Strong social forces operate to control the content of learning in those parts of the school curriculum that play a critical role in subsequent levels of education or career selection. The development of the senior science subject, Physical Science, is used as a case study for exploring the aspects of epistemology and curriculum organisation that evoke these sorts of forces. Interest in making science and technology more relevant and more accessible to all students at this level of schooling is evident in many recent international and Australian reports. Some of the difficulties that are likely to face such a direction for science education are suggested from the case study.
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