Investigating Predictors of Students' Certainty of Assumptions About Socioscientific Issues

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

Abstract

Students who are stakeholders in an issue may be more likely to engage in motivated reasoning or have emotional and psychological barriers to engagement in learning activities, especially objective examination of evidence. In a post-secondary science literacy course we examined students’ certainty of assumptions about water conservation solutions’ impacts on water conservation and farmer economics. We also examined if students who identify as stakeholders or with high certainty of assumptions perform more poorly on tasks that require them to explain the results of scientific evidence as it relates to the issue. Understanding the relationships between these variables will aid teachers in understanding and removing barriers to engagement that occur when teaching using socioscientific issues.

Authors

• Jenny M Dauer, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Caitlin Kirby, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Cody Smith

• Amanda Sorensen, University of Nebraska - Lincoln