The processes of globalization are leading to widespread changes that are impacting on education worldwide. It has affected education profoundly and in a range of ways. However, for such hyperglobalists, there will be an increasing convergence of educational policies and practices worldwide. Global policies are mediated at the national level through differing cultural and historical traditions and thus produce different national policies in response to the same global pressures. Moreover, the implementation of such national policies in schools has the further potential for mediation according to different cultural traditions both between different countries and within a single country. Hence, the need to discuss the challenges and prospects of globalized science curriculum in Nigeria.
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The need for explicit teaching has sharpened efforts to understand what knowledge and skills learners are needed for them to engage effectively in learning of science in the science classroom. Today, every sphere of life has been revolutionised by science. It has given us many machines that have made our lives very comfortable. It has become a source of economic might and power. It has provided mankind with remarkable insights into the world we live in. Due to the above reasons, many countries have encouraged the study of science right from a very tender age. In addition, More and more scholars from various fields are recognising the importance and impact of science education, as well as the current and emerging challenges and opportunities to science education (McFarlane, 2013). In his book, “Looking to the Future: Building a Curriculum for Social Activism”, Hodson (2011) focuses on Science Education in building intellectual activism for better understanding of, and increase in scientific literary, improved methods in science education, and the development of a more realistic and action-oriented approach to science education.
Hodson (2011) impresses his views to educators, policymakers and administrators, the need to re-engage and redesign curriculum to make science education more formidable and useful as competitive value and solution to our myriad problems. He suggested that science education in the 21st century must focus on developing strategies and solutions to our common problems, and in doing so, must consider the importance of approaches built around collaboration and participatory pedagogy. We are living in a global society where diversity impacts on science call for a variety of perspectives and appreciation of the different learning needs and methods that students and citizens use to understand science even at the most basic level as it unravels in nature. There emerges a necessity to change our understanding of the approach to science literacy as educators, as we recognize that the platform for applying its body of knowledge has changed and is constantly changing (McFarlane, 2013), thus the need for globalized science education
Globalization has become a very prominent process, which has impacted automatically every step of our lives. This is such an encompassing change that has steadily and deeply influenced many aspects of life and our educational institutions also seem to be affected. No area can be seen untouched by this process of Globalization (McFarlane, 2013). According to Vulliamy (2010) it processes have profoundly affects our education across the world. The basic assumption underlying the relationship between Globalization and educational changes is that knowledge is considered an important driving force for Globalization and therefore Globalization should have profound impact on knowledge and education (Carnoy 1999). And the effect is that globalization has changed the system of higher education in a very lucrative market offer nationally and internationally (Anbalagan, 2011). According to Umeasiegbu and Esomonu (2012) global education is concerned with the extent global development issues are integrated into and within the curriculum. It enables the integration and infusion into curriculum of some important world issues, like science and technology, education for sustainability, intercultural education, education for peace and conflict prevention among others. The global education practices present learning as participatory decision-making process which fosters mutual knowledge and collective self-awareness. In this regard, education, knowledge and skill acquisition take the form of global cooperative actions, collaborative reactions and dynamic multidimensional interaction that foster unity among nations. Global education looks at the ways in which everyday life and experiences are affected by the wider world. It stimulates curiosity, motivates learning and contributes to the raising of standards that enable people to take responsibility for their own lives and the world we live in and become active citizens (Umeasiegbu & Esomonu, 2012).