Socio-scientific Topics Research Articles

A Case for the Use of Open Data as a Tool to Incorporate Socioscientific Topics into Neuroscience Education.

Education scholars have called for an increased focus on developing curricula based on culturally relevant pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995). A key tenet of Ladson-Billings' (1995; 2014) theory of culturally relevant pedagogy is the development of students' sociopolitical consciousness, whereby students feel empowered and encouraged to evaluate and solve real-world interdisciplinary problems. Here, we propose that open science datasets could serve as a valuable tool for neuroscience educators to foster their students' sociopolitical consciousness. Using the open data available through the Seattle Alzheimer's Disease Brain Cell Atlas (SEA-AD) as a case study, this article will explore how open science can be leveraged as a tool to encourage socioscientific thinking amongst neuroscience students. We overview a collection of lessons created by the Allen Institute's Education & Engagement team that provides a scaffolded exploration of an open science resource through a socioscientific lens. We supplement our discussion of the lessons with feedback from students who completed the lessons during a day-long workshop hosted at the Allen Institute in Seattle, WA. We conclude by reflecting on the future role this type of interdisciplinary, open science-based approach to curricula could have across neuroscience education more broadly.

Navigating complexity: a multifaceted approach to teaching climate change in middle school

Global climate change is one of the most significant challenges of the twenty first century, requiring its integration into K-12 science education curricula to foster informed and climate-literate citizens. However, challenges remain in effectively teaching climate change, including a lack of instructional materials and a reliance on traditional teaching methods that limit student engagement and understanding. To address these challenges, this study developed a unit that combines socioscientific issue-based instruction, scientific modeling, and systems thinking to improve climate education. The unit was implemented by a teacher trained in the Socioscientific Issues and Model-based Learning (SIMBL) framework and showed promising results. Students demonstrated an improved understanding of climate complexity, as evidenced by the inclusion of multiple factors in their system maps and the justification of policy decisions based on their knowledge. In addition, the integration of media literacy tools improved students’ critical engagement with online content. Overall, the SIMBL unit facilitated transformative learning experiences that empowered students to understand and address the multifaceted challenges of climate change. The study suggests implications for teachers and advocates for adapting the sequence to various standards and socioscientific topics beyond climate change.

Document language moderates the text-belief consistency effect

ABSTRACT When researching socioscientific topics, particularly on the Internet, readers face multiple texts that they must integrate into a coherent mental model. Previous research in monolingual settings has found that comprehension is biased toward readers’ prior beliefs (text-belief consistency effect). Considering that the Internet is multilingual, this experiment focused on the influence of document language on the text-belief consistency effect. Assuming differences in epistemic prestige among languages, we hypothesized that document language would act as a credibility cue and moderate the text-belief consistency effect. Seventy-four German university students read two conflicting texts either in their L2 English (higher epistemic prestige) or in their L1 German (lower epistemic prestige). Participants constructed stronger situation models for the belief-consistent text than for the belief-inconsistent text only when they read the texts in German. These results indicate that document language can act as a source characteristic that may reduce belief biases in comprehension.

Does Context Affect Argument Quality and Informal Reasoning in Socio-scientific Issues?

This research aimed to assess the quality of arguments and informal reasoning abilities of pre-service science teachers concerning various socio-scientific issues, utilizing dilemma cards. The case study method, a qualitative research approach, was employed, involving 12 pre-service science teachers. Participants completed the dilemma cards over a 12-week period. The analytical procedure for these cards incorporated content analysis. Findings from the study indicated that participants were often unable to construct a comprehensive argument that considered all argumentative components, such as claim, evidence, support, and rebuttal. While some participants displayed a modicum of success in the components of claim, evidence, and support, they typically provided insubstantial examples in the rebuttal dimension. Upon examining the nature of arguments based on context, it was discerned that the quality of arguments about nuclear energy differed slightly from those about other socio-scientific issues. Nevertheless, context did not significantly influence the quality of arguments for 11 other socio-scientific topics. Furthermore, the study noted variations in the dimensions of informal reasoning across different socio-scientific issues. It was subsequently inferred that the context might influence informal reasoning. Additionally, it was observed that participants tended to focus more on the ecological dimensions of informal reasoning and less on the ethical-aesthetic dimensions. Recommendations were put forth to enhance both the quality of arguments and informal reasoning abilities.

Argumentation-Based Learning and P4C Approach: A Seventh-Grade Study on Socio-Scientific Issues

This study examined the effectiveness of argumentation-based learning and P4C (Philosophy for Children) approach in teaching socio-scientific issues to seventh-grade students. A total of 23 students were involved in the study, where science lessons were conducted using documents developed with argumentation-based learning activities. The study lasted for one academic year. Qualitative data were collected through individual interviews with students in the experimental group at the end of the academic year, and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results of the study indicated that the combination of P4C and an argumentation-based learning approach was effective in developing students' argumentation, evidence-based thinking, and decision-making skills. The themes that emerged from the data included improved critical thinking skills, increased interest and motivation, and greater awareness of the complexity of socio-scientific issues. These findings align with previous research on the benefits of argumentation-based learning.The study highlights the importance of incorporating P4C and argumentation-based learning approaches in science education to enhance students' critical thinking skills and prepare them to make informed decisions in real-world contexts. By engaging students in philosophical discussions and encouraging them to construct arguments based on evidence, educators can empower students to think critically, analyze complex issues, and develop a deeper understanding of socio-scientific topics. These skills are vital for fostering active and informed citizens who can tackle societal challenges with thoughtful consideration and rational decision-making.

IS DIGITAL STORYTELLING FUNCTIONAL IN SOCIOSCIENTIFIC ISSUES? PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' EXPERIENCES

This study sought answers to the following question: “Is digital storytelling functional in teaching socioscientific issues?” In the framework of the study, digital stories were prepared individually by nine pre-service teachers on nine different socioscientific topics to find the answer to this question. The data of the present study, which was conducted with action research, were collected by using two different methods: pre and post-interviews and digital stories. Content analysis was used to analyze the interviews and the digital stories were analyzed by using the "digital story evaluation rubric". According to the results obtained during pre-interviews, the participants did not have digital storytelling experience before and did not have much knowledge about digital storytelling. After the implementation, the participants had predominantly positive views towards digital storytelling and that the digital storytelling could be a functional method in teaching socioscientific issues. When the participant products (digital stories) were evaluated in line with the criteria in the literature, it was concluded that the digital stories were prepared at a very satisfactory level, but the content part in the digital stories prepared by the participants lacked discussion questions about the selected socioscientific issues and the issues could not be addressed in an impartial way.

Different perspective on teaching socio-scientific subjects

In the ever-changing world based on the needs, curiosity and entrepreneurial drive of the humankind, interest in socio-scientific issues has been increasing every day with the discussion and different approaches in society. It could be suggested that the increase in this interest has been due to both the contribution and damages of these issues to the environment. The present study aimed to analyze the socio-scientific issues instructed with various strategies, methods and techniques in different learning environments in educational institutions as a result of the developments in science and technology due to social needs based on teacher perceptions. The study group included 50 teachers in different fields and employed in various schools in Turkey. The study sample was assigned with criterion sampling technique and the admission criterion was employment in Turkish public schools. In the study, the data were collected with a semi-structured interview form developed by the authors, and the findings were analyzed with content analysis. The study findings demonstrated that the teachers in the study group had different and significant perceptions on the instruction of socio-scientific topics in learning environments.

Exploring Adolescents' Critical Reading of Socioscientific Topics Using Multimodal Texts.

This qualitative within-individual case design study involved six adolescents (age 10–14 years) engaging in a think-aloud observational protocol to read two texts on climate change from contrasting viewpoints. The participants completed a prior knowledge assessment and survey of technology used to assess potential mediating factors. Survey and observational data are presented as participant profiles. Results illustrated the effect of participants’ background knowledge, emotional elicitation of text features, cognitive dissonance argument analysis due to the contrasting multimodal texts, and impact of visual images on participants’ comprehension. Our data analyses revealed that there is an interconnected and nuanced relationship amongst many text and individual factors when adolescents engage in critical reading of SSI multimodal texts. This research provides direction for future science education research that support learners in critical reading of complex socioscientific topics as presented in multimodal texts with adolescent learners.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10763-022-10280-8.

Perspectives Related To Socio-Scientific Issues According To The Scientific Attitude Points Of Secondary School Students

Individuals have different opinions and views on many socio-scientific issues such as stem cells, influenza vaccine, cloning, nuclear power plants, and organ transplantation that affect social life. Scientific attitudes and scientific literacy of individuals can affect their approach to socio-scientific issues. This research aims to reveal how 8th-grade secondary school students' opinions towards socio-scientific issues change according to their scientific attitudes. For this purpose, the "Scientific Attitude Scale" and "Socio-Scientific Issues Evaluation Form" were applied to the students. The study used a mixed research method that included both qualitative and quantitative data collection.The students' levels of scientific attitude were determined based on the quantitative findings of the study. The students were observed to have a moderate scientific attitude in general. According to their scientific attitude scores, students were divided into three groups: lower, moderate, and upper. The opinions of the students in the lower and upper groups on socio-scientific issues were analyzed based on both qualitative and quantitative findings. According to the findings, students who have a high scientific attitude have more awareness and opinions on socio-scientific topics than students who have low scientific attitude.

A thematic content analysis of rhetorical and dialectical argumentation studies in science education

The aim of this study was to investigate the studies of rhetoric and dialectical argumentation stuides published in four leading academic journals in the field of science education through thematic content analysis method. For this purpose, 34 articles, which are in accordance with the examination criteria, were determinedby content analysis method. The studies were examined considering the following themes: “aim”, “features of sample”, “subject”, “data collection and analysis method”, “argumentation process”, and “result”. Results revealed that majority of the studies were conducted according to rhetorical argumentation (n=26, %76) and that the studies with dialectic argumentation (n=8, %24) were fewer. Moreover, it has been shown that the mostof studies were conducted to analyze student argumentation and to improve students' argumentation skills. It was seen that the sample size is usuallysmallin the argumentation studies. In addition, it was determined that the qualitative and mixed methods were mostly used in the studies and argumentation was mostly applied on science topics and concepts rather than socioscientific issues. Results showed that various rubrics or argumentative indicators were used to evaluate the argumentation process in most of the studies. In addition, in some rhetorical studies, it has been observed that new argumentation elements are added to adapt argumentation models to science education. It is suggested that in the future studies, dialectical argumentation studies that determine the role of teacher in the argumentation process and studies on the socioscientific topics with larger samples will fill the gap in this area.

Effectiveness of digital games in producing environmentally friendly attitudes and behaviors: A mixed methods study

Awareness of environmental sustainability issues alone is not enough. Environmental Sustainability Education (ESE) should produce changes in attitude and encourage lifelong behaviors. However, behavioral changes are curtailed by constraints and negative perceptions, necessitating the use of persuasive pedagogical tools in ESE. Digital game-based learning (DGBL) environments can provide cognitive knowledge, besides emotionally engaging learners by letting them test new behaviors and seeing the consequences instantly. This study examined the effectiveness of DGBL in producing attitudinal and behavioral changes regarding environmental sustainability and about learning experiences from a game, through a mixed methods study. One group of undergraduate students in an educational technology course played EnerCities, an ESE game. Another group played a Science game that was not connected to ESE. The Attitudinal Learning Instrument was administered to collect quantitative data pertaining to attitudinal and behavioral learning after one week and after five weeks of game play. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to develop a model to measure learning. PLS-SEM helps analyze relationships simultaneously in complex models. Quantitative data analysis using PLS-SEM showed that EnerCities was effective in producing attitudinal and behavioral changes that were retained until one week of game play. Thematic analysis of qualitative data, collected through interviews after five weeks of game play, helped interpret why and how attitudinal changes were produced by the game. This provided insights into what game features facilitated cognitive, affective, behavioral and social learning and learning retention, that could be used in future game design. Future research could apply the measurement model to measure long-term retention of attitudinal and behavioral learning using games and other interventions on socio-scientific topics.

FEN BİLİMLERİ DERSLERİNDE SOSYOBİLİMSEL KONULARIN ARGÜMANTASYON SÜRECİ KULLANILARAK ÖĞRENCİLERE SUNULMASI

Real life problems in the socio-scientific structure are the issues that need to be considered and discussed from different perspectives in terms of their scientific aspect, the environment and the social structure that they affect. Individuals who gain experience with real-life knowledge can better adapt their knowledge to the problems they may encounter in daily life. The process of argumentation (scientific discussion) in the structuring of scientific knowledge and development of mental activities comes to the forefront in recent educational studies. This process begins with questioning of the claims made or defended by others and continues with the students' developing their own arguments, defending them and refuting counter claims. In this context, as the main aim of the study, the importance of presenting socio-scientific subjects to the students by utilizing argumentation process in science courses was investigated. The characteristic of the argumentation process is that individuals tend to support or refute arguments regarding the situations they are faced with. Thus, in the process of producing arguments, the socio-scientific situation is evaluated, examined and the problems encountered can be seen critically from someone else's point of view. Discussion of the dichotomous structure, inherent in socio-scientific topics, together with argumentation process will lead students to think actively, and they will interpret the events, develop arguments and produce applicable ideas.

Evolutionary Content Knowledge, Religiosity and Educational Background of Slovene Preschool and Primary School Pre-Service Teachers

Evolution by natural selection is the fundamental backbone of the life sciences. Therefore, it is important for teacher education programs to ensure graduates possess a strong knowledge of evolution in order to teach at all levels of biology education. The main aim was to investigate the impacts of the Slovene pre-service preschool and primary school teachers’ religiosity and educational background on their evolutionary content knowledge. In the present study, understanding of five evolutionary topics, religiosity and educational background of 269 students was studied. Results show that students have a very poor understanding of evolution. They very often use teleological reasoning. Although many pieces of research have shown that religiosity can be in conflict with evolutionary theory, our findings show that religiosity does not significantly correlate with evolutionary knowledge nor to the educational background of students. However, for students’ understanding of evolution, it is important how many years of biology lessons they had in secondary school. This should be better taken into account by educational policymakers because evolutionary principles are becoming increasingly relevant in medicine, agriculture and other socio-scientific topics.

Revisión de investigaciones sobre el uso de juegos digitales en la enseñanza de las ciencias de la vida en Primaria y Secundaria

Las innovaciones educativas apoyadas en juegos digitales están proliferando en las aulas de Primaria y Secundaria, generando investigaciones que estudian su efecto en los logros de aprendizaje. Esta revisión analiza 27 experiencias en el campo de la educación en ciencias de la vida, identificando su diseño experimental, rasgos del grupo control, resultados alcanzados y papel del docente como factores claves para valorar su efectividad. La mayoría resaltan el aumento de la motivación, aunque pocas muestran logros significativos en la adquisición de aprendizajes científicos. La integración didáctica de los juegos digitales podría promover la participación en temas sociocientíficos y la inclusión del alumnado con distintas capacidades, aunque se precisan aún investigaciones mixtas que identifiquen el rol docente y el modelo de intervención didáctica más efectivo para cada contexto.

EXAMINATION OF PERCEPTIONS OF GIFTED STUDENTS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING

The aim of this research was to examine the perceptions of gifted students about climate change and global warming from socio-scientific topics. Phenomenology design, which is a qualitative research design, was used in the research. The sample group consisted of 53 gifted students studying in a Science and Art Center located in Anatolia in the 2018-2019 academic year. As data collection tool, the draw-write-tell technique was used. The drawings of the students were grouped into four categories as causes of climate change and global warming, their results, recommendations and unacceptable drawings; whereas, the compositions of the students and the focus group interviews were collected under three categories including causes, results and recommendations as a result of content analysis. The research results suggested that while the perception levels of gifted students about the causes and possible results of climate change and global warming were high, their perception level about the solution of these problems was quite low. In addition, it was determined that students had misconceptions about climate change and global warming. Besides, the research results showed that the draw-write-tell technique was a useful tool in determining the students’ perception about socio-scientific subjects. Key words: climate change, draw-write-tell technique, gifted students, global warming.

What Major “Socio-Scientific Topics” Should the Science Curriculum Focused on? A Delphi Study of the Expert Community in China

Science and technology play an important role in the development of human society. Thus, science education should reflect the trend of social development and prepare students to think about and make wise decisions on major social topics related to science. As an aspect of the societal dimension of science, socio-scientific topics (SSTs) have a great influence on social development. In order to prepare students to participate in modern social life effectively, shape the society in a sustainable way, and become responsible citizens in the future, what major SSTs should science curriculum relevant to students and the society focus on? In this study, the famous forecasting method, the Delphi method, was used to explore the above-mentioned question. Thirty-three experts who came from Chinese universities and scientific research institutes were invited to make effective decisions based on the backgrounds of social development and students’ all-round development demands during a three-stage Delphi process. The results showed that six level-one SSTs that referred to the generalized and superior socio-scientific fields and thirty corresponding level-two SSTs that referred to their specific and inferior topics achieved consensus and should be emphasized in the science curriculum. The six level-one SSTs are “environmental issues,” “safety and health,” “resources and energy,” “ecological system,” “biotechnology,” and “new materials.” It is believed that the conclusion is helpful to promote the development of students’ key competencies and can provide advice and enlightenment for science curriculum reform all over the world.

Investigating relations between beliefs about justification for knowing, interest, and knowledge across two socio-scientific topics

In a sample of 281 Norwegian upper-secondary school students, structural equation modeling was used to test hypothesized relationships between beliefs about justification for knowing, interest, and knowledge across two controversial socio-scientific topics: climate change and nuclear power. Results indicated that beliefs in justification by multiple sources had a positive direct effect on knowledge about climate change and positive indirect effects on knowledge about both topics mediated by topic interest. Beliefs in personal justification had only a negative direct effect on knowledge about climate change, and beliefs in justification by authority were not related to knowledge about any of the topics, neither directly nor indirectly. Findings are considered in light of the existing literature on epistemic beliefs concerning justification for knowing and suggestions for future research are offered.

Media Literacy and Climate Change in a Post-Truth Society

In this article we draw from ecolingusitics (Stibbe, 2015) and a civic media literacy framework (Author, in press; Masyada & Washington, 2016) to consider what happened when three pairs of preservice teachers with different academic backgrounds and climate change beliefs jointly evaluated the reliability of two media sources that make opposing arguments about climate change. An ecolinguistics perspective attends to the environmental impact of the “stories-we-live-by” (Stibbe, 2015) and a civic media literacy lens highlights the centrality of dialogue and deliberation along with critical reading when evaluating the reliability of information sources about complex socioscientific topics like climate change. Our findings highlight the ways the three pairs of preservice teachers considered three aspects of reliability: provenance, purpose, and content (Author, 2015). Findings also point to three reliability stories that the pre-service teachers drew on as they evaluated the two media sources: 1) having the “other side” represented, 2) wanting more information or evidence to support an argument, and 3) acknowledging one’s own identity and perspectives.

The Effect of Socioscientific Topics on Discourse within an Online Game Designed to Engage Middle School Students in Scientific Argumentation

The purpose of this study was to investigate the types of argumentation discourse displayed by students when they engaged in chat as part of an online multiplayer game about both socioscientific and scientific topics. Specifically, this study analyzed discourse episodes created by middle school students as they discussed scientific and socioscientific topics within an online, multiplayer game. Using a Discourse Analysis Scoring Guide, student discussions were coded based on the type of interaction or statements made. Analysis included a comparison between the types of topics (scientific vs. socioscientific) and the student author’s justification for their decision to accept, reject or withhold judgement about the claim; teammate comments related to the author’s justification; an overall rating of the discourse episode interaction; and frequency of argumentation vocabulary use throughout the discourse episode. Results indicated that socioscientific topics produced collaborative discourse episodes that were positive, supportive, and civil within an argumentation framework.

Students’ evaluations about climate change

ABSTRACTScientists regularly evaluate alternative explanations of phenomena and solutions to problems. Students should similarly engage in critical evaluation when learning about scientific and engineering topics. However, students do not often demonstrate sophisticated evaluation skills in the classroom. The purpose of the present study was to investigate middle school students’ evaluations when confronted with alternative explanations of the complex and controversial topic of climate change. Through a qualitative analysis, we determined that students demonstrated four distinct categories of evaluation when writing about the connections between evidence and alternative explanations of climate change: (a) erroneous evaluation, (b) descriptive evaluation, (c) relational evaluation, and (d) critical evaluation. These categories represent different types of evaluation quality. A quantitative analysis revealed that types of evaluation, along with plausibility perceptions about the alternative explanations, were significant predictors of postinstructional knowledge about scientific principles underlying the climate change phenomenon. Specifically, more robust evaluations and greater plausibility toward the scientifically accepted model of human-induced climate change predicted greater knowledge. These findings demonstrate that instruction promoting critical evaluation and plausibility appraisal may promote greater understanding of socio-scientific topics and increased use of scientific thinking when considering alternative explanations, as is called for by recent science education reform efforts.