousands of students. For instance, the Korea Association for Science and Technology Education, which operates around the science and technology education institutions affiliated with 27 universities in South Korea and the researchers and educators of science and technology education, has made significant contributions to cultivating outstanding science and technology talents in South Korea.

3. Academic research provides solid theoretical guidance for science education

Attach great importance to the publication of a rich variety of academic journals on science education. On the one hand, there are periodicals affiliated with the society. For instance, periodicals such as "Science Education", "Primary School Science Review", "School Science Review" and "Science Teacher Education" issued by the Science Education Association of the UK. The Korean Association for Science Education has its core journal, "Korean Journal of Science Education", while the Japan Association for Science Education owns magazines such as "Science Education Research" and "Science Education Research Newspaper". Such as "Science Education Research" issued by the Australian Association for Science Education Research. On the other hand, there are also some well-known journals that are not affiliated with the society. For instance, publications such as "Science Education" and "Science Education & Technology" in the United States, as well as "Research in Science Education" and "International Journal of Science Education" from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, all have a significant influence in the international science education academic community.

Establish a specialized science education research center. For instance, King's College London and the University of Leeds established research centers for Science and Mathematics education in their schools of Education in the 1960s and 1970s respectively. In Germany, a national institute for science education was set up at Kiel University in 1966. The Science Education Resource Center of Carleton College in Canada, funded by the National Science Foundation, mainly focuses on STEM education for undergraduate students while conducting extensive cooperation with educators in primary and secondary schools. Through various means such as teaching model development, community activity organization, workshops, digital libraries, website development, project implementation and evaluation, it emempowerment science education. The Smithsonian Center for Science Education was established in 1985 and is funded by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academy of Sciences. It aims to promote genuine, inquiry-based STEM education in the K-12 stage and drive the sustainable development of STEM education. The main business includes supporting the professional growth of STEM teachers and school leaders at the K-12 stage, developing standardized course materials, and creating free digital resources for teenagers, etc.

4. Fully explore the informal scientific education value of science and technology venues

Science museums, science and technology centers and other science and technology venues have become important places for conducting informal science education due to their many advantages such as pre-set science education environments, systematic science popularization exhibition and education resources, and relatively complete construction of science education talent teams. Science and technology museums in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore and other countries are characterized by their advanced educational concepts. The science education they carry out mainly focuses on interaction, participation and experience, providing visitors with opportunities to experience and feel science firsthand. They each have their own characteristics in aspects such as the integration of museums and schools, the training of science teachers, and the application of educational technology. For instance, the Science Museum in London has brought a series of interactive performances, seminars, micro-videos and other activities related to courses into primary and secondary schools, communities, science clubs, etc., to facilitate the public's understanding of science. The Ontario Science Centre in Canada emphasizes that through a large number of interactive exhibits, teenagers can gain insights into scientific knowledge in the joy of hands-on participation and personal experience, and pays attention to building a place for teenagers to engage in innovative thinking and scientific dialogue. As a prototype of a participatory science and technology venue, the San Francisco Discovery Center in the United States focuses on conducting science education centered on the audience and takes the exploration of curiosity and hands-on experience of the diversity of science as its founding concept. The exhibits are small-scale scientific experiments. Visitors can operate and observe them by themselves and draw conclusions, giving the audience the opportunity to experience the "real" process of scientific experiments and discoveries. The Singapore Science Centre implements a ticket membership system for primary and secondary school students. They can participate in the centre's activities for free at any time for a very small fee throughout the year.

5. Give full play to the positive role of competitions in the selection and cultivation of scientific and technological innovation talents

Only by vigorously selecting and cultivating reserve talents in scientific and technological innovation with international competitiveness can we achieve a high-quality supply of scientific and technological innovation talents and ensure the country's dominance in future global competition. After a long period of development, science and technology competitions have become an informal scientific education activity of significant and unique value, and are widely recognized by the education field and the public as a means to select and cultivate top-notch innovative talents. For instance, the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), hosted by the American Association for Science and the Public and known as the "World Cup" of global youth science competitions, features a refined competition category setting, standardized and reasonable rules and procedures, as well as a scientific and rigorous review mechanism in its event arrangement and organization. Each year, approximately 3 to 5 million students worldwide submit research projects for the competition, but only about 1,200 are ultimately qualified to participate in ISEF. His/Her competition experience and award-winning achievements are highly valued by renowned American universities when applying to colleges. Admissions officers from top institutions like MIT even serve as judges to select suitable candidates for admission in the global finals. For instance, the European Union Young Scientists Competition (EUCYS), managed by the Directorate-General for Research of the European Commission, brings together outstanding students from over 40 countries every year, promoting cooperation and exchange among young researchers. Give them the opportunity to showcase their research work to some of the world's top scientists, thereby encouraging more young people to devote themselves to the cause of science and technology.

6. Multiple entities such as non-governmental organizations provide guarantees and support for science education

Some countries have established specialized foundations and encouraged non-governmental institutions and organizations to sponsor the development of science education. For instance, the National Science Foundation (NSF) of the United States has a Bureau of Education and Human Resources, which funds science education popularization and research activities. The SONY Science Education Research Association (SSTA), established by the SONY Education Foundation, a non-profit organization in Japan, aims to "cultivate children who love science". It supports the development of science education through measures such as textbook development, improving science education teaching, and training leading science education teachers. The Korea Science and Technology Foundation is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of South Korea. Its main activities include the dissemination of science culture, the development of educational courses in mathematics and science, and support for the education of scientific talents. Scientific research and development institutions also attach great importance to carrying out science education work. Since its establishment, NASA has carried out many effective science education works, including developing online science games for K-12 grades and setting up STEM education scholarships.

Broader networks such as families, communities and media also provide beneficial supplements for science education. For instance, the "Urban Advantage" program in the United States regards families as an important component of science education, designs specialized family guidance manuals, and distributes them to the families of students participating in the program. The United States has also formulated relevant policies and regulations to encourage the media to carry out science popularization and invest development funds in science education media.

This article is a result of the institution-level project "Research on the Implementation Model and Support System of Science Education in Primary and Secondary Schools from an International Comparative Perspective" (GYI2022021) funded by the Special Fund for Basic Scientific Research Business Expenses of the National Institute of Education Sciences of China.

Author: Kang Jianchao (Associate Researcher, National Institute of Education Sciences, China)