Connecting classroom science to social realities: Exploring senior high school students' scientific literacy in the earth and life science course

• Main Author: Yumang, Mary Geraldine C
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2024
• Subjects: Earth sciences—Study and teaching; Life sciences—Study and teaching; Science and Mathematics Education
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_scied/53; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdm_scied/article/1077/viewcontent/2024_Yumang_Final.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

This action research study explores the scientific literacy of senior high school students in the Arts and Design Track (ADT) through their engagement with socio-scientific issues (SSIs) in the Earth and Life Science (EALS) course. Focusing on two modules—Perpetuation of Life (FS) and Food Sustainability (FS)—the research investigates how students employ informal reasoning (IR) to navigate the complexity of SSIs. The study utilizes a mixed-method approach to examine SSI-focused activities, including entry tickets (pre-test) to evaluate prior knowledge, blended learning activities (BLAs) to scaffold group inquiry, and exit tickets (post-test) to assess shifts in IR skills. A modified Integrated Framework for Analyzing Students' Informal Reasoning (Wu & Tsai, 2011) is applied to examine students' informal reasoning using three modes: decision-making types, reasoning modes, and reasoning levels. The identified phrases and sentences were quantitized and frequency was measured.. The findings showed that the decision-making mode transitioned from intuitive to evidence-based in PL and FS modules based on pre-conceived concepts and the maturity level of the participants; reasoning modes lean from social-oriented in PL and science-oriented in FS entry tickets to a well-balanced reasoning mode in the exit tickets promoting a varied reasoning mode in SSI from different perspectives; reasoning quality Level 1 from entry ticket increased to Level 3 in exit ticket for both PL and FS, highlighting the connection of collaboration in group activities was a crucial element in the development of SL in the context of SSI narratives in EALS. This highlights the potential of localized SSIs to bridge classroom science with societal realities, fostering critical thinking, civic awareness, and social engagement. This study offers valuable insights for educators by identifying patterns of informal reasoning, examining different types of collaboration that enhance scientific literacy, and demonstrating how SSI-based instructional strategies can make science education more inclusive and impactful for diverse learners.