Science Education Research and Practices in Taiwan Challenges and Opportunities

Mei-Hung Chiu is a Professor of Science Education at the Graduate Institute of Science Education (GISE) of the National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU). Her research areas include conceptual change on students’ understanding of scientific phenomena as well as alternative assessment in science teaching and learning. In extending the research on conceptual change, she investigated how to promote students’ perceptions of scientific models and to develop model-based inquiry and modelling competency in learning science. Another work explores whether changes in facial micro expressions can be used to identify moments of conceptual conflict, one of the pathways to conceptual change. More recently, she adopted mobile technology and augmented reality techniques to design instructional materials for high school students’ learning in science. Dr. Chiu published over 100 peer reviewed international and national journal articles and supervised close to 90 advisees in master and doctoral programs in science education. Dr. Chiu was the President of the Association of Science Education in Taiwan (2009-2010). She has also served as the international coordinator for International Committee of National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) based in the United States from 2008 to 2010 and as the chair for Committee on Chemistry Education of International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) from 2011 to 2015. She was a recipient of the Distinguished Contribution to Chemical Education Award from the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies (FACS) in 2009.