IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i14p5827-d1431365.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Use of Socioscientific Issues in Science Lessons: A Scoping Review

Author

Listed:
  • Cristina Viehmann

    (School of Humanities and Education, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey Campus, Monterrey 64700, NL, Mexico)

  • Juan Manuel Fernández Cárdenas

    (School of Humanities and Education, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey Campus, Monterrey 64700, NL, Mexico)

  • Cristina Gehibie Reynaga Peña

    (School of Humanities and Education, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey Campus, Monterrey 64700, NL, Mexico)

Abstract

Socioscientific issues represent an innovative approach within the realm of STEM education as they integrate real-world problems, promote critical thinking, and encourage interdisciplinary learning, thus preparing students to address complex societal challenges through scientific inquiry. The objective of this scoping review was to analyze the use of SSIs in science lessons. A database search of Web of Science and Scopus focused on articles published between 2013 and 2023. When applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 106 articles were selected. The scoping review revealed a focus on socioscientific issues within high school and undergraduate curricula, particularly pertaining to environmental, genetic, and health-related concerns, as well as localized SSIs. A variety of methodological approaches, predominantly qualitative, were applied to capture the educational dynamics of integrating socioscientific issues into pedagogy. Inquiry-based learning emerges as a preferred pedagogical model, stimulating student engagement with real societal challenges. The educational resources employed encompass both conventional texts and digital tools, such as data mapping and visualization software, facilitating a multifaceted comprehension of SSIs. Pedagogical techniques are diverse, incorporating argumentation, role-playing, and digital media to enrich the teaching and learning experience. Nevertheless, the incorporation of socioscientific issues faces obstacles, including resistance to pedagogical innovation, the inherent complexity of the topics, and the demand for specialized teacher training.

Suggested Citation

  • Cristina Viehmann & Juan Manuel Fernández Cárdenas & Cristina Gehibie Reynaga Peña, 2024. "The Use of Socioscientific Issues in Science Lessons: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-29, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:14:p:5827-:d:1431365
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/14/5827/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/14/5827/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Emil Eidin & Yael Shwartz, 2023. "From Ideal to Practical—A Design of Teacher Professional Development on Socioscientific Issues," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-28, July.
    2. Yiannis Georgiou & Eleni A. Kyza, 2023. "Fostering Chemistry Students’ Scientific Literacy for Responsible Citizenship through Socio-Scientific Inquiry-Based Learning (SSIBL)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-21, April.
    3. Marlen Goldschmidt & Franz-Josef Scharfenberg & Franz X. Bogner, 2016. "Instructional efficiency of different discussion approaches in an outreach laboratory: Teacher-guided versus student-centered," The Journal of Educational Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 109(1), pages 27-36, January.
    4. Debra McGregor & Sarah Frodsham & Clarysly Deller, 2023. "Participatory Inquiries That Promote Consideration of Socio-Scientific Issues Related to Sustainability within Three Different Contexts: Agriculture, Botany and Palaeontology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-14, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Elena Fanioudaki & Hara Drinia & Charalampos Fassoulas, 2024. "Geocultural Interactions in Minoan Crete: An Environmental Education Perspective through Drama Techniques," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-18, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:14:p:5827-:d:1431365. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.