Constitution of ESERA

Wherever the English phrase ‘science education’ appears in this document, it has a meaning equivalent to ‘didactique des sciences’ in French, ‘Didaktiken der Naturwissenschaften’ in German, ‘Didáctica de las Ciencias’ in Spanish, or the equivalent in other European languages .

Date: October 27, 2021

1 Name and Status

1.1 The name of the association shall be ‘The European Science Education Research Association’, hereafter referred to as ‘The Association’.

1.2 ‘European’ shall refer to those countries which are part of Europe as defined and recognised by the United Nations.

1.3 ‘Science Education’ shall refer to all aspects of education in respect of the natural sciences (to include: physics, chemistry, biology, earth science, general science, and applied science) for learners of all ages.

1.4 ‘Research’ shall refer to all forms of systematic enquiry.

1.5 The Name and Logo of The Association shall be registered, if necessary, as that of a voluntary professional association, which is exempt from taxation and other dues, in all European countries of which members are nationals.

1.6 The Executive shall, if necessary, establish the legality of this Constitution under national or international law as appropriate.

2 Aims

The aims of The Association shall be:

2.1 to enhance the range and quality of research and research training in science education in Europe;

2.2 to provide a forum for collaboration in science education research between European countries;

2.3 to represent the professional interests of science education researchers in Europe;

2.4 to seek to relate research to the policy and practice of science education in Europe;

2.5 to foster links between science education researchers in Europe and similar communities elsewhere in the world.

3 Membership

3.1 Personal membership is open to researchers in science education.

3.2 Personal membership of The Association shall be open both to nationals of European countries and to nationals of non-European countries.

3.3 Applications for personal membership shall be made on the Application Form provided, and accompanied by the appropriate subscription.

3.4 The title and privileges of being a ‘Personal Member of the Association’ shall only be enjoyed by an individual over a period for which all the dues required by The Association have been paid.

3.5 Organisational membership of The Association shall be open to organisations which have a constitutional interest in research in science education.

3.6 The title and privileges of being an ‘Organisational Member of the Association’ shall only be enjoyed by an organisation over a period for which all the dues required by The Association have been paid.

4 The Executive

4.1 Decisions made on behalf of The Association shall be taken by The Executive.

4.2 Each personal member shall have the right to one vote in any election concerning The Association.

4.3 The executive shall consist of a diverse group of eight elected members. The affiliations and/or nationalities of the eight elected members shall ensure representation of at least five different countries in Europe. All nominations must be supported by a proposer and a seconder who are both Personal Members of The Association and who are nationals of different European countries. Each of those elected will serve for four years with the exception of the student who will serve for two years.

4.4 Of the eight elected members of the executive, three shall be directly elected as President, Secretary, and Treasurer respectively of The Association.

4.5 Successive Presidents shall be nationals of different European countries.

4.6 The Organizer of the next Summer School of The Association (which shall be organized to support the training of researchers in science education) and the Organizer of the next General Conference of The Association (which shall be organised to support communication on research matters between members of The Association and with others) shall automatically be co-opted on to The Executive.

4.7 If a position on The Executive falls vacant, The Executive shall fill it by whatever means they deem necessary and which do not contradict the above conditions, until the next occasion for an election.

4.8 A General Assembly of The Association shall take place at each General Conference.

4.9 The Executive will present a written report, which shall include Audited Accounts, for the approval of the General Assembly and circulate it to all Members not present at the General Conference. In years when the general Assembly does not take place, the written report will be sent to all Members.

4.10 Elections to The Executive shall, wherever possible, take place during a general Conference of the Association such that results may be announced at that Conference.

4.11 Amendments to The Constitution either shall be proposed by a majority decision of The Executive or shall be proposed by at least thirty other Members of The Association from at least three countries.

4.12 An amendment to The Constitution shall be agreed by a two-thirds majority of the members of The Association who vote in the ensuing referendum.

4.13 The Office of The Association shall be established in a Town or Country at the discretion of The Executive.

4.14 All documents produced in the course of Association business shall have an abstract in two different European languages.

5 Activities

5.1 The aims of The Association shall be addressed by such means as The Executive shall decide

5.2 These means shall include the organisation of Summer Schools and shall include the organisation of the General Conferences of The Association.

5.3 The costs of each activity conducted on behalf of The Association shall be met by, or on behalf of, the activity, less any administrative input that The Executive shall decide to make. Any surplus generated by an activity shall be the property of The Association.

5.4 In order to conduct the business of The Association, The Executive shall be empowered both to collect an Annual Membership Fee from personal and Organisational Members of The Association and to make applications to Fund-Awarding Bodies on behalf of The Association.