Enhancing Indonesian Pre-service Science Teachers’ Understanding of the Nature of Science, Technology, and SSI Teaching

ABSTRACTThe teaching of socioscientific issues (SSI) holds promise for advancing functional scientific literacy, promoting critical thinking, and providing an interesting context for learning required science content, but few teachers actually employ this teaching method in K–12 classrooms. One common reason cited by teachers is their concern about the controversial aspects of teaching these topics. This study attempts to better understand these tensions by exploring preservice secondary science teachers’ ideas, concerns, and approaches for teaching SSI as they move through a semester-long science methods class that specifically addresses teaching about controversial and SSI. Classroom artifact data and individual interviews were used to explore the science concepts deemed most controversial by preservice secondary science teachers and their preferred approaches for teaching these topics. The findings revealed several topics that are deemed controversial, including evolution, climate change, nuclear energy, and reproduction. Preservice teachers also eagerly adopted the methods course’s discussion strategies for teaching about controversial issues. However, preservice teachers did not distinguish between the appropriateness for using different discussion-based, multiple-perspectives approaches for different types of issues. Specifically, preservice teachers often conflated SSI (societal issues that have both scientific and ethical elements) together with societally denied science for which the teaching is controversial (evolution, anthropogenic causes of climate change). Implications of these findings for methods courses and future research are discussed.

In the present study, the effect of Science, Technology and Society (STS) education conducted on socioscientific issues in “Science, Technology and Society” lesson on 83 pre-service science teachers’ science literacy levels and attitudes towards socioscientific issues was examined. The design of the research is a single-group pre-test-post-test design, which is one of the quantitative research methods, which is a weak experimental design. Problem situations and possible solution suggestions for fourteen different socioscientific issues were designed and this implication that lasted 15 weeks were concluded. “Science Literacy Test” and “Attitude Scale towards Socioscientific Issues” was used as a data collection tool in the study. The data in the research were collected in the spring semester of the 2018-2019 academic year. The dependent sample t-test was used and it was observed that the relationship between the two variables was high level linear and positive in the analysis of the research. As a result of the research, it has been observed that all the implications carried out have caused positive changes in the science literacy and attitudes of the pre-service teachers towards socioscientific issues.

The Elementary School Journal Volume 81, Number 1 ? 1980 by The University of Chicago 0013-5984/81/8101-0008$0o1.00 In colleges and universities across the country, prospective and practicing teachers and administrators take courses on planning-curriculum-planning and instructional planning. During the courses, teachers and administrators usually study an objectives-first model of curriculumplanning. This model has four steps. Planners are expected to 1. Formulate objectives 2. Choose appropriate learning activities

This study explored Indonesian prospective teachers’ views on the adapted (including global socio-scientific issues) and revisited (including local socio-scientific issues) versions of the scientific habits of mind (SHOM) scale and compared their SHOM levels concerning teacher education programs and grades. The sample of the study consisted of 1298 Indonesian prospective teachers drawn from departments of chemistry education, biology education, science education, elementary teacher education, and mathematics education. The adapted and revisited versions of SHOM scale were used to collect data. The result showed that the locality of socio-scientific issues (SSI), grade, and teacher education program somewhat influenced the Indonesian prospective teachers’ SHOM levels. Also, their familiarity with local SSI acted as a cornerstone to make a decision about SSI via SHOM. This study suggests that teacher education programs should be enriched with undergraduate courses (e.g., integrating SSI into SHOM, measuring SSI with SHOM, ethnoscience through SSI and SHOM) to stimulate the Indonesian prospective teachers’ SHOM levels via SSI.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11191-023-00429-4.

References

The increasing importance of cross-cultural competence in education has made international teaching practicum (ITP) programs essential for pre-service teachers. These programs provide unique opportunities to enhance pedagogical skills and develop global awareness, particularly for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in diverse cultural contexts. However, the specific experiences of Indonesian pre-service teachers participating in ITP programs remain underexplored. This study aims to explore the experiences of Indonesian pre-service English teachers during an ITP program in Malaysia, focusing on the journey, personal growth, and professional development achieved throughout the program. Using a qualitative narrative inquiry approach, this exploratory case study examined the experiences of one Pre-service teacher from the English Education Department, referred to as "Budi," in a Malaysian pesantren. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, reflective journals, and program documentation, then analyzed thematically using Braun & Clarke (2006) framework. The findings reveal that the participant gained essential teaching skills, leadership qualities, and cross-cultural understanding while facing challenges such as time management, cultural adaptation, and limited teaching opportunities. These experiences contributed significantly to the participant’s personal and professional growth, highlighting the transformative impact of ITP programs. The study underscores the importance of ITP programs in preparing globally competent educators. By documenting the lived experiences of a pre-service teacher, the research provides valuable insights for program designers and policymakers seeking to enhance the effectiveness of international teaching initiatives.

This study investigates 232 pre-service physics teachers' attitudes toward using ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence-based conversational agent, in educational settings. With the increasing integration of technology in education, understanding pre-service teachers' perceptions of AI-driven tools is crucial for effective implementation. The research employs Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyze pre-service teachers' attitudes, including evaluating and checking, instructional design, multiple information, problem-solving, and time efficiency. The findings provide valuable insights into the validity and reliability of the measurement model and shed light on the structural relationships among the constructs under investigation. These insights have implications for theory and practice in educational research and instructional design. The implications for teacher education programs and the future integration of AI tools in pedagogical practices are also discussed.

"Debates have been going on regarding what the goals of science education are and how those goals could be achieved. Developing scientific literacy in learners has gained traction over the years among other goals. It has been documented that by engaging learners in socioscientific issues (SSIs) in the science classrooms learners acquire complex competencies and skills necessary for scientific literacy. Learners also get motivated to learn science and take up careers in science. The current paper reports findings from a qualitative case study which sought to determine pre-service teachers’ conceptions of the integration of SSIs in Life Sciences teaching and learning. A total of 50 third year pre-service teachers enrolled for a Life Sciences methodology course at a South African University, were selected to participate. After covering a theme on SSIs in Life Sciences teaching and learning, the participants were asked to document their conceptions of SSIs and how argumentation could be used to teach SSIs in specific Life Sciences topics. Their submissions were subjected to content analysis. Two themes emerged: 1. Teachers’ conceptions of the integration of specific SSIs when teaching controversial concepts in Life Sciences; and 2. Teachers’ conceptions of argumentation as a suitable strategy in addressing SSIs in some Life Sciences topics. In addition to the previously found benefits of integrating SSIs such as developing learners’ critical thinking skills, ability to make negotiations, and developing learners to make informed decisions, the pre-service teachers brought in a new angle. They showed how failure to teach SSIs could impact on the livelihood of humans as related to SSIs associated with the current COVID-19 pandemic and other diseases humans are grappling with such as cancer. Some brought in the role of SSIs in teaching the nature of science, an area neglected in many Life Sciences classrooms. Other participants mentioned how argumentation as a teaching strategy equips learners with life skills such as abilities to raise their opinions and stance in a world where most young people are failing to take criticism or challenges positively thereby resorting to suicide as an easy way out of challenging situations. The pre-service teachers’ conceptions were based on real life experiences considering that they were also still young. There were some who did not conceptualise integrating SSIs in the positive manner as they argued that addressing such issues in the classroom would be intrusive. These findings have implications for both pre-and in-service teacher professional development."

This study examines the psychological well-being of Indonesian pre-service English teachers, considering non-native speakers during their teaching practice. Well-being is defined from eudaimonic and hedonic perspectives, emphasizing self-actualization, positive relationships, emotions, satisfaction, and happiness. Pre-service teachers face challenges in managing emotions, establishing student relationships, and language anxiety. Forty-eight Indonesian pre-service English teachers completed questionnaires, and 10 underwent in-depth semi-structured interviews. Findings revealed a high level of psychological well-being among the pre-service teachers, with positive scores in autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, self-acceptance, purpose in life, and positive relations. However, language anxiety impacted their confidence in English communication compared to native speakers. Significant transitions, professional domains, emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, and language anxiety were identified as factors influencing their well-being. Preparing pre-service teachers mentally, emotionally, and intellectually to handle teaching demands is crucial. Improving psychological well-being can enhance teaching performance and student outcomes. While specific to Indonesia, this study calls for further research in diverse educational settings to inform strategies for supporting pre-service teacher well-being.

Socioscientific issues are ill-structured problems that involve moral, ethical, and financial aspects, and lack clear-cut solutions. Teaching socioscientific issues necessarily puts a demand on teachers to draw on knowledge stemming from other domains, and to also appreciate, and present to the students the societal aspects of science. For new teachers, and those who have not tried integrating complex social issues into their instruction, SSI-based teaching may seem too great a hurdle to overcome. The afforementioned ought to call for teacher educators to focus on the pedagogical challenges of teaching socioscientific issues. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore whether, and how engaging elementary pre-service teachers in critical discussions of socioscientific issues, can change their views of science, and science teaching, and help them design lessons which include the social aspects of science. A sequence of activities to engage pre-service teachers with modeling a socioscientific issue was implemented with 20 participants, over seven weeks. Findings show that elementary pre-service teachers do not include social aspects of science in their initial reflections, but engaging with a socioscientific issue helps change their views of science, and science teaching. However, when they are asked to design lesson plans that include social aspects of science, most of the pre-service teachers are not able to do so. Implications include designing teacher training programs that support teachers in their transition from understanding the social aspects of science, to designers of learning activities that promote social aspects of science through the use of socioscientific issues.

Teaching socioscientific issues (SSI) necessitates dialogic discourse activities. However, a majority of science teachers prefer monologic discourse in SSI contexts. In addition, some of these teachers are resistant to change (from monologic to dialogic discourse) despite certain professional development attempts. The purpose of the present single‐case study was to investigate the nature of this resistance in a preservice science teacher (PST) (Duygu). We longitudinally followed preservice teachers through 1 year of their continuum of professional development (CPD). We administered a questionnaire including vignettes representing two types of discourse (monologic and dialogic) in SSI teaching; the participants selected one of the vignettes at four different points in their CPD: before an argumentation‐based workshop (N = 122), after the workshop (N = 6), after a SSI‐based teaching practicum (N = 5), and during the induction year (N = 1). The interviews (semi‐structured and stimulated recall) and classroom observations supported these data. We concluded that the argumentation‐based workshop decreased Duygu's resistance to dialogic discourse by producing pseudo‐changes, emergencies, and no changes in her beliefs. However, negative experiences during the teaching practicum enhanced resistance and resulted in a reversal of previous positive beliefs. Similarly, negative induction experiences contributed to her resistance by elaborating previous negative beliefs. In addition, we argue that resistance to change is a complex process exceeding the boundaries of units (e.g., discourse), subjects (e.g., SSI), and subject‐matter education (e.g., science education). The cognitive mechanisms (epistemic heuristic, evidence‐based justification, and prioritization), belief development processes (pseudo‐change, reversal, etc.), and a range of barriers (limited educational opportunities, naïve epistemologies, an argumentation‐avoider personality, etc.) produce a complex ecosystem. We believe that any effort that would be conducted to change science teachers’ teaching orientations from monologic to more dialogic versions and that does not consider this ecosystem will not thrive. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 54:764–789, 2017

The aim of this study is to investigate the outcomes of a professional development program on socioscientific issues (SSI) to enhance pre-service and mentor teachers' engagement with SSI supported by technology-supported teaching. It aims to explore the learning outcomes for both groups and the influence of their perspectives on science education on these outcomes. The method involves collaborative SSI material development and implementation in classrooms. The study involved 11 senior (10 female; 1 male) pre-service biology teachers and four biology teachers who mentored them in schools during their Teaching Practice courses. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews, reflective diaries, and meeting recordings and were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. The findings show that pre-service teachers gained multidimensional reasoning, technology integration skills, and ethical and moral reasoning abilities, with gains influenced by their science teaching perspectives. Mentor teachers with progressive views in science teaching understanding had greater benefits, such as improved SSI understanding and student engagement techniques, than those with traditional views.

Socioscientific issues (SSI) have been found to improve scientific literacy skills among K—12 students. Elementary preservice teachers (PSTs), however, are reluctant to implement SSI due to a lack of confidence with content knowledge concerning SSI and pedagogical abilities. Existing research focuses on helping PSTs overcome these concerns through microteaching, adapting existing curricula, and experiencing SSI through methods courses. While it has been noted that formal preparation is required for PSTs to feel confident in their abilities to facilitate SSI, little has been done to prepare elementary PSTs to facilitate SSI during field experiences. PST’s concerns regarding science instruction with SSI are speculative since existing empirical evidence has been collected outside the context of the classroom. In this qualitative multicase study, we explored the challenges identified by three elementary PSTs as they facilitated SSI in the classroom. Community of practice (CoP) meetings provided formal training to prepare these participants’ PSTs to facilitate SSI. Recordings of the CoP meetings, lesson plans, observations, and interviews served as data sources. Analysis revealed the following challenges as themes: student concerns, time constraints, and obstacles implementing the SSI framework. We present findings associated with each of these themes and identify implications for preparing elementary PSTs for SSI instruction.

Effective technology integration in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching requires teachers to develop strong Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK). In Indonesia, where teacher education programs increasingly emphasize digital learning, understanding pre-service EFL teachers’ self-concept of TPACK is crucial for assessing their readiness before entering the profession. This study examines the TPACK profile of Indonesian pre-service EFL teachers, identifying their strengths and areas for improvement in applying technology to language instruction. The study involved 111 final-year undergraduate and first-year master's students who had completed teaching practice but had no formal teaching experience. Data were collected using a TPACK survey and analyzed through descriptive statistics to identify patterns in their TPACK mastery. Findings reveal that pre-service teachers are confident in their content knowledge (CK) and basic technological skills (TK). Still, they struggle with the full integration of technology into pedagogy (TPK), pedagogical adaptability (PK), and leadership in TPACK. While they acknowledge the importance of technology in teaching, gaps persist in their ability to select and apply diverse technologies effectively in classroom settings. Additionally, they face challenges adapting teaching strategies to different learners and assessing student understanding in varied ways. Their leadership in supporting peers with TPACK integration was also limited. These insights underscore the need for curricular enhancements in teacher education programs at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, focusing on practical applications of TPACK, deeper technological and pedagogical training, and leadership development to better prepare future EFL educators for technology-enhanced instruction.

Our past experiences in science teacher education inferred that using scientific practices in science teaching courses and supporting pre-service teachers’ efforts to integrate these into their teaching allow them to gain confidence in analysing and interpreting empirical data. However, those efforts sometimes do not provide sufficient help for pre-service science teachers and they may struggle to understand science as well as the significance of evidence in science learning and teaching practices. Thus, this action research study examined a novel teacher training approach that focuses on improving pre-service teachers’ understanding of science and their ability to integrate evidence into their teaching practices. We worked with 75 pre-service teachers in a science and technology teaching course at the elementary teaching program of a private university in Turkey. Teaching of scientific practices was modelled in terms of the Benzene Ring Heuristic and the model-evidence link (MEL) discussions were included in the training model to be able to teach how to discuss evidence in scientific fields. Our study data was subsequently gathered from various sources, including pre-service teachers’ posters, video recordings of reflection sections that occurred before and after the implementation of the posters, and individual interviews. Analyses of the results suggested that the heuristic and MEL discussions helped pre-service teachers to achieve a systematic and holistic understanding of the scientific method. However, some pre-service teachers still misunderstood the scientific process even after the heuristic’s and MEL discussions’ implementation. Despite an increased emphasis on the qualities that defined scientific evidence, some teachers also still had difficulty understanding applying the principles of scientific evidence in their own work. Based on these findings, we argued that current scholarly understandings of science teacher training may be insufficient to some extent, and that educational institutions should make efforts to direct some resources to this problem.