FROM PHYSICS TO SCIENCE EDUCATION: REFLECTIONS ON THE KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM AND PROFESSIONALIZATION PATHWAYS OF SCIENCE EDUCATION

This position paper reflects on three core issues that the author has encountered in science education research from the perspective of a scholar who shifted from physics to science education, including: how we should understand and address the theory-practice gap in science education; whether the appropriateness and boundaries of pedagogical approaches in science education can be defined; and how science education, as a research field, can develop a more systematic, testable, and falsifiable professional knowledge system. Using examples like inquiry teaching, Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), and engineering education, this article argues that when science education theories remain at the level of broad principles or conceptual labels, they can easily become disconnected from classroom practice and may fail to support teachers in developing operational professional judgment. Drawing on the historical development of medicine from experience-based practice to mechanism-based explanation and professional certification, this paper suggests that science education research should respect the complexity and contextual nature of teaching while placing greater emphasis on disciplinary knowledge structures, operational definitions of instructional practices, and evidence of learning outcomes. This paper concludes that the professionalization of science education should not rely primarily on the continual renewal of theoretical terminology or the pursuit of academic trends. Instead, it should be advanced by strengthening its theoretical foundations, grounding itself in scientific content knowledge, and using evidence to connect theory with practice.