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This qualitative study examines the pedagogical potential that a Cartography of Controversy (CoC) approach has in enabling secondary school students to unravel the complexity of socioscientific issues and to communicate about them. The aim was to examine the types of knowledge and the ways in which students approached uncertainty when asked to explore the badger-cattle controversy in England using the CoC approach. A learning sequence focusing on mapping controversies was designed and implemented across three lessons. Data collected from the students’ cartographies and the audio-recordings of their group discussions during the mapping tasks showed that students were able to use scientific, economic, cultural, social, moral and political types of knowledge in their exploration of the controversy. Identifying tensions between different types of knowledge and becoming aware of their own uncertainties about the issue through posing and recording questions allowed students to identify where uncertainty existed within the SSI explored. The CoC approach allowed affordances for understanding the SSI depending on students’ framing of the task (familiarisation, exploration, consolidation) and on the cartography’s function as an observation, visualisation, and reflection tool at different stages of the learning sequence. Implications for further research and practice for developing students’ socioscientific reasoning are discussed.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand early career teachers’ perceptions of the impact of a pre-service health education programme on their health promotion practice in schools and the contextual factors that influence this. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 primary and secondary trainee and qualified teachers who had trained at a university in England. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings The teachers found the training to be a useful introduction, particularly when it was relevant to their practice. They valued gaining practical skills at university, on placement and in school once qualified. They reported that witnessing pupils’ lives in school had increased their awareness that health education is important. Their personal qualities, life experience, the school’s ethos and competing pressures influenced their practice. Teachers considered that building relationships with colleagues, pupils and parents facilitated health promotion, and that health education needs to be relevant to pupils. Some teachers expressed that teaching about health could be a “minefield”. They also discussed whether schools or parents are responsible for educating pupils about health issues and the place of health promotion within education’s wider purpose. Originality/value Few studies have followed-up trainee teachers once they are in teaching posts to explore the longer-term perceived impact of pre-service health education training. The findings suggest that teachers’ development takes place via an interaction between training and practice, suggesting that training could particularly aim to provide teachers with a contextualised understanding of health issues and practical experience.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how and why Saudi Arabian students engage in specific health risk behaviours (HRBs), and if there are gender differences. Design/methodology/approach In order to find out the situation regarding university students in Saudi Arabia, quantitative data were collected by administering questionnaires to 722 respondents, and qualitative data were collected using a series of interviews with 17 students. Findings The findings of this mixed methods sequential explanatory study suggest that lifestyle and personal factors, as well as economic, social, policy and other aspects of the environment played a significant role in influencing students’ HRBs. Recommendations for mitigating HRBs among these students and other youth in the Saudi Arabian context are provided. Originality/value This paper addresses an important gap in the research on HRBs among university students from the perspectives of students.

This paper focuses on the views of 16–17-year-old science students from England, Germany, Hong Kong and Sweden on whale hunting, and their perceptions of the views of their international counterparts. The students were all provided with the same decision-making task, discussed the issue in small groups and then presented their views on video, which were shared with their counterparts. The findings show that the decision-making task served to deepen and modify students’ views across all nationalities, and the students generally valued and learned from the sharing of views with students of the same age from around the world. However, an important discovery was that the German students’ opinions often ran counter to those from the other 3 locations, and the paper cautions against making broad-sweeping generalisations about students’ views on socioscientific issues.

There are only a few studies about how primary school students engage in socio-scientific discussions. This study aims to add to this field of research by focusing on how 9–10-year-olds in Sweden and England handle climate change as a complex environmental socio-scientific issue (SSI), within the context of their own lives and in relation to society at large. It focuses on how different interpretative repertoires were used by the students in discussions to legitimise or question their everyday lifestyles. They discussed four possible options that a government might consider to help reduce carbon dioxide production. Six main repertoires were identified: Everyday life, Self-Interest, Environment, Science and Technology, Society and Justice. The Everyday life repertoire was used when students related their discussion to their everyday lifestyles. Science and technology-related solutions were offered to maintain or improve things, but these were sometimes rather unrealistic. Arguments related to environment and health frequently appeared to have a superior status compared to the others. Findings also highlighted how conflicts between the students were actually productive by bringing in several perspectives to negotiate the solutions. These primary school students were, therefore, able to discuss and negotiate a complex real-world SSI. Students positioned themselves as active contributors to society, using their life experiences and limited knowledge to understand the problems that affected their everyday lives. Honing these skills within a school science community of practice could facilitate primary students’ engagement with SSIs and empower them as citizens.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss a curriculum change in the provision of health promotion in pre‐service teacher education in a one‐year postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) secondary course in one Higher Education Institution (HEI) in England.Design/methodology/approachThe paper describes the iterative development process, from an initial survey and mapping of the existing pre‐service teacher training programme, which provided an evidence base for the piloting of a new health promotion component in the curriculum, and its subsequent evaluation. Changes to the health promotion element of the curriculum reflect the programme philosophy which balances the requirements of a competency based curriculum with a more liberal approach to education and training in which pre‐service teachers are expected to critically reflect on, and evaluate their practice. This work adopts a socio‐constructivist approach to teacher education, in which teachers develop their knowledge, skills and attitudes by interacting with others through dialogue, and learning from more knowledgeable others in a cooperative and scaffolded manner.FindingsThe paper presents the results of these changes and discusses implications for their sustainability. The changes made to the health promotion component of the programme and their implementation would not have been possible without the inter‐professional collaboration that took place over three years.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge similar work involving a multi‐disciplinary collaborative approach to the development of a health education component of a pre‐service teacher education curriculum has not been employed or reported.

Different views exist about whether anthropomorphic ideas assist or hinder learning in biology. This paper discusses the anthropomorphic and anthropocentric ideas children have about micro-organisms, and whether they affect their understanding. The research was carried out in primary and secondary schools in the South of England and involved 414 children aged 7,11 and 14 years. Three different research techniques were used to elicit their ideas. Anthropomorphic and anthropocentric ideas about micro-organisms are apparent in responses from all age groups. Anthropomorphic ideas seem to help children to explain their understanding of some aspects of micro-organisms but the imbalance in children's anthropocentric views of micro-organisms appears to prohibit them considering other aspects of micro-organisms; for example, the importance of their role in decomposition and cycling of matter, or their beneficial technological applications. The focus on the danger micro-organisms are thought to pose to human health...

The conservation of biodiversity is an important socio-scientific issue, often regarded as a precondition to sustainable development, and the foundation for citizens’ understanding of conservation issues can be laid down in formal school education.This research focuses on decision-making discussions about biological conservation issues among 131 15-16 year old students, to address two main research questions: 1. Can peer-group decision-making discussions, in a normal science lesson setting, help develop students’ personal reasoning in relation to conservation issues? 2. Are there features common to high-quality discussions about conservation which might be readily identified by classroom teachers?Findings indicate the positive value of students taking part in these short decision-making discussions, guided by a structured framework, as part of their normal science classroom activities. Students increase their quality of personal reasoning, and modify their solutions to the issues. The study begins to uncover features about students, as individuals and as members of discussion groups, which can be associated with high quality decision-making about conservation issues, and which teachers might realistically identify. The work calls for the need to cultivate these features, and integrate them appropriately with learning about the scientific concepts that underpin the theory and practice of conservation management. Such integration will facilitate the development of teaching strategies for dealing effectively with the complex topic of biological conservation; not just in terms of science content, but also in terms of how students are expected to engage with the issues.

Background Teachers have an important role as health promoters; therefore they require adequate training to meet this responsibility. However, little is known about how pre-service health education training affects teachers' knowledge and attitudes towards promoting health in school once they are qualified. Our research assessed recently qualified teachers' attitudes towards, experiences of, and perceived confidence and skills for health promotion, up to 3 years after an innovative health curriculum developed at the University of Southampton for pre-service teachers. Methods We sent an online and postal 15 min questionnaire to all contactable teachers (n=976) who had qualified at Southampton Education School between 2012 and 2014. It assessed their self-reported attitudes towards promoting health, experiences of and perceived competence and confidence to promote health, and perceptions of their school's health promotion culture and environment. The curriculum consisted of a Health Day with workshops and subsequent school-based tasks, delivered via a multiagency approach. Results are reported as the percentage of all people who responded to a particular question. Findings The response rate was 11% (n=104). Positive attitudes towards promoting health were reported by 88 (96·7%) of 91 teachers. 50 (74·6%) of 67 teachers felt that the training had positively influenced their health education teaching. Between 57·3% (55/96) and 87·5% (84/96) felt confident and skilled in teaching ten health-related topics (median 71·9%). The teachers most frequently reported that their life experience (87/95, 91·6%), practical teaching experience (75/94, 79·8%), and support received in school since qualifying (65/93, 69·9%) had been influential in their gaining competence. However, 80 (81·6%) of 98 teachers agreed with the statement that "academic attainment is prioritised over other elements of pupils' education" in their school. Interpretation The low response rate creates possible participation bias and generalisability issues. However, the high proportions of these teachers reporting positive attitudes towards and feeling confident and competent in promoting health suggest a possible longer term positive effect of the training. The findings indicate that teachers value support from colleagues, and practical and life experience for developing competence, but feel that health education is not always prioritised. The Southampton training model could be used by other initial teacher education institutions. Our findings do not indicate, however, how such training could ultimately affect pupils' health and education outcomes. Funding The Leverhulme Trust.

Rio+20 saw commitment from the international community to develop Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to shape the global efforts towards sustainable development. As part of an interdisciplinary curriculum innovation module at the University of Southampton, students take part in a ‘SDGs Summit’. Interdisciplinary student groups represent nation ‘blocs’ attempting to reach consensus on six priority SDGs, from a starting set of sixteen, through personal and social media negotiation. The exercise requires students to inhabit the perspectives of different ‘blocs’, challenging them to extend their understanding and application of sustainable development beyond their own discipline. This paper shares best practice on this innovative vehicle for teaching students the complexities surrounding international political negotiation and agreement where the outcomes will have differing social, economic and environmental consequences for the ‘blocs’, depending on their economic prosperity, natural resources, states of development, and political ideologies. The paper also explores how the summit incorporates the challenges around inequality of access and influence on the global negotiating platform. The adaptation of existing simulation and negotiation pedagogies to address current global political concerns and the use of Twitter in the classroom is considered to be a suitable approach to address the complex interdisciplinary subject area of sustainable development. Although initially focused at ESD practitioners, the interdisciplinary, social media and international focus of the SDGs Summit renders this approach relevant for pedagogical innovators and students across the globe.

Current conceptions of citizenship favour public involvement in dialogue on controversial issues such as GM food. ‘Students with higher levels of civic knowledge are more likely to expect to participate in political and civic activities as adults’ (Kerr et al., 2003, p. 4). Young people need to be aware of the nature of controversy and be able to see how arguments are constructed to sway our opinions if they are to be fully scientifically literate. A survey of the literature suggests that the principles and methods relating to the teaching of controversial issues are themselves controversial. This irony is more relevant to teachers now than ever before. In England, the teaching of ‘Citizenship’ has been compulsory for students aged 11–16 in the state sector since September 2002. As it is currently framed, ‘Citizenship’ includes education for sustainable development and the teaching of the nature of controversy. This paper explores the issue of teachers' readiness to use controversial issues in the classro...

On 1 August 1989, the introduction of a National Curriculum of subjects to all maintained schools throughout England and Wales brought compulsory science education into the primary sector for the first time. As a direct result of its elevated profile and an immense amount of hard work and effort by teachers and other professionals responding to requirements, science education provision benefited enormously. Despite this, however, successive overhauls and radical revisions of primary science have brought about many questionable changes, some not necessarily for the better or resulting in improvement. This article presents a critical, analytical and personal review of the history and development of science in the primary school and draws attention to the need for care at times when classroom practices and expectations are driven by national science curricula that remain to be fully informed. Astronomy is used to contextualize some of the changes at their most extreme.

The mismatch between the advocated views of theorists and the teaching realities in school environmental education is widely recognised. There is relatively little research examining the advocated practices of teachers themselves, other than already environmentally active teachers, to indicate the nature of the 'potential' rhetoric-reality gap that might exist if all constraints were removed, and teachers had a completely free choice in designing their own environmental education programmes. This article identifies such gaps by exploring current practices and teachers' views on selected components of environmental education, across a complete teacher training partnership. This information has been used to help prioritise the content and approaches used by pre-service teachers when conducting school-based environmental activities. The investigation reveals that although most schools lack a written policy on environmental education, most have a positive attitude towards the large majority of selected compon...

In this chapter we propose to contribute to research in socio-scientific issues (SSIs) by putting forward a discussion of factors that influence science teachers’ SSI teaching and of the type of teaching needed to prepare students for active participation in SSIs. Contributions from researchers in four different European countries, Canada and Australia are presented. In an analytical perspective, two studies identified secondary science teachers’ viewpoints on SSI teaching and factors that positively influence the implementation of classroom discussion activities on SSIs. In an interventionist perspective, three studies investigated student teachers’ and teachers’ professional development towards promotion of student-led, research-informed activism to address SSIs or towards the implementation of inquiry-based science teaching (IBST) to develop students’ participation in complex environmental SSIs. Results from the diverse contributions showed that teachers’ views on the concept of citizenry differ, their views on their own competency differ and teachers’ competencies and concerns as teachers impact their interpretation of science curricula and views on SSI teaching. Different types of professional development, exemplified by student teacher courses and in-service action research, might to some extent change teachers’ views of SSI teaching or result in promising inquiry-based SSI teaching practices. A general hypothesis that might be drawn from this chapter is that science teachers’ concepts of citizenry and SSI teaching are essential for their effort to implement SSI teaching and for their success in preparing students for dealing with the complexity of SSIs.

Background Schools are an important setting for health promotion, and teachers have an integral role in promoting children's and young people's health and wellbeing. Adequate initial teacher training and continuing professional development in health is therefore important, and trainers need sound evidence of effectiveness. However, the evidence base for teacher training is broad and has not been subjected to systematic review. The aim of this project was to assess the key characteristics of this evidence base and to investigate effectiveness and associated processes. Methods A novel methodological approach was used: a systematic map of the key characteristics of studies (stage 1) followed by a detailed synthesis of a subset of mapped studies (stage 2). A sensitive search was done on 20 bibliographic databases including Medline, Embase, ERIC, and PsychINFO. Reference lists of existing studies were checked and relevant websites were searched to identify unpublished work. Each study meeting the stage 1 inclusion criteria was mapped by a reviewer applying a keyword method devised for this study. Keywords described study characteristics such as country, health topic area, teaching qualification status (eg, pre-service, in-service), training content and format, and processes and outcomes examined. To be included in the map, studies had to report teacher training about health, be an outcome or process assessment or a survey, and be published after 1990. The map results were presented to a multidisciplinary advisory group. Through structured discussion, the group prioritised studies focusing on initial teacher training for stage 2. A standardised data extraction template was then applied to stage 2. Methodological quality and risk of bias was assessed unmasked with published critical appraisal criteria. Data extraction and quality assessment were done by one reviewer and checked by a second. Findings We screened 16 620 references, of which 170 were mapped (stage 1). Studies were undertaken in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, and the Middle East, with a predominance of studies from the USA (42%). Common topics included sexual and reproductive health (22%), drugs and alcohol (18%), and mental and emotional health (16%). A range of study types were used, including outcome assessments (73%, of which 56% were controlled trials), process assessments (46%), and surveys (11%). Factual information about health (77%) and the development of skills for promoting health (66%) were common. Of the studies focusing on initial teacher training (n=20, stage 2), most were in the UK or Australia. They covered a range of topics including general health promotion, child protection, and mental health. 12 studies reported outcomes (most were before and after single cohort designs), 19 reported processes, and eight reported both. After training there were increases in trainee teachers' knowledge of health, and confidence to teach personal, social, health, and economic education. Trainees also felt better able to identify and manage child protection issues and children with mental and emotional health problems. No studies reported outcomes for pupils. In general, training was acceptable to trainees. Trainees' views on the adequacy of the training varied, with some reporting that they did not feel prepared to deal with issues such as child protection on entering the early teaching career period. The evidence suggested that for training to meet trainee teachers' needs, it may need to include practical experience and skills, be personally relevant and take into account individual needs, and relate to teachers' practice in schools. Interpretation The evidence base for teacher training in health is diverse and of variable quality. Some positive effects on teachers' knowledge and confidence are evident. However, there is a scarcity of research on school pupils' health and educational outcomes. Further assessment of health-related training spanning initial teacher training and the early career years is needed. Funding National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research programme (09/3005/12).