Citation for the Presentation of the ICPE Medal
to Professor
Svein
Sjoberg
University of Oslo,
Norway
Presented in Delhi, 2005
Svein Sjoberg has had a long and distinguished career in Science and Technology
Education, with particular attention to the role of Physics Education in a broad
science education. Svein Sjoberg began his scientific career with a PhD in
experimental nuclear physics. He brought to science and technology education the
rigorous thinking of a physicist allied to an understanding of psychological and
social factors. It is crucial that distinguished physics educators like Svein
participate in the development and definition of Science and Technology
Education.
He turned from an
early interest in students’ conceptions, to the much broader field of social
relations and science education, including important studies of gender
differences, and of social and cultural differences. He has had a long-standing
concern for girls in science education, particularly in relation to Physics
Education. Svein Sjoberg was one of the first to see that international
comparisons of standards such as TIMSS needed urgently to be complemented by
international studies of attitudes to and responses to science, and one of the
very first to act upon that understanding on a global scale through research.
Two remarkable studies, SAS
Science and Society – cross cultural study of factors of relevance for teaching
and learning of science and technology,
and its follow-up, ROSE
Relevance of Science Education,
have been notable for the very wide international participation that they
achieved.
Besides Svein
Sjoberg’s high standing in science education in the Nordic countries and in
Europe, even more important is the world-wide international impact of his work,
which has obtained valuable and convincing results from international
comparisons, and at the same time has helped researchers in Africa, Asia and
other countries to raise the standards of their research through active
participation in these studies. He is chair of IOSTE, and a member of AFCLIST (African
Forum for Children’s Literacy in Science and Technology).
It is this international aspect of his work throughout the world, together with its high quality and important and meaningful results, which is the particular focus for the award of the ICPE medal.