Professor Sibel Erduran joins prestigious Academy of Social Sciences Fellowship

The Academy of Social Sciences Fellowship comprises 1,600 leading social scientists from academia, the public, private and third sectors. All Academy Fellows are elected for their excellence in their fields and their substantial contributions to social science for public benefit. Selection is through an independent peer review which recognises their excellence and impact.  

The contemporary societal landscape of misinformation, fake news and mistrust in science have created challenges for the education sector. Our school-based research and development efforts have addressed such challenges by investigating how evidence-based reasoning can be taught to young children effectively.

Professor Sibel Erduran, Professor of Science Education and Director of Research at the Department of Education

Professor Erduran, who is the only academic elected from the University of Oxford in this round, said: ‘I am honoured to be elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. The recognition of our work in science education by the Academy speaks to the significance of educational research in general and scientific literacy in particular.

‘The contemporary societal landscape of misinformation, fake news and mistrust in science have created challenges for the education sector. Our school-based research and development efforts have addressed such challenges by investigating how evidence-based reasoning can be taught to young children effectively.

‘I am indebted to many colleagues, students and teachers who have contributed to this line of work over the years.’

Will Hutton FAcSS, President of the Academy, said: ‘I’m delighted to welcome these 64 outstanding social scientists to the Academy’s Fellowship, whose research and practice are helping to develop solutions to pressing societal issues. From informing decision-making around environmental challenges and encouraging entrepreneurial growth to improving planning systems and tackling educational inequalities, their insights, skills and understanding are delivering positive impact to improve our daily lives.’

Professor Erduran’s research focuses on applications of epistemic perspectives about science in science education, for example how scientific argumentation works and how young people can be immersed in generating and evaluating claims and evidence.

In recent years, she led the FEDORA Project, which developed a future-oriented model of science education based on the need for students to acquire skills such as argumentation skills to tackle future societal challenges. A series of recommendations were developed to enable creative thinking, foresight and active hope, which have been implemented in schools to regenerate the ecosystem of science learning.

Project FutuRISE extended the approaches developed in the FEDORA Project, with a particular focus on climate change education. The project aimed to foster pupils’ engagement in activism, taking pupils’ identities such as gender as well as their career aspirations into consideration when teaching science. As a result of the project, lesson resources were designed to enrich the teaching and learning of science in an inclusive way.

Professor Erduran is currently leading Project AI-Vision, which is investigating the impact of artificial intelligence on scientific practices and science education. The project draws on expertise from the humanities, STEM and social sciences to evaluate the use of AI in science from interdisciplinary perspectives. The findings will inform a set of practical recommendations for schools.

Professor Erduran has authored more than 240 publications and serves as Editor for the International Journal of Science Education. She was previously Editor-in-Chief of Science & Education and the President of the European Science Education Research Association.