Unifying Themes in Moral Reasoning on Socioscientific Issues and Discourse

Abstract

Students who are able to think carefully about socioscientific issues may be said to exhibit a degree of scientific literacy. If they are to become fully scientifically literate, these individuals will also cultivate a positive skepticism concerning the ontological status of scientific knowledge. Their decisions will be tempered by an awareness of the cultural factors that guide and generate knowledge. Perhaps most importantly, their decisions will not occur in a vacuum. If educators structure the learning environment properly, then students will come to recognize that the decisions we all face involve consequences for the quality of social discourse and interaction among human beings and our stewardship of the physical and biological world. Moreover, if we as science educators wish to cultivate future citizens and leaders who care, serve the community, and provide leadership for new generations, then we have a moral imperative to delve into the realm of virtue, character, and moral development. Through a discussion of many aspects of socioscientific issues in science education, this book has attempted to systematically delineate the interrelationship among socioscientific elements that contribute at least in part, to a functional view of scientific literacy. We have attempted to explore how nature of science issues, discourse issues, cultural issues, and case-based and STSE issues interact with scientific inquiry, moral development, and ethical reasoning as manifest in reform based science education. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved). (chapter)