Influence of Knowledge, Values, and Personal Experience on Socioscientific Reasoning for an Environmental Socioscientific Issue

• In Event: Science Teaching and Learning: High School Science

Abstract

When students engage in lessons using socioscientific issues (SSIs), they learn about the complex nature of scientific issues as they develop and evaluate approaches to resolving the problems. This process, called socioscientific reasoning (SSR), has been hypothesized by Chang Rundgren & Rundgren (2010) to be influenced by the knowledge, values, and personal experiences (KVP) of the individual. The study described in this submission evaluates empirically the relationship between KVP and SSR using structural equation modeling for an SSI on environmental preservation. This work extends the understanding of how student background relates to their engagement with an SSI. Results suggest that KVP does influence SSR as hypothesized, but the data suggests some deviations from the original theory.

Author

• Heidi Cian, Florida International University