Trends in Science Education

JOURNAL
REVIEW
Socioscientific Issue

Presented by Agnya Yasmin A (1807693)

JOURNAL 1

A Case Study on the Use of Contexts and

Socio-Scientific Issues-Based Science
Education by Pre-service Junior High School
Science Teachers in Indonesia During Their
Final Year Teaching Internship

Safwatun Nida, Novida Pratiwi, and Ingo Eilks

(2021)
 INTRODUCTION
In the past, school science in many countries, such as in Sweden, England, and Australia, has been
characterized as generally being structured around decontextualized content which is often perceived as
difficult to learn by many students. Traditional science curricula have been described as being overloaded
with content

Science teaching needs to be better connected to societally relevant questions and to be tied to the use of
socioscientific issues (SSIs) in order to make science curricula relevant. Most of experienced junior high
school teachers rarely implement SSIs in their teaching. However, they acknowledge the potential of SSI-
based education.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of contexts and socio-scientific issues-based science
education among pre-service science teachers (PSTs).
 Sample
42 pre-service junior secondary science
teachers taking part in a 4-year science
education program at a State University in East-
Java, Indonesia.

Instruments
Methodology Questionnaire and Interview.

Data Analysis
The questionnaire were descriptively analyzed
and percentage distributions were calculated.
The interview responses were transcribed and
analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
 RESULTS & DISCUSSION

Always
25% Sometimes
28.6%

Often
46.4%
How often samples use daily life context when teaching science Type of context used by the PSTs in their teaching practice. The order of using context in teaching.
One of the topics that the teacher taught to students is environmental
pollution

Acknowledging that the environmental issues used were potentially

controversial, none of the PSTs planned to use the controversial points
of view to drive the lesson. However, two PSTs admitted that the
controversy around the used issue was addressed by their students,
although they had not included it in the scenario of their lesson plan

The PSTs seem to find it difficult to use controversies to engaging their

students in societal discussions.
 CONCLUSIONS

All of the samples used daily life contexts in their teaching practice programs. They
tended to be presented at the beginning of the lessons, mainly for motivational
purposes and to foster student engagement with science concepts. Although the
samples are aware that some of the topics, like environmental pollutions, have
some potentially controversial issues, the sample decided not to provoke the issue
any further.
JOURNAL 2

Socio-scientific reasoning and environmental

literacy in a field-based ecology class
Andrew T. Kinslow, Troy D. Sadler & Hai T. Nguyen
(2019)
 INTRODUCTION
The missing of the ability of students to contextualize and provide meaning-making opportunities for
students in field-based environmental education. For example, students on an ecology field trip may
experience an enjoyable trip that illustrates ecology concepts or techniques, but they may not be engaged in
activities that require thinking and critical reasoning Something is needed in order to elevate these
experiences to higher epistemic levels.

Socio-scientific reasoning (SSR) is a conceptual resource, developed to directly examine the kinds of complex
learning outcomes SSI instruction is intended to promote. SSR consists of a set of interrelated competencies
including: Complexity, Perspective taking, Inquiry, and Skepticism) The socio-scientific issue-based
instruction was proposed to integrate complex contextual component to increase epistemic engagement and
facilitate gains in scientific and environmental literacy.

The socio-scientific issue-based instruction was proposed to integrate complex contextual component to
increase epistemic engagement and facilitate gains in scientific and environmental literacy.
 Sample
19 high school students (grade 9-12)
participating in a field ecology course.The
course was redesigned to employ a socio-
scientific issue approach to address this
problem using an SSI framework, based around
a local water quality issue related to a proposed
groundwater ethanol plant.

Methodology Data Collection &

Analysis
a convergent parallel mixed methods approach
in which quantitative and qualitative data were
collected and analyzed together to provide a
comprehensive analysis.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
Complexity was featured in 92% of the students’ writings (i.e., learning
logs and position statements). Learning log entries commonly featured
commentary on the complexity of the unique science that students
learned associated with the day’s activities and how it connected with
the SSI theme for the course.

The ability to examine the SSI from multiple perspectives was featured
in 75% of student position statements. Multiple perspective-taking was
less common in the learning logs (66%), but this is most likely due to
the fact that personal reflection journals inherently promote an
individual perspective.

The Inquiry SSR competency was featured in 90% of student learning

logs.

Evidence of skepticism was found in 11% of student position

statements, expressed primarily with students questioning claims and
seeking verification of facts from stakeholders in the ethanol plant
debate.
 CONCLUSIONS
Students developed SSR competencies associated with experiences in a field-based
ecology course centered on a local socio-scientific issue. These findings indicate it
is indeed possible to promote student growth in SSR within a field-based
environmental SSI course.
JOURNAL 3

Fostering Decision-Making Skills Through

Socio-Scientific Issues in the 2013 Curriculum

Dita Ardwiyanti, Zuhdan Kun Prasetyo

(2021)
 INTRODUCTION
The shift in future employment scenario is a real challenge due to Industry 4.0. Changes in workforce trends
have increased the gaps in work-skills mismatch, leading to the mastery of new skills, such as decision-
making.

Decision-making in science education can be expressed by as students ability to discuss and interpret
complex socio-scientific issues (SSI) and knowledge related to economic, social, and political aspects of
life.The ability to use scientific knowledge to make informed decisions in the context of SSI is the essence of
scientific literacy.

This study aims to describe the appropriate development strategy of decision-making skills in the context of
SSI in the junior high school 2013 Curriculum based on various theoretical constructs of decision-making
proposed by researchers.
 Data Collection &
Analysis
This research is descriptive qualitative. This
study describes a strategy for developing
Methodology decision making in the context of IDO in the
2013 Junior High School Curriculum. Data
collection was done by using worksheets
 RESULTS & DISCUSSION
Decision-making processes have been proposed and tested empirically in a science classroom discourse. From
many research that author found, it can be summarized that decision-making is the skills in choosing the best
solution to the SSI (in the context of science learning) through four cognitive processes: identifying the SSI,
formulating alternative solutions, evaluating alternative solutions, and making decisions.

The need for the development of decision-making skills in the junior high school 2013 Curriculum is represented
indirectly by the Graduate Competency Standard. Some of the basic competence (K.D) in science subject already
met the requirements of SSI which are complex, unlimited, most controversial, and socially crucial without
concrete solutions.

The author proposed that, decision-making oriented science instructions should began by introducing the issue as
an authentic learning context.
 CONCLUSIONS
The fostering commitment of decision-making skills in Indonesia has been raised
implicitly through the Government's vision of improving scientific literacy.
However, these efforts have not met expectations. Delivering the SSI article and
stimulating them to choose the SSI’s best solution through four cognitive processes
guided by students’ worksheets can be established as the strategy to develop
decision-making skills in science instruction.
JOURNAL 4

Introducing Argumentation About Climate

Change Socioscientific Issues in a
Disadvantaged School
Vaille Dawson & Katherine Carson
(2020)
 INTRODUCTION
People face an uncertain future, with global issues such as climate change presenting a multitude of
challenges. These issues, and others, require international collabo ration to ensure that solutions are found.
It is important that school science education equips young people with the skills, knowledge and dispositions
to understand and make evidence-based decisions about these issues. To be able to evaluate the nature of
evidence, the argumentation skill is needed

Australia generally perform well in international tests like PISA. the low score test takers comes from from
socially disadvantaged back grounds, particularly from low socioeconomic areas. Thus the development of
thinking skills (including argumentation) is especially important with low-achieving students because it can
improve academic achievement in science.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the impact of an argumentation intervention on the
socioscientific issue of climate change with Year 10 students in a disadvantaged Australian school.
 Sample
31 students of year 10 in a low ICSEA school
with an early career science teacher.

Data Collection
Both quantitative and qualitative data were
collected to address the research questions..
Quantitative data comprised a pre- and post-
instruction questionnaire, and qualitative data

Methodology
included lesson transcripts, classroom
observation field notes, teacher and student
interview transcripts, and student work
samples.

Data Analysis
classroom observation and interview result
were transcribed and coded. And for the
questionnaire was analysed by Toulmin’s
argumentation framework and identified by
content category.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION

There is a modest improvement in argumentation skill.

There was a non significant improvement in the average structural

quality of students’ written arguments after instruction

The students significantly improved their understanding of climate

change and the green house effect. In particular, they understood the
difference between weather and climate, the role of the greenhouse
effect in maintaining life and types of greenhouse gases.

There were several limitations in the study design. One of them is there
was no comparison group to be able to determine the impact of the
argumentation lessons.
 CONCLUSIONS

The result of this research shows that the involvement of climate change SSI in year
10 of disadvantaged students resulted in modest improvement in argumentation
skills. However there are several limitations in this study, so further research is
needed to prove more claims.
JOURNAL 5

Inquiry Learning Using Local Socio-

Scientific Issues as Context to
Improve Students' Chemical Literacy

Rosiana Melia Sari & Antuni Wiyarsi

2021
 INTRODUCTION
There are four domains of students with literacy abitlities : knowledge of scientific and chemical content,
chemistry in a context, high order learning skills (HOSL), and affective aspect. Unfortunately, students with
chemical literacy is still low. To improve this skills especially the HOSL and the decision attitudes, is to
incorporated the SSI context to the learning activity. And while using the SSI context, the inquiry learning is
also being applied.

Chemistry learning problems also exist at the level of students' understanding of reaction rates because
students have not been able to connect it with students' lives. Some contexts used in the reaction rate
material are coral reefs, volcanic eruptions, tropical forests, biofuel energy sources, and medical use of
alcohol

The research's objective is to investigate applying inquiry learning using local SSI context on the students'
chemical literacy. Inquiry learning using local socio-scientific issues context in this study used the Predict,
Observe, Explain, Extend (POEE) that combine with inquiry activities.
 Sample
The research sample was 11th-grade students.
The experimental class consists of 32 students,
while the control class consists of 34 students.

Data Collection
The data were obtained from the reaction rate
chemical literacy test (RRCLT). RRCLT was

Methodology
essay questions, which consisted of total item
number under five local SSI topics (coral reefs,
volcanic eruptions, tropical forest, biofuel
energy sources, and medical use of alcohol).

Data Analysis
Paired sample t-test analysis
Independent sample t-test analysis
Calculating the average value of normalized
gain (n-gain).
RESULTS & DISCUSSION

There is a difference in students' chemical literacy

ability for the pretest and post-test from both in the
experimental and control classes.

There is a difference in students' chemical literacy

ability between the experimental and control class.
Students in the experimental class were taught using
context showed better chemical literacy ability than
the control class.

Students' chemical literacy ability on each topic

showed that the experimental class was higher than
the control class.
 CONCLUSIONS

The results of the study showed differences in students' chemical literacy abilities
before and after inquiry learning with the application of the local SSI context, there
were differences in students' chemical literacy abilities between the experimental
class and the control class, as well as an increase in students' chemical literacy
abilities. In this learning application, the controversial local issues arise as the
characteristic of SSI induced the students to be more actively discussing and
debating to train their chemical literacy.
 REFERENCES
Nida, S., Pratiwi, N., & Eilks, I. (2021, January). A Case Study on the Use of Contexts and Socio-Scientific Issues-Based
Science Education by Pre-service Junior High School Science Teachers in Indonesia During Their Final Year Teaching
Internship. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 5, p. 292). Frontiers.

Kinslow, A. T., Sadler, T. D., & Nguyen, H. T. (2019). Socio-scientific reasoning and environmental literacy in a field-based
ecology class. Environmental Education Research, 25(3), 388-410.

Ardwiyanti, D., & Prasetyo, Z. K. (2021, January). Fostering Decision-Making Skills Through Socio-Scientific Issues in the
2013 Curriculum. In 4th Sriwijaya University Learning and Education International Conference (SULE-IC 2020) (pp. 6-13)
Atlantis Press.

Dawson, V., & Carson, K. (2020). Introducing argumentation about climate change socioscientific issues in a disadvantaged
school. Research in Science Education, 50(3), 863-883.

Sari, R. M., & Wiyarsi, A. (2021, March). Inquiry Learning Using Local Socio-Scientific Issues as Context to Improve Students
Chemical Literacy. In 7th International Conference on Research, Implementation, and Education of Mathematics and Sciences
(ICRIEMS 2020) (pp. 201-208). Atlantis Press.