The Significance of an Approach to the Teaching of Societal Issues Related to Biotechnology.

This research reports on a constructivist approach that was used in a unit of work with a final year high school biology class. The aim of the intervention was to promote students' awareness and communication of the biological, social, and ethnical issues associated with cancer. Students were encouraged to use an inquiry approach. They were also provided with opportunities to engage in open and critical discourses and develop independent learning skills through metacognitive behaviors. The students', teachers', and the researcher's perspectives on aspects of the unit of work are used to evaluate the approaches used. Pre- and post-questionnaires, thinking journals, classroom observations, and interviews provide evidence of how aspects of the unit influenced students' thinking. The majority of students reported that the unit of work modified and broadened their ideas about bioethical issues linked with cancer. The results indicate what was important for teaching social and ethical issues in this biotechnological context. (Contains 26 references.) (Author/YDS)