Abstract
ABSTRACT Learning democratic participation as future citizens is an important goal for science education for all students. To take part in debates and decision-making involving socioscientific issues, such as sustainability, students need to become aware of different positions and dilemmas regarding such issues. This study seeks to understand how democratic participation is constructed by 45 student participants aged 16 years, for whom science is not the main course of study. Students worked in small groups on tasks that involved discussion of two different socioscientific issues. The analysis of student discourse used a theoretical perspective from discursive psychology, and shows how students deal with ideological dilemmas and resolve different positions within their discussions. Five ‘interpretative repertoires’ were identified from student talk illustrating the dilemmas occurring in the specific SSIs and also the function of science within the discussion. Through identifying interpretative repertoires used by the students, the stances they take and the function of science in their discussions, the study sheds light on how democratic participation can be learnt in a science education context.
Highlights
A major aim of science education is to provide all students with scientific knowledge and skills so they can contribute to societal discussions about socioscientific issues (SSIs) (Osborne & Dillon, 2008; Roberts, 2007; Sadler et al, 2007)
This study aims to understand how democratic participation is experienced during discussion of SSIs, and constructed as discussions evolve, by focusing on how meaning is created and how scientific knowledge is used while students are engaged in SSI tasks
Fact-based teaching traditions focus on the transfer of knowledge to students for taking a stand on sustainability issues, normative teaching traditions focus on students learning environmentally friendly behaviours and pluralistic teaching traditions are characterised by looking at sustainability issues as value issues which include conflicts of interests and the importance of exploring issues from several perspectives
Summary
A major aim of science education is to provide all students with scientific knowledge and skills so they can contribute to societal discussions about socioscientific issues (SSIs) (Osborne & Dillon, 2008; Roberts, 2007; Sadler et al, 2007). Of particular importance is how students develop their own stance on sustainability issues, such as the world’s energy consumption and food production. These issues can involve conflicting interests between social, environmental and economic aspects that make positioning and decision-making processes complex (Scott & Gough, 2003). In our research we see sustainability issues as one of many socioscientific issues, and sustainability education as part of science education
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