In Indonesia, scientific literacy has been a major goal of the school science curriculum. To achieve this goal, however, teachers need appropriate teaching resources. Previous studies in science education have documented that instruction based on soci...
In Indonesia, scientific literacy has been a major goal of the school science curriculum. To achieve this goal, however, teachers need appropriate teaching resources. Previous studies in science education have documented that instruction based on socioscientific issues (SSI) is a pedagogical approach that has the potential to improve students’ scientific literacy competencies. However, its effective implementation in the classroom requires science teachers to have adequate pedagogical knowledge and skills. In this study, I designed and implemented a science methods course to equip pre- and in-service biology teachers with the theoretical framework and practical implementation of SSI-based instruction. Specifically, this study is divided into three parts: exploring in-service biology teachers’ perceptions about SSI, examining pre- and in-service biology teachers’ perceptions of SSI-based instruction after participating in an SSI teaching-oriented course, and exploring pre- and in-service biology teachers’ SSI-based teaching practices during the course.
To explore biology teachers' perceptions about SSI, I surveyed 123 in-service biology teachers using a questionnaire. I also used a survey to pilot the SSI-based biology instruction (BI) questionnaire. The results of the analysis indicated that the majority of the SSI topics identified by the teachers involved biology-associated content in the curriculum, such as environmental pollution, global warming, and biotechnology. Teachers also used general methods such as discussion and cooperative learning to teach about these topics. Teachers also recognized environmental issues as important and interesting topics for implementing SSI lessons. The analysis of the SSI-BI questionnaire suggested that the 21 items could be divided into four scales: (1) core aspects of SSI-based instruction, (2) challenges in implementation, (3) pedagogical knowledge, and (4) attitudes and beliefs about SSI-based instruction. Building from these findings, I discuss how the topics the teachers selected reflected the characteristics of SSI and how the teaching and learning methods aligned with the framework of SSI-based instruction. I also explore the importance of each SSI-BI questionnaire scale for the successful implementation of SSI-based instruction.
In the second part of this study, I engaged 45 pre- and in-service biology teachers in 8 weeks of an SSI teaching-oriented course. During the course, the teachers discussed the theoretical framework of scientific literacy, SSI and its teaching, and biology competencies in the Indonesian national curriculum. They also worked collaboratively in planning and implementing SSI teaching. Using data collected from the SSI-BI questionnaire (pre- and post-survey), interviews, and course assignments, I explored how the teachers’ engagement in the course had an impact on their perceptions and attitudes about SSI-based instruction. The results demonstrated that the course significantly affects the teachers’ perceptions of their pedagogical knowledge and attitudes about SSI-based instruction. They also recognized some core aspects of SSI-based instruction. However, teachers still considered factors such as curriculum requirements, teachers’ competency, and students’ characteristics as challenges for the implementation of SSI teaching in school. In addition, teachers expressed concerns about their capacity in designing SSI lessons and managing the SSI discussion activities.
The third part of the study focuses on SSI-based teaching practices. Six teachers from two classes of the course implemented their SSI lesson plans in science methods classrooms. Each class implemented three different SSI lessons designed for the senior secondary school classroom (Grades 10-12). The SSI observation protocol (OP) was used as an analytical framework to examine the six videos of the lesson implementations. The SSI-OP consists of five dimensions: the focus of instruction, teaching moves, the role of the teacher, the role of the students, and the classroom environment. To evaluate biology teachers’ reflections about their teaching, six videos of post-teaching reflections were analyzed. The result from the video analysis corroborated the data from the classroom observation and teaching materials. The quantitative analysis shows that the classroom environment category had the highest standardized score, while the teaching moves category was the lowest. Results from the qualitative analysis indicate that most activities suggested in the five dimensions of the SSI-OP were implemented. However, there were some inconsistencies between the lesson plan and the actual teaching. The teachers also acknowledged that their teaching and the classroom situation may have been more challenging when they implemented the lesson in the real school context.
Overall, this study indicates the potential of an SSI teaching-oriented course to improve pre- and in-service biology teachers’ perceptions of their pedagogical knowledge and attitudes about SSI-based instruction. This study also provides important evidence for how teachers practice SSI-based instruction and reflect on their teaching in the context of a science methods course. The findings of this study can lead science teacher educators and researchers to make more informed decisions regarding the content and activity of a science methods course to help pre- and in-service biology teachers improve their knowledge and skills in teaching SSI.