Hands-On Science: Developing a Sustainable Education System

Dear Colleagues,

World sustainable development, both in economic and social terms, strengthening the democracy and social cohesion in our societies alongside high levels of human development with respect to the United Nations Charter of Human Rights, should be a goal of all countries and of each one of us. The importance of science, both the pursuit of knowledge and the search for practical uses of scientific knowledge, is widely recognised at all levels in modern societies. A strong and enlarged scientific literacy is not only fundamental to the development of science and technology, but also to a democratic citizenship. In most countries, a distinct lack of science technicians and science and technology teachers is being registered. Driven by this fact, science is gaining an increasing importance in school education. It is hopeful that, by also recognising the importance of study and training in science in the development of our youngsters’ personalities and abilities, both professional and social changes in school curricula are being implemented in most countries, clearly giving science a higher importance. However, these improvements in the levels of quality and effectiveness in school science education can hardly be achieved without an effective change in the way science education is traditionally approached in our schools. The method that drives the pursuit of scientific knowledge should be the driving and guiding basis of all processes of in-school teaching/learning of science, leading the students towards an active volunteer commitment to hands-on experimental science learning activities: observing, analysing critically, deducing, reasoning, defining, discussing, experimenting… and, as such, “making” (learning) science as scientists do.

We are honoured to serve as Guest Editors of this Special Issue to be published in Sustainability, which will contain papers related to the field of experimental science education that describe "hands-on" experiences and research as a path to sustainable education. Research with IBSE, Maker, Do it Yourself, Do It With Others, Design Thinking, Low-Cost Science or Experimental Citizen Science approaches that contributes to the improvement of science education, both from formal and non-formal education, will also be appreciated. We warmly invite researchers to submit their contributions, both original research articles and review papers, to this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. José Benito Vázquez Dorrío
Prof. Dr. Manuel Filipe P. C. M. Costa
Prof. Dr. Miguel Ángel Queiruga Dios
Guest Editors

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