Faculty Profiles

Dr. Dana L. Zeidler

CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
DISTINGUISHED UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR  & PROGRAM COORDINATOR, SCIENCE EDUCATION

Zeidler headshot

Email: Zeidler@usf.edu
Phone: (813) 974-0608
Office: USF Tampa campus, EDU 202-B
Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Dana L. Zeidler is a Distinguished University Professor in Science Education at the University of South Florida's College of Education. He also serves as the Department Chair of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education at USF.  Dr. Zeidler has also served as the Distinguished Visiting Professor of Science Education, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea; Honorary Professor of Science and Environmental Studies, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, The University of Hong Kong; and a Honorary Professor of Science Education at Beijing Normal University, China.

Dr. Zeidler has developed an international research program in the field of Science Education centered on Socioscientific Issues — taking a sociocultural approach to teaching and learning about how moral and ethical issues can be a means to foster the formation of epistemic insight  and moral character in the pursuit of scientific literacy. Accordingly, his work incorporates aspects of Argumentation and Discourse, Moral Reasoning and Character Formation, Epistemic Development and Practices, Place-based Immersive Scenarios, and the Nature of Science.

Dr. Zeidler's work has been cited over 18,200 times in the international literature (Goggle Scholar: h-index 54, i10-index 82). He has authored more than 125 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, presented over 350 conference papers, workshops and lectures, served as series editor for 22 scholarly books, and served as the co-editor of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching and President of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching(NARST), a global organization for improving science education through research. He is also the Co-Editor of the Handbook of Research on Science Education (3rd Edition).

Additionally, Dr. Zeidler has supervised and mentored over 70 doctoral students, and has given keynote addresses and international talks to many universities and conferences in Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, England, Hong Kong, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United States on aspects of his research program and related topics in science education. He works closely with doctoral students and international scholars in the science education community.

seminal and recent distinctions

  • Editor (2025) of A Moral Inquiry into Epistemic Insight: Personal and Global Perspectives of Socioscientific Issues. Dordrecht: Spring Nature.

  • Co-Editor (2023) of the Handbook of Research in Science Teaching (3rd Edition).

  • Co-Guest Editor (2023) for Science and Education: Contributions from History, Philosophy and Sociology of Education.
  • Co-Editor (2022) for Learning Evolution through Socioscientific Issues.

  • Outstanding Faculty Award (2017), Office of the President, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.

  • Distinguished University Professor (2016), University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.

  • Recipient of 2016 Distinguished Contributions to Science Education through Research Award, NARST: A Worldwide Organization for Improving Science Teaching and Learning through Research (2016). This award represents the highest honor bestowed by the organization for lifetime achievement in scholarship and service to the profession.

  • Co-Editor for Journal of Research in Science Teaching, the official journal of NARST: A Worldwide Organization for Improving Science Teaching and Learning through Research (2015-2020).

  • Guest Professor in the Department of Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research Center at Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China (2018-2023).

  • Distinguished Visiting Professor of Science Education, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea (2012-2016).

  • Honorary Professor of Science and Environmental Studies, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, The University of Hong Kong, China (2013-2017).

  • Past President of NARST, A Worldwide Organization for Improving Science Teaching and Learning through Research (2010-2012).

  • Executive Board of Directors, NARST: A Worldwide Organization for Improving Science Teaching and Learning through Research (2006-2009) and (2015-2019 Ex-Officio).

  • At Large Board of Directors, Association for Science Teacher Education (2008-2011).

  • Recipient for the Outstanding Mentor Award (2008), Association for Science Teacher Education.

  • Series Editor for "Contemporary Trends in Science Education" (Formerly "Science and Technology Education Library Series"), Dordrecht, Heidelberg, London, New York, Springer Publishers, (2008 to present).

  • Recipient for the 2006 "Journal of Research in Science Teaching Award" article (with Dr. Troy D. Sadler) entitled: "Patterns of informal reasoning in the context of socioscientific decision making," JRST, 42(1), 112-138. This honor reflects receiving the highest award from colleagues for the most significant contribution to research among all articles published in Volume 42 of JRST.

  • Recipient of the President’s Faculty Excellence Award (2003) to recognize faculty who are performing at a superior level over the past 5 years in receiving national and international recognition, whose contributions are fundamental to the future of the University of South Florida.

  • Past-President of the Southeastern Association for Science Teacher Education.

  • Conference Chair for the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Association for Science Teacher Education, Clearwater Beach, Florida.

  • Conference Chair for the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Association for Science Teacher Education, Clearwater Beach, Florida.

Teaching

At the graduate level, Professor Zeidler has designed and taught a unique array of doctoral courses based on current and seminal research including:

  • Socioscientific Issues in Science Education
  • Moral and Ethical Issues in Science Education
  • Epistemology, Reasoning & Cognition in Science Education
  • Philosophy and the Nature of Science
  • Qualitative Inquiry
  • Philosophical Issues in Science Education

  • Trends in Science Education

  • Philosophies of Inquiry

  • Directed Research Studies

  • Research Design and Methodology

  • Advanced Trends in Science Education

At the undergraduate level, Dr. Zeidler has taught an array of science methods courses. He has helped to bring international understanding of scientific literacy to the classroom by connecting research to effective practice facilitating inquiry and developing scientific habits of mind in his pedagogical techniques.