Different perspective on teaching socio-scientific subjects (original) (raw)

Science Teachers’ Views of Socio Scientific Issues

The International Journal of Progressive Education, 2020

The aim of this study is to determine the awareness of science teachers about socio-scientific issues, the methods and techniques used in the teaching of socio-scientific issues, and the suggestions about effective teaching of socio-scientific issues. The sample of the study consisted of 75 science teachers (50 women, 25 men) who serve in various regions of Turkey. All participants answered the questionnaire consisting of open-ended questions. Afterward, interviews were conducted with 10 selected teachers. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. By the content analysis, it is aimed to reach the relations and concepts that can explain the collected data (Yildirim and Şimsek, 2013). When the findings of the open-ended questionnaire were examined, it was determined that teachers did not associate the definition and content of the concept of the socio-scientific issue with science and they have a low level of awareness about the content. In addition, it was observed that the teac...

THE PERCEPTION OF SCIENCE TEACHERS ON SOCIO-SCIENTIFIC ISSUES AND TEACHING THEM

International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET), 2019

The present research aimed to analyse the perception of science teachers on socio-scientific issues and teaching them. The study group of the research consists of 22 science teachers (14 females, 8 males) working in 7 secondary schools in Sinop, who were determined according to the convenience sampling method. The case study as one of the qualitative research designs was adopted. The data source of the research consists of a questionnaire on teaching socio-scientific issues. The data of the research were obtained through focus group discussions and observation notes. The data obtained from the research were analysed according to the content analysis technique. As a result of the research, it was found out that most of the science teachers had not heard of the concept of SSI (socio-scientific issues) before. It was seen that teachers who did not have knowledge about SSI generally defined it as scientific issues that concern society and had difficulty in giving examples. It was determined that most of the teachers did not know to which learning area in the science curriculum SSI belonged. Teachers who stated that they mostly use the direct instruction, case study and discussion methods in the teaching of SSI in science course emphasised that the SSI teaching process makes positive contributions to the development of student skills like critical thinking, decision making and communication.

Science teachers’ opinions on socio-scientific issues

Contemporary Educational Researches Journal

Socio-scientific issues take their content from situations that can be encountered in daily life. Therefore, teaching these subjects is among the important aims of science education. This study aims to determine the views of science teachers on socio-scientific issues. The study was carried out with 26 science teachers (18 women and 8 men) working in schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in the city centre of Kayseri in the 2020–2021 academic year. Open-ended document questions were used as a data collection tool in the study. Content analysis was used in the analysis of the qualitative data obtained in the study. It was concluded that some science teachers did not take any courses related to socio-scientific issues and their teaching in education faculties during their undergraduate education, while the content of existing courses only provided information on some socio-scientific issues. Keywords: Science education, science teachers, socio-scientific issues;

Examination of the Views of Science Teachers Trained in a Project on Socioscientific Issues

Science Insights Education Frontiers

Socioscientific issues (SSIs) have a scientific basis, have a dilemma in their nature and are often discussed under political and social influences. Teachers perceive SSIs as a difficult subject to teach. This project was carried out to guide teachers in overcoming this difficulty and to enable them to include practices that they can adapt more easily to their lessons. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the views of science teachers on the teaching of SSIs and the project carried out within the scope of a funding project for teaching SSIs. The study was designed according to a single-group pre-test post-test experimental design. The study group the study comprises teachers from different branches of science (15 middle school science teachers, four biology teachers, three physics teachers and two chemistry teachers) from various provinces of Türkiye. As the data collection tools of the study, the Project Participation Form, the Scale of Views on Teaching Socioscientific ...

Teacher candidates’ perceptions regarding socio-scientific issues and their competencies in using socio-scientific issues in science and technology instruction

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2010

This study it is aimed at investigating the views of science and classroom teacher candidates regarding socio-scientific issues and their competencies in using socio-scientific issues in science and technology teaching. Qualitative research approach was adopted in the study and criterion sampling technique was used in determining the participants. The data of the present study were gathered through a questionnaire that included five open-ended questions. The data of the research were gathered in Summer School at the 2009-2010 academic years and were analyzed through descriptive analyses. It was found out that teacher candidates conceptualize socio-scientific issue phenomenon in different ways. When the definitions are generally examined, it is seen that the features of socio-scientific issues are current events, having a scientific basis and an effect on individual and societal life. Teacher candidates state that they are incompetent in making use of socio-scientific issues in science and technology teaching.

Pre-Service Science Teachers' Views Towards Socio-Scientific Issues*

2014

Aim of science course is to introduce students themselves, their environment and provide them basic living and thinking skills. In this connection science course encounters students with problems related to their daily life, help them to realize and inquire these problems, provides possibilities for solution of these problems and support them in synchronization with environment. Therefore, general aims of science education curriculums are training self confident, cooperative, decisive students who have problem solving skills, inquiry learning skills, effective communication skills and sustainable development awareness. One of contemporary methods which would promote this ability is socioscientific argumentation. Students will be able to introduce themselves in better way and participate in courses actively. Therefore, use of socio-scientific argumentation which includes social, economic, moral and scientific dimensions in it's context would be effective. Controversial nature of socio-scientific issues are related to uncertainity in several topics. Inevitable ethical issues and complexity exist in nature of socio-scientific issues. Therefore ideas of individuals might differ greatly. In this connection its thought that socio-scientific argumentation would improve students' discussion and inquiry skills. One of the main components of Turkish science education program is socio-scientific argumentation. In addition, socio-scientific issues consist in textbooks. Therefore, science teachers should have a strong background about socio-scientific argumentation in order to use it in classroom and guide their students. What is more, considering that teachers train students who have knowledge about socio-scientific issues and aware of risk factors, they should be aware of socio-scientific issues themselves and graduate from teacher training institutes with proper background. In these terms, pre-service science teachers' awareness about socio-scientific issues gain importance. Therefore, aim of this study is to examine pre-service science teachers' views towards socio-scientific issues. Survey method used in this research. Qualitative data will be gathered with semi-structured interview. Semi-structured interviews will be done with pre-service science teachers about socio-scientific issues. After interview, gathered data will be analyzed with content analysis.

Socio-scientific issues: a way to improve students' interest and learning?

… : 2009 conference: 31 …, 2009

According to many documents, there is a strong need to renew science education. One way could be to work with SSI (socio-scientific issues). This paper reports on both students' and teachers' experiences and learning when working with socio-scientific issues in science education in secondary school (aged from 13 to 16). The approach is multidimensional, as factors that influence cognition as well as motivation and the forming of attitudes are complex.

Investigation of the Effects of Science, Technology and Society (STS) Education Based On Socioscientific Issues on Pre-Service Teachers’ Science Literacy Levels*

Anemon Muş Alparslan Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 2021

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 singlegroup 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.

Teachers’ Experience of Working with Socio-scientific Issues: A Large Scale and in Depth Study

Research in Science Education, 2012

The research is an investigation of teachers' experience of working with socioscientific issues (SSI). A large group of teachers (55) chose one of six cases with the characteristics of SSI and were free to organize the work as they found appropriate. The research focuses on how teachers chose content, organized their work and experienced the students' interest and learning. The teachers answered a questionnaire after working with the cases and seven of them were interviewed to provide in-depth understanding of issues raised in the questionnaire. The teachers found the SSI to be current topics with interesting content and relevant tasks and they felt confident about the work. They were quite content with the students' learning of scientific facts, how to apply scientific knowledge and to search for information. However, they found that the students did not easily formulate questions, critically examine arguments or use media to obtain information about the task. The interviewed teachers did not find this work new, but they organized it as 'a special event'. They understood SSI work as 'free' work and group work was frequent, but only a few of the teachers developed explicit strategies for teaching SSI. They had different ideas about learning but they all talked about knowledge as a set of facts to be taken in by the students. They all included elements of SSI but mostly to introduce the regular science content. However the teachers started to reflect upon the potential of using SSI to cover more goals in the curriculum.

Science Teachers' Views about Incorporating Socio scientific Issues in the Curriculum And Teaching In Al Ain Schools

2017

The main aim of this thesis is to study the views of High School Science Teachers in Al Ain about the inclusion of Socio-Scientific Issues (SSIs) in the curriculum. The problem statement relies on addressing the gap in the literature when addressing the inclusion of SSIs especially in the UAE context. To address this gap, a survey was conducted amongst High School Science Teachers for a better understanding of their views. The study showed that Science Teachers (from the sample) agreed with the inclusion of SSIs into the curriculum. They also identified resources, teaching strategies and knowledge as the top three factors that facilitate the inclusion of SSIs into the curriculum. As for factors that impede inclusion, the science teachers identified teaching strategies for real classroom situations, maturity of students and the influence of SSIs on participation levels as the top three factors. It was also found that there was statistically significance differences between the views of the teachers based on their prior knowledge as measured by courses related to SSIs studied with regards to inclusion of SSIs into the curriculum and based on teachers who have undergone PD courses about SSIs against those who did not. There was a significance difference also between the views of the teachers that studied SSI courses or teachers that did not study SSI courses with regards to factors that facilitate inclusion of SSIs into the curriculum and the teachers who have undergone PD courses about SSIs and teachers who have not, (in favor of the former). There were also statistically significant differences between the views of teachers with regards to inclusion, factors that facilitate and impede the inclusion of SSIs into the curriculum based on their specializations (subject taught).