Using socioscientific issues as an educational tool to develop scientific literacy

Abstract

The science that is making by scientists and scholar science are not related. This lack of connection between the two is reflected in different reports and also in the increasing disinterest of students about the science subjects. In this paper, we set out training in scientific competence and, specifically, the achievement of the scientific literacy through socioscientific issues (SSI). SSI bring “science in the making” to the class wakening the interest of the students in themes that are related to science and to society. These open problems are a good context to study science and about the science that at the same time they constitute a powerful tool to develop scientific literacy. Furthermore, during the last years, SSI has constituted one of the more innovative lines of research in science education.