It's Debatable! Using Socioscientific Issues to Develop Scientific Literacy K-12

2014 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Socioscientific Issues ◽  
K 12

scholarly journals Integrating engineering in K-12 science education: spelling out the pedagogical, epistemological, and methodological arguments

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Senay Purzer ◽  
Jenny Patricia Quintana-Cifuentes
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
School Science ◽  
School Resources ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Teaching Models ◽  
Engineering Design Process ◽  
Stem Literacy ◽  
K 12

AbstractThis position paper is motivated by recent educational reform efforts that urge the integration of engineering in science education. We argue that it is plausible and beneficial to integrate engineering into formal K-12 science education. We illustrate how current literature, though often implicitly, discusses this integration from a pedagogical, epistemological, or methodological argumentative stance. From a pedagogical perspective, a historically dominant argument emphasizes how engineering helps make abstract science concepts more concrete. The epistemological argument is centered on how engineering is inherently interdisciplinary and hence its integrative role in support of scientific literacy and more broadly STEM literacy is natural. From a methodological perspective, arguments focus on the engineering design process, which is compatible with scientific inquiry and adaptable to answering different types of engineering questions. We call for the necessity of spelling out these arguments and call for common language as science and engineering educators form a research-base on the integration of science and engineering. We specifically provide and discuss specific terminology associated with four different models, each effectively used to integrate engineering into school science. We caution educators against a possible direction towards a convergence approach for a specific type of integrating engineering and science. Diversity in teaching models, more accurately represents the nature of engineering but also allows adaptations based on available school resources. Future synthesis can then examine student learning outcomes associated with different teaching models.

Enhancing Socioscientific Reasoning Through Nature of Technology

2021 ◽  
pp. 162-190
Author(s):  
Hyunok Lee ◽  
Hyunju Lee
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Socioscientific Issues ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Essential Component ◽  
Ssr Analysis ◽  
Socioscientific Reasoning ◽  
Nature Of Technology

Fostering informed Socioscientific Reasoning (SSR) is an essential component of developing scientific literacy. In this chapter, the authors suggest that enhancing Nature of Technology (NOT) understanding can be one way to leverage students' informed socioscientific reasoning. The authors describe a proposed NOT conceptual framework with four dimensions and detailed components, and present an analysis of students' reasoning of various socioscientific issues using this framework. Finally, the authors present the finding that NOT components were present in student discussions with varying levels of understanding. The SSR analysis reveals that students with NOT informed understanding can appreciate the integrated characteristics of technology, so as to make sophisticated decisions about science and technology that will change society in fundamental ways, for both better and worse.

Why Engaging in the Practices of Science Is Not Enough to Achieve Scientific Literacy

2016 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
pp. 370-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy R. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Next Generation Science Standards ◽  
Habits Of Mind ◽  
Science Standards ◽  
Effective Science ◽  
Culture Of Science ◽  
K 12

The National Research Council's Framework for K–12 Science Education and the resulting Next Generation Science Standards call for engaging students in the practices of science to develop scientific literacy. While these documents make the connections between scientific knowledge and practices explicit, very little attention is given to the shared values and commitments of the scientific community that underlie these practices and give them meaning. I argue that effective science education should engage students in the practices of science while also reflecting on the values, commitments, and habits of mind that have led to the practices of modern science and that give them meaning. The concept of methodological naturalism demonstrates the connection between the values and commitments of the culture of science and its practices and provides a useful lens for understanding the benefits and limitations of scientific knowledge.

scholarly journals High School Students’ Learning and Perceptions of Phylogenetics of Flowering Plants

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 653-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie R. Bokor ◽  
Jacob B. Landis ◽  
Kent J. Crippen
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Science Curriculum ◽  
Science Research ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Student Response ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
School Students ◽  
K 12

Basic phylogenetics and associated “tree thinking” are often minimized or excluded in formal school curricula. Informal settings provide an opportunity to extend the K–12 school curriculum, introducing learners to new ideas, piquing interest in science, and fostering scientific literacy. Similarly, university researchers participating in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) outreach activities increase awareness of college and career options and highlight interdisciplinary fields of science research and augment the science curriculum. To aid in this effort, we designed a 6-h module in which students utilized 12 flowering plant species to generate morphological and molecular phylogenies using biological techniques and bioinformatics tools. The phylogenetics module was implemented with 83 high school students during a weeklong university STEM immersion program and aimed to increase student understanding of phylogenetics and coevolution of plants and pollinators. Student response reflected positive engagement and learning gains as evidenced through content assessments, program evaluation surveys, and program artifacts. We present the results of the first year of implementation and discuss modifications for future use in our immersion programs as well as in multiple course settings at the high school and undergraduate levels.

scholarly journals Developing Students’ Argument Skills Using Socioscientific Issues in a Learning Unit on the Fossil Fuel Industry and Its Products

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 137-148
Author(s):  
Bureerat Suephatthima ◽  
◽  
Chatree Faikhamta ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Science Classroom ◽  
Socioscientific Issues ◽  
Teaching Chemistry ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Reflective Journals ◽  
Thai Students ◽  
Fossil Fuel Industry ◽  
Fuel Industry ◽  
Academic Year

Argument skills play a crucial role in fostering students’ scientific literacy. Students who possess such skills can employ reason and evidence to make decisions. This classroom action research was aimed at investigating the best practices for teaching chemistry to promote argument skills through socioscientific issues (SSI). The participants were 46 Thai students in Grade 12 (students aged approximately 17 years old) studying petroleum chemistry in the first semester of the 2014 academic year. To research my own teaching, I collected data from classroom observation, my reflective journals, the students’ reflective journals, and an argument skill questionnaire (ASQ). Debating on petroleum-related issues helped the students to practice and improve their reasoning skills, and it showed them the importance of using evidence to formulate a reliable argument. The competition to answer questions in class also allowed students to practice reasoning. Finally, the ASQ results indicate that teaching through SSI can improve students’ argument skills. The implication of the pedagogy of argumentation in science classroom is discussed.

scholarly journals LIFE SCIENCES TEACHERS’ CONCEPTIONS ABOUT SOCIOSCIENTIFIC ISSUES IN THE TOPIC EVOLUTION

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mokgadi Relela ◽  
◽  
Lydia Mavuru ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Socioscientific Issues ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Topic Evolution

The goal of science education is emphatically positioned on promoting science literacy. The rationale is learners should not only learn about scientific knowledge and processes but also on how to apply the knowledge when making decisions about heterogenous societal and personal issues. Previous research has indicated that by addressing socioscientific issues (SSIs) when teaching controversial science topics, it provides a suitable context for developing scientific literacy in learners. Scientifically literate learners are well-informed citizens with regards to the social, ethical, economic, and political issues impacting on contemporary society. The theory of evolution is one such Life Sciences topic deeply embedded with SSIs. Teachers are conflicted when teaching this topic due to the controversy surrounding the theory as they view the teaching of evolution as a way of negating the legitimacy of their religious and cultural convictions. It is against this background that the study sought to answer the research question: How do Life Sciences teachers conceptualise socioscientific issues embedded in the topic evolution? In an explanatory mixed method approach, a questionnaire with both quantitative and qualitative questions was administered to 28 randomly selected grade 12 Life Sciences teachers. Data was analysed and descriptive statistics were obtained, and themes generated. The findings showed that all the participants were knowledgeable about the SSIs embedded in the topic evolution. In justifying their conceptions 61% of the teachers perceived SSIs as important in improving learners’ reasoning and argumentative skills; developing learners’ critical thinking skills; and in informing learners in decision making. There were however 11% of the teachers who pointed out that SSIs as too sensitive to deal with hence not suitable to teach young learners. Though the teachers were knowledgeable about the SSIs embedded in the theory of evolution, it does not mean that they could address them when teaching the various concepts of evolution. The main source of the controversy rose from the evolution of humankind versus the Christian belief in the six-day special creation. The participants (25%) indicated that evolution challenges peoples’ religious and cultural convictions, which conflicts both the teachers and learners to question or go against their religious beliefs. Several teachers pointed out that some of the concepts on evolution such as ‘living organisms share common ancestry (18%) and ‘the formation of new species from existing species’ (11%), undermine the superiority of human beings over other organisms. The findings have implications for both pre-and in-service teacher professional development.

Unifying Themes in Socioscientific Issues-Based Instruction for Scientific Literacy Development

2021 ◽  
pp. 299-307
Author(s):  
Wardell A. Powell
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Literacy Development ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Socioscientific Issues ◽  
Elementary Grades ◽  
College Level ◽  
World Scientific ◽  
Development Section ◽  
Scientific Context ◽  
Based Instruction

This chapter presents the unifying themes in socioscientific issues-based instruction for scientific literacy development. Section 1 presented an overview of how to effectively implement socioscientific issues in the elementary grades to provide students with opportunities to apply science to their everyday lives. Section 2 built upon where the authors left off in section one. In this section, the authors used real-world scientific context to provide opportunities to use character and values and moral reasoning as they think about finding solutions to real-world scientific problems. Section 3 showed the continued use of socioscientific issues with an upward trajectory to enhance scientific literacy at the college level. Section 4 demonstrated socioscientific issues being successfully implemented at the core of the P-12 educational system. In Section 5, the authors revealed the integrative nature among STEM, model-based learning, and socioscientific issues in achieving scientific literacy.

How does background affect attitudes to socioscientific issues in Taiwan?

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 722-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu-Nu Chang Rundgren
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Organic Food ◽  
Socioscientific Issues ◽  
Genetically Modified Food ◽  
Educational Levels ◽  
Gm Food

Based upon the goal of scientific literacy and the importance of socioscientific issues (SSIs), the purpose of this study was to investigate the Taiwanese public’s awareness of, inclinations to buy/use, and their attitudes towards three attributes of SSIs including genetically modified food (GM food), organic food, and DDT and malaria (DDT). Data from a total of 865 participants across ten populations (six different educational levels and four different vocations) were validated and analyzed. The results revealed that the awareness regarding GM food and DDT increased with the levels of education. The inclinations to buy/use and the attitudes towards the three SSIs, were not related to levels of education, vocation or gender, but were related to attributes of the SSIs. The implications for education and policy development are discussed.

Models and Strategies for Teaching Evolution to Non-Science Majors in a Seminar Format

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 93-108
Author(s):  
Katherine V. Bulinski
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Science Majors ◽  
Teaching Evolution ◽  
Teaching Resources ◽  
Pedagogical Strategies ◽  
Knowledge Of Evolution ◽  
K 12

A cornerstone of paleontological education is the topic of evolution. While formal evolutionary biology classes made up of lectures and labs are essential for students of biology and paleontology, these classes are closed to most non-science majors because they often require multiple prerequisites. Because of a combination of anti-evolution cultural forces and shortcomings in evolution-based education at the K-12 level, many American college students have not received accurate or effective evolution instruction before entering college. Because a working knowledge of evolution is essential for developing biological scientific literacy, some colleges and universities now offer seminar-style evolution courses designed for non-science majors that can help reverse this trend. Seminars such as these offer students the added opportunity to develop more sophisticated writing, speaking, and critical-thinking skills in the context of evolutionary biology. This chapter highlights two successful course models and two shorter course modules, provides lists of teaching resources, and details a number of different writing and discussion-based pedagogical strategies as they apply to teaching evolution in a seminar setting.

Report on the Third International Conference on School and Popular Meteorological and Oceanographic Education

1994 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-444
Author(s):  
Steven B. Newman ◽  
David R. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
International Conference ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
The Third ◽  
Poster Sessions ◽  
The Media ◽  
Formal Science ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Education Of Students

The Third International Conference on School and Popular Meteorological and Oceanographic Education was held 14–18 July 1993 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This conference was attended by approximately 150 educators, meteorologists, oceanographers, and government officials representing 12 countries. The themes of this conference were the role of meteorology and oceanography in the formal science education of students in grades K-12 and the enhancement of scientific literacy of the public in order to permit individuals to make better use of products and services provided by the national environmental services and the media. Sixty formal presentations plus two poster sessions and six workshops provided information on educational programs as well as a variety of classroom activities on meteorological and oceanographic topics.

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