Justin Dillon's research interests include teacher professional development and environmental education. Recent research studies include a national (UK) survey of sceince teachers needs and wants for the Council of Science and Technology - a project which he co-directed with Jonathan Osborne. He has also conducted an extensive study into children's ideas about food, farming and land managment, and is currently examining 'the outdoor classroom in a rural context' as part of a research grant awarded in conjuction with colleagues at two other UK institutions.

Justin has published widely on topics of scinece and environmental education in Science Education, JRST, IJSE, Environmental Education Research and the Australian Journal of EE. He has co-edited two best-selling books Becoming a Teacher and Learning to Teach Science.  As CILS faculty member, Justin has responsibility for the supervision of CILS PhD students, and is also coordinating the role that CILS at King's will play in evaluating a European-wide informal learning program, which uses the CILS research framework as its guide.

1) Students’ understanding of science concepts and the role of inquiry
Together with colleagues at King’s and the University of Malaga in Spain, I was involved in a series of studies looking at children’s ideas about combustion. Part of the research involved a comparison between UK and Spanish students – two countries with very different views on the role of inquiry in science education. (1,2)

2) Science teaching in schools
Much of my work at King’s has involved educating and training science teachers in the UK and overseas. The focus of this work has been on raising the quality and quantity of science teachers as well as on gaining an understanding of the factors affecting science teachers’ lives and careers. One outcome of this work was a book aimed at mentors – teachers who work with pre-service teachers in school. (3)
More recently, I have been involved in reconceptualizing the teaching of controversial issues in science. This work has involved colleagues at the universities of Gloucester and Southampton. (4) At the turn of the century, I was involved in a major survey of science teachers’ needs and wants, funded by the UK Government’s Office for Science and Technology. The research report has had a significant impact on professional development in the UK. (5)

3) Teacher development and its management
My experience in school, as a teacher and head of department, led to an interest in researching teacher development and its management. This aspect of my work links well with CILS focus on professional development. (6,7)

4) Environmental education
Throughout my time at King’s I have been involved in a range of environmental education teaching and research. My first project at King’s involved the establishing of a national environmental database which could be added to by high school students. Subsequently, I became involved in a series of European Union projects linking institutions in Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania and Portugal. Much of this work looked at the use of information technology in environmental studies teaching at school and at university. (8,9) Latterly, I have focused on critical analyses of various aspects of environmental education policy, practice and research. (10,11,12,13,14,15) I have also been involved in a range of literature reviews and empirical work that has focused on the public understanding of environmental issues, risk and health. (16,17, 18,19,20)

1) Students’ understanding of science concepts and the role of inquiry

(1) Watson, J. R., Prieto, T. & Dillon, J (1995) The effect of practical work on pupils’ understanding of combustion, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 32(5) 487-502.

(2) Watson, J. R., Prieto, T. & Dillon, J (1997) Consistency of students’ explanations about combustion, Science Education, 81, 425-444.

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(3) Monk, M. and Dillon, J. (eds) (1995) Learning to Teach Science. London: Falmer.

(4) Oulton, C., Dillon, J. and Grace, M. (2004) Reconceptualizing the teaching of controversial issues, International Journal of Science Education, 26(4) 411-23.

(5) Dillon, J., Osborne, J., Fairbrother, B., and Kurina, L. (2000) A Study into the Professional Views and Needs of Science Teachers in Primary and Secondary Schools in England. London: King’s College London (available at www.cst.gov.uk)

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(6) Dillon, J. (2002) Managing Teacher Development: The Changing Role of the Head of Department in England in Fraser-Abder, P. (ed.), Professional Development in Science Teacher Education: Local Insights with Lessons for the Global Community, Taylor & Francis, pp. 172-186.

(7) Dillon, J. and Maguire, M. (eds) (2001) Becoming a Teacher. Milton Keynes: Open University Press. 2nd edition

(8) Dillon, J. (1999) Education Policy: Should Environmental Education be replaced by Education for Sustainable Development? Environmental Policy and Management, 11-19 (in English and Chinese).

(9) Dillon, J. (2002) Happy Birthday Silent Spring: Towards Reconceptualising Science and the Environment, Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 18, 15-18.

(10) Dillon, J. (2003) On learners and learning in environmental education: Missing theories, Ignored communities, Environmental Education Research, 9(2), 215-226.

(11) Dillon, J., Kelsey, E. & Duque-Aristizábal, A. M. (1999) Identity and Culture: Theorising Emergent Environmentalism, Environmental Education Research, 5(4) 395-405.

(12) Dillon, J. and Reid, A. (2004) Issues in Case Study Methodology in Investigating Environmental and Sustainability Issues in Higher Education: towards a problem-based approach? Environmental Education Research, 10(1) 23-37.

(13) Dillon, J. & Teamey, K. (2002) Reconceptualising Environmental Education – Taking Account of Reality, Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 2(4) 467-483.

(14) Davison, P., Davison, P, Reed, N., Halden, D. and Dillon, J. (2003) Children’s Attitudes to Sustainable Transport. Research Findings No. 174. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive Social Research.

(15) Dillon, J. and Gill, P. (2001) Risk, Environment and Health: Aspects of Policy and Practice, School Science Review, 83(303) 65-73.

(16) Dillon, J., Rickinson, M., Sanders, D., Teamey, K. and Benefield, P. (2003) Improving the Understanding of Food, Farming and Land Management amongst School-Age Children: A Literature Review. Research Report 422. London: Department for Education and Skills.

(17) Dillon, J., Watson, R. and Suwannatachote, R. (1999) Public Understanding of Air Quality in H. Bayrhuber and J. Mayer (eds), State of the Art of Empirical Research on Environmental Education, Kiel: IPN, pp. 165-179.

(18) Rickinson, M., Dillon, J., Teamey, K., Morris, M., Choi, M. Y., Sanders, D. & Benefield, P. (2004) A Review of Research on Outdoor Learning, Preston Montford, Shropshire: Field Studies Council.