Introducing sociopolitical approaches to science education: an integrative review of the concept of subjectivity in science curricula and continuous professional development programmes

Drawing on the sociopolitical turn within science education, we critically examine subjectivity production in curriculum developments and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programmes. Through a review of 178 outputs, we identify three themes: (a) subjectivity meanings in science, sociological perspectives, and science education; (b) sociopolitical questioning in science education and the curriculum; and (c) challenges to CPD programmes, where the challenges are sensitive to issues of power imbalances. This integrative review maps critical approaches and debates, problematising science curricula and CPD programmes. We discuss curriculum development, teachers' participation, and the role of teacher educators and universities in CPD programmes. We show how curriculum developers are typically positioned as the thinkers who 'wish' to improve the quality of science learning in schools with their ideas, while schoolteachers are seen as simply the implementers of those thoughts. We offer directions on the sociopolitical turn using subjectivity, questioning assumed norms through social, political, and cultural lenses within school science education. For any teacher educator conducting CPD programmes, the sociopolitical approach could help shape the reconceptualisation of such programmes by incorporating power-sensitive questioning about such issues as the way that the CPD is designed and conducted, and the professional development of the teacher educators themselves.