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This work focuses on understanding how researchers in Spain perceive the importance of social media in scientific communication and dissemination and deepening their understanding of the influential underlying factors. From the initial identification of 5,314 researchers affiliated with higher education institutions in Spain, who published in journals indexed in Scopus and Web of Sciences from 2016 to 2020, 487 were surveyed, and 20 were interviewed. The results show how despite the potential of non-academic social media for the social dissemination of scientific knowledge, use remains low among the researchers surveyed in this study. Also, data allow us to recognize how the time of use of social media and the perception of the training needed influence the perception of the usefulness of social media by Spanish researchers on education. Use that does not seem to be oriented toward dialogue and citizen participation. Higher education institutions should improve the communication and scientific dissemination led by researchers through training and the design of dissemination policies that guarantee an active and general use of them (not only academics but also generalists like Facebook or YouTube) to transfer scientific knowledge to society better.

This research aimed to assess the readiness of Indonesian pre-service science teachers by examining their perceptions of impending challenges, desired competencies, and anticipated instructional methodologies in preparing for the challenges of Society 5.0. Using a quantitative survey research methodology, 884 pre-service science teachers from 16 universities were surveyed. The research instrument's validity and reliability were assessed utilizing the Rasch model. Inferential statistics were employed to assess the readiness of pre-service science teachers for future challenges, taking into account their backgrounds. The test outcomes showed the Cronbach's Alpha coefficient reached 0.92, is deemed "excellent", affirming the instrument's high reliability. The findings of the study revealed that the majority of teachers share a consistent perception of future challenges and recognize the importance of mastering 21st-century skills, particularly critical thinking, creative thinking, communication, and collaboration. However, respondents believe that the current learning process does not adequately train these skills. They expressed a desire for an alternative learning method that can enhance their skills while accommodating their diverse backgrounds, including place of residence, economic background, and technological proficiency. Further research is needed to identify alternative teaching methods that can effectively foster these abilities in diverse backgrounds.

Microorganisms are ubiquitous in nature and are central to human, animal, environmental, and planetary health. They play a particularly important role in the food chain and the production of high-quality, safe, and health-promoting foods, especially fermented foods. This important role is not always apparent to members of the public. Here, we describe Kefir4All, a citizen science project designed to provide the general public with an opportunity to expand their awareness, knowledge, and practical skills relating to microbiology, introduced through the medium of producing fermented food, i.e., milk kefir or water kefir. During the course of Kefir4All, 123 citizen scientists, from second-level school and non-school settings, participated in a study to track changes in the microbial composition of kefirs, by performing and recording details of milk kefir or water kefir fermentations they performed in their homes or schools over the21-week project. At the start of the study, the citizen scientists were provided with milk or water kefir grains to initiate the fermentations. Both types of kefir grain are semi-solid, gelatinous-like substances, composed of exopolysaccharides and proteins, containing a symbiotic community of bacteria and yeast. The experimental component of the project was complemented by a number of education and outreach events, including career talks and a site visit to our research center (Kefir Day). At the end of the study, a report was provided to each citizen scientist, in which individualized results of their fermenting activities were detailed. A number of approaches were taken to obtain feedback and other insights from the citizen scientists. Evaluations took place before and after theKefir4All project to gauge the citizen scientist's self-reported awareness, knowledge, and interest in microbiology and fermented foods. Further insights into the level of citizen science participation were gained through assessing the number of samples returned for analysis and the level of participation of the citizen scientists throughout the project. Notably, the survey results revealed a self-reported, increased interest in, and general knowledge of, science among the Kefir4All citizen scientists after undertaking the project and a willingness to take part in further citizen science projects. Ultimately, Kefir4Allrepresents an example of the successful integration of citizen science into existing education and research systems.

Students' scientific literacy may be improved by the integration of social issues into biology courses, enabling them to make informed decisions on social issues in the context of their scientific knowledge. Additionally, this may allow students to recognize the connection between science and society. Although there are a number of benefits with having students learn about social issues in biology courses, most undergraduate courses may follow a traditional curriculum, which emphasizes the scientific content without framing it in a social context. Here, we investigated whether undergraduate students have been exposed to social issues in previous biology courses and examined how their perceptions changed before and after taking a biology course that incorporated social issues. In surveys, most students reported having no exposure to social issues in biology courses. Most students, especially females and persons excluded because of their ethnicity or race (PEERs), agreed with the integration of social issues in biology courses before taking the course. Students found reflection essays to be a useful tool in allowing them to think and share their thoughts on social issues as well as relate the course content to their personal lives. These results highlight students' interest in learning about social issues from a scientific perspective and how reflection essays may be used to practice applying their knowledge to real-world issues.

The study aims to design a socio-scientific issues (SSIs)-based electronic learning (e-LM) design framework. It is anchored to the SSI occurrences in teaching Science at a State University in Batangas province, Philippines. This SSI-based e-LM design framework will guide the e-LM development for teaching Science socio-contextually through flexible learning. The explanatory sequential mixed method design addressed the study's goal. Initially, the existing SSIs in the science course curriculum were analyzed. Significant insights into the occurrence of existing SSIs, such as the appropriate teaching approaches, suitable teaching strategies, assessments, and e-LM design structure, were identified. The resulting least occurring SSI identified and factors affecting their existence comprised the salient features of the proposed e-LM design framework. Findings showed that lifelong learning issues, ethical issues, and sustainability issues were almost "no occurrences at all" SSIs in the analysis. These identified SSIs became the priority SSIs in e-LM design framework. Significant insights showed that flexible learning and socio-contextualization are suitable teaching approaches. Meanwhile, the teaching strategies that were found appropriate in the SSI inclusion include brain-netting, discovering scientific ideas, e-collaboration, and reflective thinking evaluation. The e-LM design framework proposed is called Brain-DeCoR e-LM Framework. Applying the proposed e-LM design framework in teaching Science will encourage science facilitators to situate priority SSIs in teaching Science. This results in creating a balance in SSI inclusion. The least occurring SSIs, which are the priority SSIs, are given into focus. Furthermore, the proposed framework will aid students in learning science beyond the content, developing their skills, and enhancing their environmental concerns and social awareness.

Purpose: To align with the artificial intelligence and robotics (AIR) research and policy agenda, this paper puts forth an adapted five big ideas framework specifically tailored to teaching young children about artificial intelligence (AI) via robotics. Design/Approach/Methods: Grounded in early childhood education research, the proposed framework emphasizes the use of robotics and play-based learning to make AI accessible and encourage engagement among young children who have not started formal schooling. Findings: We comparatively analyze the commonalities and differences in AI big ideas between the original K-12 framework and the redeveloped early childhood education framework. To pique children's interest, key concepts are presented through interactions with robotics and robot role-play. This paper also provides recommendations for age-appropriate topics, storytelling, and play-based teaching methods. Originality/Value: This framework aims to equip researchers and educators with strategies for successfully integrating introductory AI education into early childhood classrooms. Teaching AI in a developmentally responsive manner can help nurture young children's curiosity toward and understanding of an increasingly AI-driven world.

In recent decades, great importance has been attached to teaching that promotes an active role of students in the learning process, and therefore the development of critical and divergent thinking in the teaching process. The aim of the research approach is to encourage students to independently investigate, discover, conclude and thus arrive at knowledge with the appropriate instructions of the teacher. For this research, we aimed to examine the educational practice of teachers in the implementation of the research approach in teaching Nature and Society. The purpose was to find out how familiar the teachers are with the concept of research approach, as well as to provide insight into teachers' competences and motivation, the frequency of their implementation of the research approach in teaching Nature and Society, and the interaction patterns and teaching methods they use. The results show that The World Around Us and Nature and Society syllabuses sufficiently (60%) provide instructions for content study through research work, and that teachers acquired a solid amount of knowledge about the application of this way of working during their education (69.4%). More than 80% of teachers believe that they have the competence to plan and implement a research approach in teaching. The results also indicate that when implementing the research approach, teachers use interaction patterns and teaching methods that enable greater student activity. Despite the above said, this research approach is not sufficiently applied, and the explanation provided is the lack of time and resources needed for research.

This study aims to look at research trends on inquiry and socioscientific in the last 2 decades from 2004 to 2023. The PRISMA method is a reference in determining inclusion and exclusion criteria, as many as 449 articles were synthesized using bibliometric analysis. The result synthesis refers to the distribution of articles per year, research themes, affiliations, countries, authors, and productive journals. The inquiry and socioscientific research trends will peak in 2022, affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Southampton. Productive country United states and United Kingdom. Best author Laursen S. and Zeidler D.L. Productive journal CBE Life Science Education from United Kingdom and International Journal of Science Education from United States.

Often, composition instructors struggle to encourage STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) students to see the relevance of writing courses to their personal goals. Students' lack of recognition of the importance of literacy skills can lead to disengagement in required college writing courses compared to their so-called "hard" science courses, and, ironically, hinder their future academic and professional success in STEM fields. The first year writing (FYW) course we introduce, LB 133: Inquiry in Science & Society through Writing, was designed for students at Lyman Briggs College, a residential college for the sciences at Michigan State University, with the goal of engaging and empowering the students in writing through inquiry-based projects on the relationship between science and society. Iteratively and collaboratively developed and taught, the faculty teaching team--led by the lead author--has worked from a common syllabus, sharing activities and assessment tools. Each element of the collaborative course is designed to promote writing skills and, in particular, critical science literacy, the ability to meaningfully read and write about science.

The field of advertising has a structure that shapes consumer preferences and behaviors. The field of advertising undertakes the tasks of reflecting cultural values and norms, reinforcing or changing gender roles, and supporting social responsibility and campaigns. In addition, advertising, whose main purpose is sales, has a structure that shapes and informs society when considered in social dimensions. Artificial intelligence, which is today's developing and rising technology, is a technological tool that brings the physical and digital world together and affects many other fields such as economy, industry, social field, education. It is thought that the widespread integration of these technologies, which we use in almost every aspect of our daily lives, in the education sector has a significant potential for progress. In this context, in this study, the attitudes of students studying at universities in the TRNC towards artificial intelligence applications were analyzed in order to make sense of the impact of artificial intelligence technology used in the field of advertising, which reaches social dimensions, affects social situations and changes with the effects of developing and changing technologies, on students studying. In addition, the impact of advertisements developed with artificial intelligence on education was also analyzed.

This design case details the design process of a multiple-choice assessment of socio-scientific systems thinking. This assessment is situated within a larger project that aims to understand the ways students use multiple scientific models to understand complex socio-scientific issues. In addition to the research component, this project entails developing curriculum and assessment resources that support science teaching and learning. We begin this paper by framing the needs that motivated the design of this assessment and introducing the design team. We then present a narrative outlining the design process, focusing on key challenges that arose and the ways these challenges influenced our final design. We conclude this paper with a discussion of the compromises that had to be made in the process of designing this instrument.

This study made a preliminary attempt to conduct a needs assessment of teachers' utilization of the SSI-based approach in teaching Science by exploring Filipino teachers' awareness, perceived need, readiness, and willingness. It also aimed to determine which among the demographic profiles of the teachers had significant differences in their perceived need and readiness. A needs assessment using a quantitative survey research design was used in this study. The data-gathering procedure was done using a validated online survey questionnaire with a Cronbach alpha of 0.89. A total of 124 science teachers participated in this study throughout the two-week implementation. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data gathered from this study. Results revealed that more than fifty percent of the teachers were highly aware of the SSI-based approach and perceived the need for its implementation in science classes. Teachers were also willing to participate in an SSI training program to learn more about it and develop their own SSI-related materials. Furthermore, gender and specialization significantly differed in teachers' perceived needs, while specialization significantly differed in readiness. Results obtained from this study can be used as a basis for exploring teachers' perceptions and views of implementing the SSI-based approach.

This study explores how discussing metaphors for AI can help build awareness of the frames that shape our understanding of AI systems, particularly large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. Given the pressing need to teach "critical AI literacy", discussion of metaphor provides an opportunity for inquiry and dialogue with space for nuance, playfulness, and critique. Using a collaborative autoethnographic methodology, we analyzed metaphors from a range of sources, and reflected on them individually according to seven questions, then met and discussed our interpretations. We then analyzed how our reflections contributed to the three kinds of literacies delineated in Selber's multiliteracies framework: functional, critical and rhetorical. These allowed us to analyze questions of ethics, equity, and accessibility in relation to AI. We explored each metaphor along the dimension of whether or not it was promoting anthropomorphizing, and to what extent such metaphors imply that AI is sentient. Our findings highlight the role of metaphor reflection in fostering a nuanced understanding of AI, suggesting that our collaborative autoethnographic approach as well as the heuristic model of plotting AI metaphors on dimensions of anthropomorphism and multiliteracies, might be useful for educators and researchers in the pursuit of advancing critical AI literacy.

This study investigated the predictive effect of 11th grade Taiwanese students' (N = 878) self-assessed critical thinking, group participation self-efficacy, and active learning on their genuine learning interest (GLI) in socio-scientific issues (SSI). Results showed that active learning had a direct effect on GLI, while critical thinking and group participation self-efficacy had indirect effects on GLI as mediated by active learning. Critical thinking showed a significant direct effect on active learning, and a significant indirect effect on active learning that was mediated by group participation self-efficacy.

This study explored Indonesian prospective teachers' views on the adapted (including global socio-scientific issues) and revisited (including local socio-scientific issues) versions of the scientific habits of mind (SHOM) scale and compared their SHOM levels concerning teacher education programs and grades. The sample of the study consisted of 1298 Indonesian prospective teachers drawn from departments of chemistry education, biology education, science education, elementary teacher education, and mathematics education. The adapted and revisited versions of SHOM scale were used to collect data. The result showed that the locality of socio-scientific issues (SSI), grade, and teacher education program somewhat influenced the Indonesian prospective teachers' SHOM levels. Also, their familiarity with local SSI acted as a cornerstone to make a decision about SSI via SHOM. This study suggests that teacher education programs should be enriched with undergraduate courses (e.g., integrating SSI into SHOM, measuring SSI with SHOM, ethnoscience through SSI and SHOM) to stimulate the Indonesian prospective teachers' SHOM levels via SSI.

Researchers in science education lacks valid and reliable instruments to assess students' "disciplinary" and "epistemic" reading of scientific texts. The main purpose of this study was to develop and validate a Reading in Science Holistic Assessment (RISHA) to assess students' holistic reading of scientific texts. RISHA measures students' content, procedural, and epistemic domains of reading two texts, one history-of-science text and another socio-scientific text. The initial 24-item RISHA was administered to 161 Grade 9 students from 3 schools. The multidimensional Rasch partial credit model was used to analyze the reliability and validity of RISHA. All items demonstrated good fit and reliability. According to logit scores generated for each domain in Rasch analysis, students in our study performed better in content domain and less well in the epistemic domain. Students also performed significantly better in the epistemic domain of the socio-scientific text than in the history-of-science text. RISHA provides accurate measures in various domains of reading scientific texts and various contexts of scientific texts. We propose that RISHA could potentially be applied to studying the effect of reading-science intervention or predictors of students' performance in each domain of reading scientific texts.

Socioscientific issues (SSIs) can provide a context to address societal decision-making processes in school. In recent years, studies have demonstrated that one effective way to deal with these topics is through role play. However, role plays may induce an unreflected attitude change based on the roles the participants take on, which raises ethical concerns about indoctrination. To explain this change of attitude, we applied the Transportation-Imagery Model. We asked if transportation into a role play would bring about a change of attitude and behavior. Furthermore, we investigated whether the perspective of the prepared or performed characters affected transportation and the direction of an attitude change. The research was conducted in Germany with a sample of 256 secondary-school students (M[subscript age] = 16.9 years, SD[subscript age] = 1.5, 68% female). We found that transportation affected neither attitude change nor behavior. There was also no effect of the prepared or performed characters' perspective on transportation or attitude change. This suggests that role play does not constitute a form of manipulation and can be used as a learning method for SSIs without reservation.

Many technology designers strive to involve end users in the design process, aiming to produce better outcomes. However, designers may struggle to engage autistic users effectively due to a lack of understanding of autistic characteristics and preferences. This systematic literature review aimed to identify how autistic adolescents and adults can best be engaged in effective participatory design activities. Seven databases were searched for articles reporting technology design involving autistic people, returning 276 results. Using the PRISMA approach, 258 were excluded due to not meeting the inclusion criteria. The remaining 18 articles were then quality assessed. A thematic analysis revealed five core themes: (1) Engagement: the importance of investment in, and ownership of, the design process to create engagement; (2) Relationships: building relationships through collaboration and careful facilitation; (3) Skills development: the development of personal skills such as teamwork, design and self-advocacy in order to grow confidence; (4) Structure: providing context and structure to make the design experience feel safe and predictable; and (5) Support: the importance of support and consideration of individual needs as well as discouraging negative behaviours. Valuing participants as equal partners in design emerged as an, arguably, universal principle. The specific needs and preferences of autistic people must be understood and respected by designers. This goes beyond obvious accommodations such as providing a quiet and safe environment, and requires a deeper, more personal engagement with the individuals and their interests. We provide tangible recommendations for increasing engagement and aiding the design process.

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the roles preferred by science teachers in the teaching of socioscientific issues (SSIs) in relation to the communicative approach and discourse patterns in the context of SSI and non-SSI. In this qualitative study, the holistic multiple case study design was used. The study group consisted of three science teachers and their students. Video recordings of lessons, semi-structured interviews, and vignettes about teacher roles on socioscientific issues were used as data sources. The communicative approach and discourse patterns of the teachers were analysed by discourse analysis in the context of the roles they preferred. At the beginning of the study, two teachers seemed to prefer the same role, whereas one preferred a different role. As a result of the analysis of the video recordings of the teachers' classes, it was determined that one of the teachers enacted a different role from the one stated as her preferred role. The results of this study can provide a basis for professional development activities for teachers who are interested in improving the use of the dialogic interactive communicative approach and the discourse patterns based on this approach in their teaching.

The design of biological systems is a multidisciplinary activity in which biomedical engineers collaborate to build novel biological systems that address society's needs. One of the most relevant skills for designing biological systems is engineering systems thinking (EST). Among the EST elements, the EST cognitive competencies are comparatively less explored. Particularly, there is a lack of understanding of how undergraduate engineering students manifest EST cognitive competencies in synthetic biology so instructors and curriculum designers can better scaffold students' learning. In this study, we contribute to that gap by addressing the question: "To what extent do multidisciplinary undergraduate teams exhibit EST cognitive competencies when designing a biological system to address societal needs?" We followed a Qualitative Descriptive Research approach to analyze the EST cognitive competencies of five teams who successfully framed a problem and developed a functional biological system as part of their participation in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Competition. We coded the publicly available teams' wikis where they registered their design process using the Capacity for Engineering Systems Thinking (CEST) model and procedures from document analysis. The wikis included evidence of seven of the ten EST cognitive competencies from the CEST model. The studied undergraduate participants framed complex problems, designed systems that typically included various subsystems (e.g., biological, mechanical, electrical) and integrated multiple disciplinary concepts and tools. The participants used various approaches to handle the interconnection and synergistic properties of the elements in their biological systems, such as representing their systems at different levels of detail. Competition judges and advisor can support their teams' EST using our findings. Furthermore, we propose a framework to explore the EST cognitive competencies of undergraduate students in the context of biological synthetic design and suggest how instructors and other interested readers may use our findings to develop learning environments that promote EST.

The past decade has been marked by a series of global crises, presenting an opportunity to reevaluate the relationship between science and politics. The biological sciences are instrumental in understanding natural phenomena and informing policy decisions. However, scholars argue that current scientific expertise often fails to account for entire populations and long-term impacts, hindering efforts to address issues such as biodiversity loss, global warming, and pandemics. This article explores the structural challenges of integrating an evolutionary perspective, historically opposed to functional determinants of health and disease, into current biological science practices. Using data on Swiss biology professors from 1957, 1980, and 2000, we examine the structural power dynamics that have led to the division between these competing epistemologies, and how this division has influenced resource allocation and career trajectories. Our analysis suggests that this cleavage presents a significant obstacle to achieving fruitful reconciliations, and that increased academicization and internationalization may benefit functional biologists at the expense of evolutionary biologists. While evolutionary biologists have gained symbolic recognition in recent years, this has not translated into valuable expertise in the political domain.

Socio-scientific issues (SSI) instruction positions the understanding and practice of science in the context of issues that are informed by science but require reasoning about their societal dimensions to respond to those issues effectively. For this reason, instruction in the context of SSI has been considered the gateway to contemporary visions of scientific literacy. SSI instruction is often framed in line with the Socio-Scientific Issues Teaching and Learning (SSI-TL) framework, which is prominent in the literature and well-used by researchers to frame professional development but potentially less familiar to classroom teachers. Given that teachers are likely familiar with the 5E learning cycle, they might experience an easier transition to developing and facilitating SSI instruction using the SSI-TL model if framed through a lens of 5E. In this article, we unpack the SSI-TL model of instruction through a 5E lens, then provide an exemplary prototype of the new SSI-TL infused 5E instruction in the context of a globally relevant SSI to highlight the overlap between engagement in essential science practices and socio-scientific reasoning. We hope that teachers become more comfortable developing science literacy by addressing both science and societal dimensions of contemporary SSI by considering the SSI-TL Framework through a 5E lens.

Nature of science (NOS) has been a target of interest for decades. The main goal of this study is to explore the impact of the science, technology, society, environment (STSE) approach on students' understanding of NOS, taking "Galileo's study of free-fall motion" as an example. Participants in this study were 350 students of grade 10 from a public high school in China. The "Student Science Understanding and Scientific Inquiry" (SUSSI) instrument was used in the intervention and control groups to explore the impact on students' NOS. The intervention group (N = 210) participated in the STSE class, whereas traditional instruction was applied to the control group (N = 140). Results revealed that there was a significant difference between the two groups, and the learners in the intervention group understood NOS better than the control group. STSE approach is an effective way to enhance students' understanding of NOS. Despite the fact that the implementation is challenging for teachers, it appears that the STSE approach has positive effects on students' understanding of NOS, which offers some reference for physics classroom teaching.

This paper investigates the intricate relationship between universities as socio-academic institutions, society at large, and technology. Through a general analysis, we aim to comprehend how a multidisciplinary university mediates and catalyzes the interaction between technology and society. Our examination encompasses both theoretical foundations and practical considerations, examining the ways interdisciplinary approaches facilitate this relationship within the context of technocapitalism. Additionally, we present potential guidelines to enhance the interconnectedness of technology, universities, and society. Based on our findings, we suggest that universities can play a crucial role in bridging the societal-technological divide, but only if they undergo restructuring that fosters the strong version of cross-disciplinary knowledge and robust multidisciplinary thinking in professional training and research.

Preservice secondary science teachers often experience science learning in narrow and marginalizing ways in their science preparation. These experiences cause harm, particularly for preservice teachers of color. They also limit the disciplinary resources they can develop for later teaching science in ways that value and sustain their students' ways of knowing and being in the world. Our research explores possibilities for cultivating new spaces for preservice secondary science teachers to engage in science. In a content-focused education course, we designed for and studied preservice teachers' engagement in expansive and connective sensemaking, incorporating heterogeneity, power, and historicity in pursuits of explanatory accounts of the natural world. In this article, we examined how this course design can support preservice teachers to attune to heterogeneity in ways of knowing in science and to connect to identity and historicity in scientific sensemaking. Our analysis suggests that students' final projects reflected attunements to diverse knowing, communicating, and relating in science and deep connections with their identities and future-making, yet had fewer connections to sociohistorical narratives and structures. We developed illustrative case studies of four student projects, highlighting the personal, social, and political possibilities of creating space for future educators to imagine more expansive and connective forms of science. This study contributes a novel model for preservice science teacher education to support teacher learning to value and sustain their students' ways of knowing and being in the world.

The purpose of this research is to analyze and describe learning textbooks that include elements of science literacy, particularly in the Integrated Science-Physics Test Book for junior high school grade VIII. This study is part of a quantitative descriptive study analyzing the content of science literacy elements contained in textbooks. The textbooks used come from two sources: science textbook for junior high school publisher form Erlangga and Publisher of Ministry of Education and Culture edition Revision 2017. The analyzed materials include (1) force and motion and (2) simple aircraft. The analyzed object of science literacy consists of four indicators: (1) science as science; (2) science as a method of investigation; (3) science as a way of thinking; and (4) science as a technology-society interaction. Data collection techniques are presented in the form of rubrics with descriptive analysis techniques. With a percentage of 46.5% for both textbook sources, the element of science as knowledge was found to be the most important part of science literacy. Furthermore, the element of science as a process of investigation amounted to 37.7%, followed by science as a process of thinking by 12.1%, and finally science as a process of interaction between technology and society by 3.6%. From the analysis results obtained, it is clear that each of the two test books has included aspects of science literacy in its physical science material, but the provision of material is still dominated by the knowledge of science compared to other aspects. Meanwhile, current learning conditions emphasize more on how to integrate learning in the form of STEM, which includes elements of science, technology, and society. Thus, the application of aspects of science literacy, particularly science as a thinking process and science as an interaction between technology and society, should be encouraged.

In this article I focus on an initiative to determine how a group of 7 purposefully recruited Grade 10 in-service life orientation teachers in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda district of the North West province conceptualise socio-environmental issues and aim to determine whether their teaching-learning practices are aligned with the expectations of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement. A qualitative research design was used to generate data through semi-structured interviews. The data were analysed thematically. A critical finding was that a need exists to include a situated knowledge approach to real-life socio-environmental issues for the purpose of humanising life orientation for learners. With this article, I wish to contribute to a particular discourse with regard to real-life socio-environmental issues through humanising life orientation pedagogies through environmental education. The potential merits of such a transformative approach, which is grounded in a critical pedagogical paradigm, are discussed as well.

The COVID-19 health crisis brought about transformations in education systems. In Chile, the ministerial authorities prioritized the school curriculum, stressing certain learning objectives over others. This paper seeks to uncover the social functions underlying curriculum prioritization for the subject of natural sciences. To do this, the functionalist approach to the sociology of education was adopted to analyse the prioritized curriculum for the subject in sixth grade elementary. Three dimensions were considered: (1) the principles of curriculum prioritization; (2) prioritized learning objectives; and (3) nonprioritized learning objectives. The presence of functions of creation (social consensus, social stratification, technical-modern development, human capital formation, and care for children and youths) was verified. As there has been no change in the curriculum that enables science education to address the current issues, the paper proposes that the social functions of science education should be resignified. Finally, examining the meritocracy and credentialism underlying the rationale for prioritization, the article finds that the social stratification attributed to education has increased rather than decreased.

This paper builds its arguments on the (re)interpretation of 'human' and its entanglements with nonhumans in the digital age. Since the concept of humanness has prominently transformed into something innovative because of immense improvements in science and technology, and thereby society, terms such as human, nonhuman, posthuman, and transhuman including cyborgs, have emerged as concepts that require to be reinterpreted in the digital age. In a planet where cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, 5G technology, autonomous vehicles, quantum computers, genetic engineering, edge computing, microchips, green tech, and hydrogen fuel cells are commonly regarded as innovative inventions of the 21st century, the positions of humans are decentralized and displaced from centralized to more peripheric spheres. Beginning from anthropocentrism, broadly defined as a thought process that makes humans the primary measure of everything, this paper exposes the (trans)formation of humans from anthropocentricism to posthumanism and paradoxically from posthumanism to transhumanism by drawing upon the philosophical discussions of Donna Haraway, Rosi Braidotti, Cary Wolfe, Francesca Ferrando. By interrogating the socio-cultural existence of humans through epistemological and ontological viewpoints, this paper attempts to (re)define the place of humans in the digital age with a focus on the relationship between human and nonhuman beings and their entanglements.

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 Issues, the Know-Want-Learn Form and the Project Evaluation Form were used. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods were used together in the evaluation of the data. Because of the study, the implemented project activities contributed to the development of the participants' views on the teaching of SSIs and caused a positive development in their views on the project. Suggestions were made considering the results of the project so that guidance could be provided for teachers and teacher educators.

This research was conducted to examine the effects of the socioscientific issue with the thinking wheel map (SI-TWM) approach on the curiosity towards STEM, the construct of Exploration and Acceptance. A teaching and learning (TL) module was developed to guide teachers in implementing the SI-TWM approach to enhance curiosity among year five students. Quasi-experimental quantitative research was conducted on 345 year five students (aged 11 years old) in urban primary schools in Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia. A total of three groups were assigned randomly, namely (i) socioscientific issue with thinking wheel map approach (SI-TWM, n=115), (ii) socioscientific issue approach (SI, n=115), and (iii) conventional approach (CONV, n=115). The curiosity towards STEM questionnaire was developed to measure the level of curiosity towards STEM. Data analysis was performed using MANCOVA, ANCOVA, and effect size. The results of the MANCOVA analysis showed that there was a significant effect across the three TL approaches for curiosity towards STEM. Meanwhile, the ANCOVA analysis results showed a significant effect of the SI-TWM approach compared to the SI and CONV approaches on curiosity towards STEM, the construct of Exploration and Acceptance. The results of this research prove that the SI-TWM approach positively impacts the cultivation of students' curiosity towards STEM.

Lack of awareness about the interconnections between Science, Technology, and Society and students' dislike of studying science have led to many environmental and social problems. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, students experienced difficulties accessing educational resources and demanded new programs to support their academic science experiences. This study designed a science outreach program, a video project competition using a science, technology, and society (STS) learning approach and explored its effects on 13 randomly selected students (Grades 4-11). This video project employed three foundational theories--identity formation, attitudes toward science, and growth mindset--to increase students' affinities in science and assess the program's effects. Pre-and post-survey data showed that the video project using the STS approach did not have statistically meaningful effects on the participants who had high achievement in STEM areas. However, their interviews suggested that this study helped to sustain and increase their affinities and science learning even during the Pandemic by involving them in the learning process, understanding Science and Technology in our society, and making decisions for society's future.

There is an increasing interest and growing practice in Citizen Science (CS) that goes along with the usage of websites for communication as well as for capturing and processing data and materials. From an educational perspective, it is expected that by integrating information about CS in a formal educational setting, it will inspire teachers to create learning activities. This is an interesting case for using bots to automate the process of data extraction from online CS platforms to better understand its use in educational contexts. Although this information is publicly available, it has to follow GDPR rules. This paper aims to explain (1) how CS communicates and is promoted on websites, (2) how web scraping methods and anonymization techniques have been designed, developed and applied to collect information from online sources and (3) how these data could be used for educational purposes. After the analysis of 72 websites, some of the results obtained show that only 24.8% includes detailed information about the CS project and 48.61% includes information about educational purposes or materials.

Integrating service learning with undergraduate research, the student biodiesel project converted all waste vegetable oil (WVO) from campus dining centers into a sustainable biofuel used by campus vehicles, allowing half of the campus diesel energy needs to be met by a material (WVO) that was formerly a waste. Biodiesel reduced air pollution from campus diesel vehicles, including the emission of greenhouse gases. This project connected students to their community and increased students' awareness of the "social/economic" aspects of environmental challenges in the world around them. Students felt a "great sense of responsibility to make a real product that would make a difference" in the real world. Students who participated in the research course became teaching assistants for another regular course in which biodiesel production was a component. This allowed biodiesel to be produced sustainably and provided additional students with hands-on bioenergy experience. Specific challenges and suggestions for future practices are also reported.

This qualitative study investigated perceptions of STSE topics manifested by adults visiting four biodiversity exhibits at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto, Canada. Seven visitors were observed by researchers during their visits and completed post-visit interviews. The theoretical perspective on STSE relationships expounded by Pedretti and Nazir (2011) and Steele (2014) was adopted for the analysis portion of this investigation. Results indicate that the exhibits were able to communicate their central messages on the relationship between human beings and the natural world and the relationship between science and society, as well as reveal some of the effects that these messages had on the public. However, results also support the assertion that some of the intended STSE concepts were not perceived by the participants. Moreover, we identified limitations regarding adult visitors' abilities to perceive science and technology as human activities embedded in a social, historical and moral context.

Science continuously interacts with the social environment. Science develops with social needs, and society develops and changes with scientific advances. These changes and developments may cause dilemmas in society. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the improvements among pre-service science teachers in terms of socio-scientific issues and nature of science after explicit theoretical and practical training. The participants in this case study were 16 voluntary pre-service science teachers. In-depth views of the pre-service science teachers on nature of science and socio-scientific issues were examined with open-ended questions and reflective diaries. After the training, the understanding of the pre-service science teachers for nature of science and socio-scientific issues was improved, and they learned various approaches for teaching nature of science and socio-scientific issues.

A number of diverse arguments have been proposed by researchers of science education regarding the reason science should be taught in schools. These arguments inevitably play a crucial role in the curriculum designed by policymakers. The present study turns its attention to the democratic argument. It explores its validity through a special socio-scientific issue that citizens are likely to encounter in their everyday life, that of radiation emitted from cell phones. In particular, it tries to study the required knowledge of physics that will enable individuals to effectively deal with the emission of radiation from cell phones. Moreover, drawing from sharp conflicts that have arisen during the last years around the world between citizens and cell phone companies regarding the installation of cell towers within residential areas, it tries to record information about different places in the world where the cell phone controversy has made headline news.

In recent decades, enhancing scientific literacy has been the ultimate goal of science education worldwide. This effort aims to develop the skills by individuals to cope with the challenges of the modern world, which requires scientific knowledge and thinking. This research study aimed to investigate and compare the scientific literacy level of Greek pre-service teachers and primary school students. The total number of participants was 787, of which 362 were pre-service teachers and 425 primary school students. Scientific literacy was assessed with the selected response measure of demonstrated scientific literacy (SLA-D). According to descriptive analyses and statistical hypothesis tests, pre-service teachers' scientific literacy level was considered significantly higher than students, as was expected. However, the scientific literacy level of both pre-service teachers and students in the sample remained low. This work provides recommendations for actions that can help improve the scientific literacy level of both students and teachers so that schools become a source of scientifically literate future citizens.

Citizen science's (CS) deployment and benefit over the last ten years have been remarkably substantial in their contributions to the massification of citizen participation in tech-based CS projects. Insights into how CS projects influence community changes through proposals of actions and public policies are essential to understanding how they facilitate citizens' advocacy in decision-making at various ecosystem levels. To this end, we conducted a systematic literature review of tech-based CS projects published between 2017 and 2022, in which the participation of the tertiary education sector played a central role. We used a guideline that education plays a fundamental role in developing technology-based CS projects. The more educational processes, such as incorporating activities that strengthen complex thinking in citizens, the greater their involvement in decision-making to propose public policies that address their current problems. Findings suggested that a) there is significant involvement of the educational system with CS; b) CS projects do not comply with the innovation helixes; c) tech-based CS projects usually indirectly develop competencies and sub-competencies of complex thinking, and d) social actions are clearly articulated through these competencies and sub-competencies that determine the complete cycle of tech-based CS projects, which result in organized actions or public policies. To sum up, this study serves as a call for long-term co-design projects that consider both the individual development of the participants and the integral impact on decision-making at all levels.

This study aims to describe the effect of the Nyerayo-based Science, Environment, Technology, and Society learning model on the scientific literacy skills of elementary school students in East Kluet District, South Aceh Regency. Learning Science, Environment, Technology, Society (SETS) has an important role in improving the scientific literacy and cooperation skills of Elementary School students. This research includes research that uses a quasi-experimental method with "nonequivalent control group design." The population in this study amounted to 182 fifth grade elementary school students and the sample of this study consisted of 17 male students and 37 female students with a total of 54 students. The research data was obtained through multiple choice test instruments on scientific literacy skills. The data obtained were analyzed using an independent sample t test. The results of this study indicate that "Nyerayo-based Science, Environment, Technology, and Society" learning has a significant effect on students' scientific literacy skills based on a significance value of 0.00 < 0.05.

This research was conducted to examine the effects of the socioscientific issue approach (SSI) with thinking wheel map (TM) on entrepreneurial science thinking (EST) and the constructs of Observation, New Ideas, Innovation, Creativity, and Value. A teaching and learning (TL) module was developed to guide teachers in implementing the infusion of SSI with TM TL approach on EST among fifth graders. Quasi-experimental quantitative research was conducted on 345 fifth graders in urban primary schools in Malaysia. A total of three TL groups were assigned randomly; namely, (1) SSI-TM approach (n=115); (2) SSI (n=115); and (3) Conventional approach (CONV, n=115). The results of the MANCOVA analysis showed a significant effect across the three groups of TL approach for EST. Meanwhile, the ANCOVA analysis results showed a significant effect of the SSI-TM TL approach compared to SSI and CONV on EST and in all constructs of EST. The SSI-TM TL approach showed a higher post-test mean score than the SSI, and then the SSI posttest mean score was significantly higher than the CONV in all constructs studied except the Observation. The findings prove that the SSI-TM TL approach positively impacts the cultivation of EST among fifth graders.

It is widely accepted that one of the most important series that sheds light on the triangle of science-technology-society is the Fringe series. This study intends to make teacher candidates analyze the Fringe in the triangle of science-technology-society and to get their views on the future technologies mentioned in the series and the dilemmas about the effects of these technologies on society. The phenomenology method, one of the qualitative research methods was used when designing the study. During the application process, the teacher candidates were shown the Fringe series and based on the science and technology applications in this series as well as the effects of these applications on society, the existing phenomena related to the subject in the context of science-technology-society were examined. Semi-structured interview questions for the Fringe developed by the researchers were used as a data collection tool. As a result of the study, it was seen that the science teacher candidates evaluated the events in the Fringe with different perspectives on the science-technology-society triangle.

Justice-centred science pedagogy has been suggested as an effective framework for supporting teachers in bringing in culturally relevant pedagogy to their science classrooms; however, limited instructional tools exist that introduce social dimensions of science in ways teachers feel confident navigating. In this article, we add to the justice-centred science pedagogy framework by offering tools to make sense of science and social factors and introduce socioscientific modelling as an instructional strategy for attending to social dimensions of science in ways that align with justice-centred science pedagogy. Socioscientific modelling offers an inclusive, culturally responsive approach to education in science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics through welcoming students' diverse repertoires of personal and community knowledge and linking disciplinary knowledge with social dimensions. In this way, students can come to view content knowledge as a tool for making sense of inequitable systems and societal injustices. Using data from an exploratory study conducted in summer 2022, we present emerging evidence of how this type of modelling has shown students to demonstrate profound insight into social justice science issues, construct understandings that are personally meaningful and engage in sophisticated reasoning. We conclude with future considerations for the field.

The purpose of this study is to determine which features of the nature of science pre-service primary school teachers refer to while making a decision on a socioscientific issue at the end of the explicit reflective nature of science education. For this purpose, an exploratory qualitative research design was used in the study. The research group comprised 77 pre-service primary school teachers in their third year of studies at a public university. The study was carried out within the scope of the "Science and Technology Teaching" course. As a data collection tool, the socioscientific scenario "Babies with Three Parents" was used. Content analysis and descriptive analysis were used to analyze the data. According to the findings of the study, pre-service primary school teachers have a good level of ability to use the features of the nature of science, the changeable nature of scientific knowledge, and the fact that it is based on observation and experimentation when deciding on a socioscientific issue. Furthermore, pre-service class teachers primarily used the subjectivity and creativity features of scientific knowledge as well as the features of observation.

This study is a qualitative study conducted to examine the effect of socioscientific issues (SSI) on discourse patterns used in the classroom. The research was conducted with four elementary science teachers working in a public school. The research was designed as case studies of these four teachers and data resources were video recordings of these teachers' routine and SSI based lessons. The data was analyzed through discourse analysis. The discourse patterns used by teachers were examined in terms of adjacent the utterance, triadic, and chain discourse patterns. The results indicated that the discourse patterns used by the teachers in their routine lessons changed dramatically in the context of SSI and the chain discourse pattern came to the fore in the courses processed in the context of the SSI.

This study was conducted to: 1) ascertain the validity, reliability, and feasibility of a module based on the socioscientific issue approach and design thinking model (SIA-DT), and 2) assess its effects on the entrepreneurial creative thinking (ECT) in STEM education. The first phase of ECT module validation was conducted with the assistance of three expert evaluators and 32 students. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire and the ECT test were used to collect data. The second phase consists of evaluation using a quasi-experimental design with a Pre-Post Test of Non-Equivalent Control Groups. A total of 64 Form Four students were divided into two groups: SIA-DT (n = 32) and control (n = 32). The ECT module has a high validity value and an acceptable Cronbach's alpha reliability of 0.92. The ECT Module's feasibility was substantiated by a mean score of 4.71. The results of the independent-sample t-test prove that there is a significant difference in the post-test for students in the SIA-DT group compared to the control group in ECT and five constructs of ECT. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that the ECT Module is valid, reliable, and feasible in STEM education and that it is effective in enhancing students' ECT.

In this study, the primary goal was to enhance the knowledge and awareness of 4th-grade primary school students regarding global pandemic diseases and methods of safeguarding against worldwide epidemic diseases which are socio-scientific issues. To achieve this goal, two activity modules tailored for 4th-grade students were created. These encompassed various activities, including experiments, worksheets on scientific process skills, science-themed interactive reading, and poster development. The research was conducted at a public school during the 2022-2023 academic year, utilising a qualitative research methodology. Data were collected through pre- and post-implementation interviews. The findings of the study indicated that students were able to articulate accurate scientific information about global pandemics and protective measures. They also demonstrated an ability to implement preventive measures in their daily lives and share information about global pandemics with their families and friends. Furthermore, it was observed that students developed a more positive perception of scientists.

Scientific literacy development significantly impacts real-world outcomes, leading to scrutiny of instructional approaches for global reform in science education. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of the Science-Technology-Society (STS) approach in improving students' scientific learning outcomes. A quantitative research design, using meta-analysis guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, was used to determine the effect sizes of previous studies on the STS approach's effectiveness in science learning and teaching. The study analyzed 16 effect sizes from 14 empirical studies from January 2017 to September 2022 using Harzing's Publish or Perish application and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) software. Results showed that the STS approach significantly and positively impacts students' learning outcomes (g = 1.882), particularly psychomotor skills, affective domain, and cognitive skills. Moderator analysis showed that STS is an effective teaching strategy that yields similar positive results regardless of the assessed learning outcomes. The findings demonstrated that the STS approach facilitates students' development of scientific knowledge, skills, and mindset to innovate for real-world problems. These findings provided empirical information that are essential for learning analytics applications in predicting learners' performance and diagnosing instructional practices. Implications for future research and practice, as well as addressing publication bias, are highlighted in order to maximize the benefits of the STS approach in science education.

While several initiatives for justice-oriented pedagogies have been developed and implemented over the years, there is limited understanding of the ways in which teachers, and their practice, are impacted by these. This article presents data documenting the impact of a pedagogical approach -- the science capital teaching approach -- on a cohort of teachers. The approach, developed over a period of six years working in close partnership with primary and secondary teachers in England, aimed to support teachers to move towards more equitable and socially just pedagogical practice. This article explores the empirical impact of the approach on teacher practice. The data set comprises the experiences of 43 secondary and 20 Primary school teachers from different geographical regions in England, covering both rural and urban schools. Qualitative data include teacher interviews, observations and discussions and indicate that implementation of the approach resulted in a range of changes: (1) a deepened understanding of, and reflection on, issues of power and equity; (2) greater sharing of authorial roles with students; and (3) stronger relationships of trust between students and teachers. The article concludes by arguing that the implementation of the science capital teaching approach has had a positive effect on teachers and has supported their practice of justice-oriented science teaching.