Teacher Candidates' Perceptions of Socioscientific Issues–Based Instruction

• In Event: Science Teaching and Learning: Socioscientific Issues (SSIs)

Abstract

This study explored the association between elementary teacher candidates’ perceptions of teaching socioscientific issues (SSI) and the instructional context in which they initially engaged with SSI. One course engaged with SSI while learning pedagogical strategies during an elementary science methods (decontextualized) course. The second course engaged with SSI via an environmental sciences course (contextualized). A mixed methods approach was utilized where the findings indicated while teacher candidates from both courses generally held positive perceptions of SSI instruction after engaging with SSI, students in the contextualized course perceived a greater ability to answer SSI-related questions and expressed more positive attitudes towards science content in general. Additionally, students in both courses perceived a greater need for teacher training on SSI implementation post-course.

Authors

• Melanie Elizabeth Kinskey, Sam Houston State University

• Mark Newton, East Carolina University