NATURAL SCIENCE EDUCATION: SOME FEATURES ABOUT THE ISSUE OF CONCEPT AND STRUCTURE
Authors: Lamanauskas Vincentas 
Published: May 2021

A problem of the notion natural science education (NSE) exists (English Science; Russian Естествознание /Естественнонаучное образование/, природоведение, окружающий мир, latvian Dabaszinatniskâ izglitiba/Dabas maciba, German Naturwissenschaft, French Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre, Norwegian Naturvitenskap/naturfag etc.). The concept is not properly and appropriately defined and this is a future task of didactics. On the other hand, in discussion on primary school this concept is not very suitable. Therefore, less complicated concepts basically defining natural science education such as The World Science, Me and the World, Nature and Human Being, Environment Study, We and the World, etc. are frequently applied. The most frequent and widely used term in Lithuania is natural science education. In the Lithuanian language – gamta (nature) + mokslas (science) + ugdymas (education) make one compound „gamtamokslinis“ and together with a term „ugdymas“ – „gamtamokslinis ugdymas“. Analogically the term is built in the Latvian language – daba (nature) + zinâtne (science) + izglitiba (education) – „dabaszinatniskâ izglitiba“.
It should be emphasized that the present day educational terminology holds many obscurities. It is difficult to precisely choose an equivalent of the term in English. Researchers are expected to work hard as adjusting terminology is a very complex job in this field. I suppose that the explanation of the concept of natural sciences in a broad sense is logical. The concept „natural science education“ is the most appropriate in this context. The present natural science knowledge is related to the processes taking place in technical and social life, in the fields of ecology, health service, hygiene, demography, natural resources, etc. From this point of view, a term „natural science and technology education“ /NSTE/ seems to be reasoned today. The researchers’ communities have even certain problems in the field (for example, they have different attitudes towards natural science education and its place in the system of general education). In our opinion, natural science education is a field of social sciences (primarily educology). Public society approach to natural science education (general needs, general level of culture, traditions in the light of interaction with nature, the need to have society and the young generation of a privileged natural science background, etc.), its optimal conditions of implementation (the standards of natural science education and material, human, etc. resources undertaking their success), the development of the needs and motivation of nature study (in a broad sense) (improving the need to perceive nature throughout all studies in comprehensive school, enhancing cognitive relation with nature, etc.), natural science results: knowledge, abilities, relations (studying natural sciences, etc.) are the crucial components of natural science education.
Secondary comprehensive education is the only stage for the young generation creating an opportunity to receive fundamental systemic natural science-technological education. Received NSTE (natural science-technological education) for the majority will be the only form to acknowledge this field as they will not have such a possibility for many reasons in the future. Having assessed the produced and expected changes of the educational system it is essential to stress that natural science education feels a lack of attention in the structure of the educational system (formal, informal).
Key words: science education, concept, structure, technology education.