二次世界大戰結束後，蔣介石帶領的國民政府遷到臺灣，極力宣揚以中國固有文化為「打擊中共的最有效精神武器」；然而，在1959年美援科學教育計畫前後，又宣示為「科學建國」推動科學教育。美援時期的臺灣科學教育面臨的是西方科學與中國傳統文化兩者之間的拉鋸。本文以美援時期為背景，首先討論美援時期臺灣社會中西方科學與傳統中國文化的拉鋸現象的形成，並從當時學校科學教材，探討當時臺灣科學教育所面臨的西方科學與傳統中國文化的拉鋸處境，以及當時臺灣科學教育推動者如何因應這種拉鋸現象。最後，討論西方科學與中國傳統文化的拉鋸對臺灣科學教育後續發展所造成的影響，並提出建議。

For serving Chiang’s political authority, science education during the U.S. Aid time must be geared to two totally different or opposite values, traditional Chinese culture and western science since Chiang and his team claimed that the spirit of science was inherent in traditional Chinese culture. Science education was developed under a tension between western science and traditional Chinese cultures in the social and political atmosphere at that time. The study is to investigate how the tension was formed and its impacts on science education in Taiwan afterward. Furthermore, the author argued the tension caused a distortion of science education development in Taiwan. Finally, suggestion is provided for the science education succeeding in Taiwan.