Introduction

Transforming science education has been cited as a global imperative in terms of: producing technological innovation to maintain economic security (Bybee and Fuchs 2006; Tytler 2007); creating critical consumers of scientific knowledge (Osborne and Dillon 2008) and fostering a more environmentally sustainable and equitable world (Calabrese Barton 2001; Carter 2008). In light of these agendas, viewing science as a cultural process has significantly contributed to our understanding of the interplay between local micro-level contexts and macro-level political influences in the science classroom. Moreover, ethnography has chronicled the experiences of ethnically and linguistically diverse populations who have been historically excluded from participation in science. Cultural studies of science education speak directly to issues of economics, sustainability and inclusion but also address theoretical and empirical gaps in our understanding of science education and its context: ‘What precisely is the nature of science, of nature, of culture, and of the relationship among them?’ (Weinstein 1998, 486).