Partnership for Sustainability in Science Education: The Japan-Korea Student Science Exchange Program

The purpose of this study was threefold: first, to define requirements of effective student science exchange programs for sustainability; second, to develop a program that meets these requirements; and third, to examine the impact of the program on students’ learning output. A literature review revealed that such exchange programs are most effective when participants are from immediately neighboring countries, because their backgrounds are similar but sufficiently distinct. Thus, in the Japan-Korea Student Science Exchange Program, which began in 2010, students from both countries took joint science lessons throughout the program focused on topics related to sustainability issues. For example, in the 2014–2015 program, the students conducted physics, chemistry, and biology experiments about solar energy and then discussed the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy use in a class conducted entirely in English. Comparing pre- and post-test results suggested that the students’ multifaceted understanding, critical and creative thinking, decision-making, and ability and viewpoints to respond to global society have improved. Additionally, the results of the 2016 follow-up general survey show that current high school students and graduates from both countries expressed a positive attitude toward the program. They also favored the program, agreeing that it aided in their comprehension of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) content and increased their learning output, creativity, and personal growth while also fostering global talent, language learning, career choice, and Japan-Korea relations. These findings indicated that the developed program has achieved its ultimate goal of facilitating students’ partnerships for sustainability.