Using social media to promote pre-service science teachers’ practices of socio-scientific issue (SSI)

As science and technology rapidly advance around the world, social dilemmas arise that are linked to the growth of both science and technology. Socio-scientific issues (SSIs) form a link between relevant social issues and science and, as a result, have become important topics in science education and achieving scientific literacy (Kolsto, 2001). Currently, Thailand is experiencing rapid scientific and technological change in response to accelerating economic development. As a result, several dilemmas have arisen. For example, the proposed construction of a new dam within Thailand’s Mae Wong National Park has resulted in a SSI. The proposed government project will ensure that water volume will be adequate for local communities. However, the dam will eliminate approximately 17.6 square kilometers of low-lying forest within the national park and result in a loss of habitat for many animals including Thailand’s tigers. Conservationists argue that without a proper study of the potential environmental impact of the dam, Thailand may lose one of its most abundant forest regions (Vipoosanapat, 2014). Another example of a socio-scientific issue involves a conflict between wild elephants and farmers. As farmers clear forest, build homes, and plant crops, wild elephants often leave the forest and forage for food within the farmers’ fields. The plentiful food supply is very attractive to the elephants during periods of drought or food shortages within deeply forested regions (Wipatayotin, 2015). As elephants leave the forest for cultivated food sources, conflicts between the elephants and humans are becoming more prevalent, resulting in elephant attacks on tourists in the nearby Khao Yai National Park. The common dilemma posed by each of the issues is a conflict between human needs and the conservation of Thai resources. Consequently, a lack of understanding of the interaction between the needs of society and science may lead to feelings of fear, anger, and distrust towards the scientific community (Hodson, 2008).

Therefore, SSIs related to the conflict between economic development in Thailand and the preservation of the nation’s natural beauty and wildlife underscore the importance of ensuring that school science provides Thai youth with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to find acceptable solutions. Building a link between SSI curricula and science content learning is critical if students are to use their understanding of science to contribute to public debate and make informed and balanced decisions about SSIs that impact their lives (Sadler et al., 2007). In classroom settings, the Thai educational system places too much emphasis on technical knowledge (Pillay, 2002). Current educational practices are not connecting scientific knowledge to daily life (Ngamkeeree, 2006). To cope with this problem, the content of educational level in the Thai National Education Act B.E. 2542 (1999) and Amendments (Second National Education Act B.E. 2545 (2002) emphasizes:

Knowledge about the relationship between oneself and society,
Knowledge of science, management and conservation, and
Utilization of natural resources to ensure that the environment is balanced and sustainable (Office of the National Education Commission (ONEC), 2003).

The teacher is an important vehicle for effective education reform that promotes SSI-based instruction (Jurawatanaton, 2003). The quality of teachers and teacher education has also been a major concern of every Thai government from past to present. As reflected in Chapter 7 of the National Education Act (Sections 52-57), professional development is identified as a key component of educational reform and affects all teachers in every field including science (ONEC, 2003).
The university education faculty plays an important role in providing effective training for pre-service teachers during teaching practice in the classroom context. I, the first researcher, have been working as the research advisor in the Faculty of Education of the University in Bangkok for three years. I do not have significant experience as an education research advisor since I have been in the field of education only since I graduated from the Faculty of Science. My Ph.D. is in science education and my thesis was focused on teaching science based on the Science, Technology, Society, and Environment (STSE) approach. Before this time, I had never explored SSI-based instruction, but as an assistant professor, I learned to mentor graduate students who used SSI-based teaching. I learned from direct experience the mentoring strategies that were most effective for me, but I still wondered whether I was effective as a research advisor in the field of SSI-based teaching.

Every year, I was assigned both undergraduate and graduate research advisees. The advisees were interested in SSI-based instruction. This year, I was assigned two new advisees who were awarded scholarships from the Thai government to study in a two-year Master of Science Education Program. This program is under the management of the Project for the Promotion of Science and Mathematics Talented Teachers (PSMT), a Thai government agency concerned with the development of national science and mathematics curricula, sponsorship of science education, and the promotion of science in general. The main objective of this project is to produce highly qualified science teachers for teaching gifted students in Enrichment Science Classrooms within Thai secondary schools. Before beginning the Master of Science Education Program, the students had completed a bachelor degree in science, but neither had prior experience with science teaching. I understand their background because I too was a scholar from the PSMT project prior to completing my Ph.D.

William and Nancy (pseudonyms) were to be my new advisees for the 2014-15 academic year. Both completed coursework for the first year of the program and were starting the practicum stage during which they were expected to complete an action research project as the thesis for the completion of the degree. Neither William nor Nancy were familiar with SSI-based teaching, nor were they interested in implementing science instruction focused on controversial issues. Such hesitancy is a common complaint; Pedretti et al. (2007) found that in the early years of teaching, many teachers were reluctant to incorporate controversial issues into science instruction.

I discovered that many pre-service science teachers use social media to communicate with one another. Bangkokbiznews (2014) indicated that the Thai people have more than 28 million Facebook accounts, and Twitter and has experienced a growth of 350%. Social media is not only used as a communication channel but also as an educational tool for sharing ideas that lead to the construction of knowledge (Schlenkrich & Sewry, 2012). For higher education, Zanamwe, Rupere, & Kufandirimbwa (2013) found that 124 university students from five institutions of higher learning in Zimbabwe used social media technologies such as Facebook and Myspace for academic purposes and more specifically for collaboration, Social media can be utilized as a tool to encourage students to engage with each other and to share their ideas and creativity (Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), 2011). Therefore, I decided to explore using social media as a means to network with my advisees, William and Nancy, as they worked to successfully implement SSI-based instruction into their classrooms.

Research questions

We had two research questions for our study: 1) What do pre-service science teachers perceive about professional development for SSI-based teaching and using social media as a tool for promoting their SSI-based teaching? And 2) What are the effective strategies for mentors using social media to enhance advisees’ implementation of SSI-based teaching?