How Does Adding an Emphasis on Socioscientific Issues Influence Student Attitudes About Science, Its Relevance, and Their Interpretations of Sustainability?

ABSTRACT

A general consensus exists among the leaders of both developed and developing nations that their citizens should be scientifically literate. Therefore, it is important for educational systems to provide students with access to pertinent scientific knowledge, an appreciation for the scientific processes, and the ability to evaluate scientific claims. Students' attitudes toward science and its relevance can serve to nurture or impede the development of their science literacy. Some researchers have proposed that we can improve students' attitudes toward science and foster science literacy by emphasizing the connections between science and society. We sought to determine if the repeated and explicit exposure to socioscientific issues through the use of InTeGrate course materials would result in positive changes to students' attitudes about science and its relevance. We collected data on student attitudes using the revised Scientific Attitude Inventory and the Changes in Attitude about the Relevance of Science survey in a quasi-experimental design over four semesters of an introductory physical geology course. Results, although mixed, show that an emphasis of socioscientific issues can positively influence students' attitudes about science and their perceptions on the relevance of science. These findings have potential implications for the selection of content for introductory science courses, and demonstrate the utility of designing or adapting geoscience lessons based around socioscientific issues.

Key words: :

• undergraduates
• sustainability
• attitudes

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Science Foundation award 1125331. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation. We thank anonymous reviewers who helped improve the manuscript and colleagues throughout the InTeGrate project for feedback and support.