Search

To effectively address socioscientific issues (SSI), science teachers need to obtain a certain level of pedagogical content knowledge for SSI teaching (SSI-PCK). In this study, therefore, pre-service science teachers (PSTs) were provided an SSI teacher education program (SSI-TEP) based on the SSI-PCK framework and their development and challenges were carefully examined. Fifteen PSTs participated in the SSI-TEP over 15 weeks and had opportunities to design and implement an SSI lesson in a group. Data were collected through SSI lesson plans, fieldnotes, and group interviews. The results showed that the PSTs highly valued their SSI-TEP experience but noted several pedagogical and epistemological challenges. They were concerned about how to meet both the national science curriculum and students' needs and how to reveal the nature of science and technology through the selected SSI scenarios. Additionally, they felt the need to obtain skills to facilitate and scaffold students' participation. The challenges were often intertwined with SSI-PCK components.

This study aimed to examine the effects of a research-based SSI program on fostering students' understanding of issues and their willingness to act. Twenty-five middle school students voluntarily participated in the program on the issue of artificial food additives over 6 months. The data were collected by means of interviews with the students, field notes, and students' artifacts such as SSI maps and journals. Results indicated that students' research experiences helped them widen their understanding of the issues and feel more connectedness to the issue and motivated to explore the hidden nature of the issue as they conducted their research. They found various stakeholders in the food industry and business network and discovered how individual stakeholders would be affected within the network. They also became aware of the inequality and injustice that arose in the network. In addition, their experience of executing research increased their confidence and willingness to act for resolving contentious issues.

In the socioscientific issues (SSI) classroom, students need to cross the border between the subcultures of science (i.e., school science vs. everyday science). Traditional school contexts tend to present science as positivistic knowledge and unshakable truth unaffected by sociocultural factors. In contrast, everyday science, including SSI, is more nuanced, context-based, socially and culturally embedded. Thus, learning in an SSI classroom requires students to make additional efforts to successfully navigate between the subcultures of science. The expected norms located within these two educational contexts can create academic and sociocultural tensions for students. It is therefore necessary to explore the tensions caused these differential norms in order to successfully implement SSI. Through the lens of cultural-historical activity theory, we attempted to identify possible tensions that originate by implementing SSI instruction in a setting where teachers and students are accustomed to traditional lecture-based classroom instruction. One hundred thirty ninth graders at a public middle school located in Seoul, South Korea, participated in SSI programs on genetic modification technology during seven class periods over three to 4 weeks. Data was collected by classroom observation, audio-taping while students participated in various types of discourse, and semistructured interviews. We identified four noteworthy phenomena including intolerance of uncertainty, scientism, a sense of rivalry, and reaching an expedient and easy consensus. By revealing and understanding these tensions and phenomena, we aim to help inform teachers (and teacher educators) recognize instructional clues that can change not only students' epistemological views and attitudes toward science and science classes, but also better navigate the norms of classroom culture.