Lifetime achievements in science education

Dagher demonstrates how to use an insect examination kit designed for elementary school children.

“In my research, I have been fortunate to collaborate with my colleague Sibel Erduran at the University of Oxford on developing a framework that emphasizes the inclusion of the cognitive, epistemic and social-institutional dimensions in science education,” said Dagher, who is also a faculty fellow in UD’s Center for Science, Ethics and Public Policy. “This framework counters the dominant ways of teaching science that sideline its human and social-institutional elements. In other words, science doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The contextual understanding of science is important for developing scientifically literate citizens who are better able to understand and navigate science-society controversies.”

Dagher uses insights from scientific epistemology — a branch of philosophy that examines the nature, scope and limitations of scientific knowledge — to help science teachers and students understand scientific methods and practices, develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills and navigate tensions between personal beliefs and scientific findings.

“My work is guided by a deep respect for teachers and the teaching profession, modesty about what I know, eagerness to learn more, curiosity about teaching and learning spaces and excitement about the endless possibilities that teaching and research open up,” Dagher said. 

With this lens, Dagher has co-authored books and articles on reconceptualizing the nature of science in K-12 curriculum, science education in Arab states, the portrayal of scientists in biographies written for children, public engagement with science during the COVID-19 pandemic and more. 

“Professor Dagher’s groundbreaking book, Reconceptualizing the Nature of Science for Science Education, has been cited about a thousand times and has clearly impacted the field as a whole by exploring science as a cognitive-epistemic and social-institutional system,” said John R. Jungck, professor of biological sciences and mathematical sciences in UD’s College of Arts and Sciences. “The range of her scholarship extends from how Mendel’s research became one of the very few recognized ‘laws’ of biology to citizen science to practical implementations: textbooks, teacher education courses, curriculum policy documents and generative visual tools.”

Mentoring the next generation of science educators

At UD, Dagher teaches within CEHD’s K-8 teacher education, Ph.D. in education and Ed.D. in educational leadership programs, mentoring the next generation of science educators and school leaders. In line with her research, she takes a student-centered approach, prioritizing the personal experiences they bring to the classroom.

“When working with preservice teachers, I want them to experience the care involved in setting up student-centered science lessons, the value of customizing high-quality teaching resources and the joy of using effective strategies to support their students’ sensemaking and problem solving,” Dagher said.

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