Exchange channels, sense of community and niches in the market for science education journals in Europe.

Abstract

What is the importance of journals with respect to the social and intellectual unification of the science and technology education community throughout the world? To answer this question, a study is made of twenty-six refereed science education journals published in Europe, targeting a single country or a vast region of the world. The results of the research show that each journal occupies a special place in the "market", helping to give a sense of unity within a particular geographical area and/or a sector of the educational community: researchers, educators or teachers. On the contrary, journals seem to have done too little to overcome the barriers instituted by differences in languages, research methods, and scholarly tradition. A few journals consider some examples of good practice in dealing with these problems and suggest some solutions.