Mapping controversies: pre-service teachers' mapping of a controversial socio-scientific issue

Nicholl, Joanne, Christodoulou, Andri, Davies, Paul, Grace, Marcus and Levinson, Ralph (2015) Mapping controversies: pre-service teachers' mapping of a controversial socio-scientific issue. European Science Education Research Association (ESERA), Helsinki, Finland. 30 Aug - 03 Sep 2015.

Abstract

In recent times, there has been increasing attention to the educational potential of socio-scientific issues (SSI) within science education. One of the main issues associated with the teaching of SSIs is the ability to identify the multiple perspectives a SSI constitutes of, so as to enable students to consider them in their learning and decision-making. In this study we have investigated how 50 pre-service teachers (PSTs), from two different teacher-training institutions in the UK, understand and conceptualise the controversial issue of badger culling in the UK. Our attempts to understand how individuals map controversial issues was informed by Latour’s (2007) actor-network theory. We utlised an exploratory qualitative approach to research, asking PSTs to create mind maps of key factors of the controversy. We conducted data collection and analyses in two Phases. Phase 1 was an open-ended task of identifying as many connections as possible related to ‘milk’ (a key factor in the badger controversy). Phase 2 framed the mapping task as a ‘mapping the controversy’ task, asking PSTs to identify as many connections as possible between two key factors; that of milk and of the badger. During Phase 1 participants did not associate milk with the badger issue and instead mainly framed their constructions based on scientific knowledge. However, the way in which the mapping task was framed during Phase 2 (discussing SSIs in science education) prompted PSTs to consider multiple perspectives and key factors when constructing their maps, with participants identifying the badger culling as a key connection between milk and badgers. Implications for pre-service science education are discussed

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Contributors

Author: Andri Christodoulou

Author: Marcus Grace

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