Enhancing socio-scientific reasoning of elementary school students through educational comics: a comprehensive exploration across diverse domain of knowledge

Abstract

Socio-scientific reasoning (SSR) is the capacity of students to engage with socio-scientific issues, encompassing four dimensions: complexity, perspective-taking, inquiry, and scepticism. Previous research has typically evaluated SSR into levels. In this study, we employed comics infused with socio-scientific issue (SSI) content as an intervention with elementary school students to familiarise them with SSI and, in turn, enhance their SSR. Rather than employing quantitative levelling techniques, our focus centred on the breadth of SSR. This shift in perspective was motivated by the recognition that elementary school children are at an early stage of SSI comprehension and possess limited scientific knowledge. Our findings reveal that students drew from diverse domains of knowledge when responding to SSI scenarios, encompassing natural science, technology, engineering, mathematics, economics, sociology, psychology, and ethics. Notably, students employed between 3 and 5 knowledge domains for each SSR dimension. This study highlights the efficacy of comics-based interventions in promoting SSR.