Early Career Innovations in Science Education Research: Introduction to the Special Issue

Science education research has typically been aligned with a collection of familiar topics and ideas. However, the field, like many others, is becoming ever more varied as it responds to a range of remarkable social, cultural, and technological changes. In this paper, the Guest Editors of Research in Science Education’s Special Issue ‘Early Career Innovations in Science Education Research’ reflect on the future directions of research represented in both the Early Career Researcher submissions to the Special Issue and a brief survey administered to the journal’s Editorial Board members. We report on trends related to new, divergent, and creative innovations, situating these innovations in the context of the history of the field as represented by one of the world’s leading science education journals.