Abstracts – Session Two

12:20 – 1:20 – 6EN – 561

Chair:  Xiaoming Tian

Yujiao Qiao: Teachers’ understandings and use of socio-scientific issues in science classrooms: A Chinese science education community’s perspective

STS(E) is the main approach to develop scientific literacy in China. Socio-scientific issues (SSI) provide potential to realise broader scientific literacy goals. However, no evidence supports its use in the Chinese curriculum context. This study explored a Chinese science education community’s perspectives of dealing with SSI and their use in science classrooms. Eleven in-service teachers, ten student teachers and five teacher educators participated individually in newspaper article reviewing activities and interviews regarding a local issue of smog and haze. A thematic analysis employed Ratcliffe and Grace’s (2003) SSI framework to analyse data inductively and deductively. Eight categories were identified: Context; Scientific knowledge; Sustainable development; Evaluation of evidence; Risk identification; Awareness of morality and ethics; as well as Decision-making reasoning. The results showed that most of participants were open to utilise SSI in science classrooms but they reported constraints hindering their realisation of SSI goals. Participants also expressed a wide range of perspectives in the conceptual understanding, sustainable development and evaluation of evidence categories but narrow understandings of other categories. These findings indicate that SSI has the potential to satisfy the scientific literacy goals identified in the Chinese science curriculum and identify areas for further professional development.

Rajesh Ram: Engaging young people in science education through socioscientific issues of biosecurity

The biosecurity system is extremely important to New Zealand because the economy is based largely on exporting products derived from primary industry practices. Recent developments in trade practices such as online trade have put the biosecurity system in New Zealand under further strain. In light of this, engaging young people to support biosecurity initiatives is crucial. A qualitative approach using the interpretive mode of inquiry was used to investigate the message young people got out of biosecurity educational material in the public. One hundred and seventy one young people completed a questionnaire that consisted of Likert-scale type questions and open ended questions that focussed on getting young people’s understanding of biosecurity related educational material. The findings show that although young people emotionally connected with the biosecurity educational material, they were unable to get the biosecurity message. Building prior knowledge about biosecurity through including biosecurity as a socioscientific issue in schools is recommended.