Learning to design biology lessons based on socioscientific inquiry based learning (SSIBL)

Abstract

In recent times there has been increased interest in how issues surrounding science for and with society are conceptualised, presented and discussed in science classrooms in a way that promotes responsible and active citizenship. One approach to enabling this way of teaching science is through socio-scientific inquiry-based learning (SSIBL). To promote the teaching of science using SSIBL, teachers need to have the appropriateteaching repertoire. Our aim was to explore how secondary science pre-service teachers conceptualise SSIBL through the way in which they operationalize it in their lesson plan designs and classroom materials. Participants included 424 pre-service science teachers in two UK and one Swedish Higher Education Institutions, across three academic years. Data collected include the lesson plans and materials designed to teach science using SSIBL (117 in total). A theory-driven approach was used for the analysis of the lesson designs. Most PSTs planned SSIBL lessons using biology topics, suggesting that biology topics provide particular affordances for developing competence and confidence in teaching using a SSIBL approach, which could then be applied in the teaching of other science disciplines. Our findings also revealed a tension between a willingness to engage students in dialogic learning environments while at the same time designing more structured inquiries for students to enage in. Finally, emphasis was placed on subject matter first, and the use of SSIBL contexts as end-of-unit lessons,rather than as contexts for teaching Biology subject matter. Implications for teacher education are discussed