The Relationship between Understanding the Nature of Scientific Knowledge and Reasoning and Decision Making in Socioscientific Issues

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the existence of a possible relationship between reasoning and decision-making in socio-scientific issues (SSI) and understanding the nature of science and scientific knowledge (NOSSK). Since a significant part of the SSIs are related to the field of biology, 50 pre-service biology teachers who had NOSSK training and were likely to have different levels of NOSSK understanding were studied. Using Views of Nature of Science-Form C [VNOS-C] modified by Abd-El-Khalick in 1998, participants were divided into three groups: naive, eclectic, and conscious-informed, who differed in their understanding of NOSSK. The Survey on the Decision-Making Process about Socioscientific Issues (SDMPSI), developed by the authors, aiming to reveal the approaches of all three groups to the discussion of cholesterol, was applied. VNOS-C and SDMPSI questionnaires were analyzed with content analysis guided by the criteria related to NOSSK prepared based on the literature and sample answers based on both the targeted NOSSK understanding and traditional science understanding; qualitative data were supported with quantitative data by making statistical analyzes. The significant difference (p<0.01) between the individual performances in SDMPSI of the naive, eclectic and conscious-informed groups supports the relationship between understanding NOSSK and socioscientific reasoning. It has been shown that socioscientific reasoning is a complex process that can be influenced by non-scientific factors such as personal experiences, moral concerns, but an up-to-date and adequate NOSSK understanding can reduce the degree of influence of non-scientific factors on the reasoning process.