Exploring early childhood preservice teachers’ problem-solving skills through socioscientific inquiry approach

Modern society is becoming increasingly complex due to the advancement of science and technology. The impact of science and technology in the world today is massive. Many controversial issues emerged in our society due to the result of science and technology development and these issues may influence individuals’ scientific reasoning (Sadler et al., 2006). According to Miller (2012), scientific literacy refers to the ability of an individual to use information about science and technology in making informed decision. It reflects the knowledge of the individual to understand basic scientific concepts. A person with an understanding of those basic constructs would be able to make sense of new and emerging science issues years after the ending of their own formal schooling. However, science in school has long been taught and learned as a mono-methodological branch of knowledge (McFarlane, 2013, Fadzil & Saat, 2014). This attitude needs to change through the practice of embracing more student-centered approaches. According to McFarlane (2013), in order to enhance students’ interest and understanding, there is a need for a more involved and project-based approach that provides students with the opportunities to engage with science. This statement is also supported by Nuangchalerm (2010) that stated that teaching and learning should engage students in an inquiry approach that involves students in pursuing authentic problem-solving, rather than information and definition giving.

Socio-scientific issues (SSI) are defined as controversial, socially relevant issues within science curricula (Sadler et al., 2006). SSI exposes students to view science in a realistic way, including knowledge and ethics in making decision about societal issues that are related to science. Society and their representatives in particular should be able to apply the scientific information that underlies the investigated issues and to make thoughtful decisions with the aim to engage socioscientific issues. Thus, the SSI have been chosen in this context to engage the pre-service teachers with real issues that are happening in our society. They were encouraged to understand complex society issues and make a decision according to their scientific knowledge. Following Zeidler, Applebaum and Sadler (2011) and Zeidler and Nichols (2009), these can create a richer and meaningful experience for the preservice teachers.

Inquiry-based learning has been selected in this study due to the essence of inquiry which is problem solving. Problem solving is often used synonymously with inquiry and science process skill reasoning (Helgeson, 1994). Problem solving does not only involve cognitive ability but includes other aspects such as attitudes and values. Inquiry-based learning is a pedagogical approach that emphasizes student-centered engagement with real problems. The approach motivates the students to pursue active decision-making processes. It also invites students to explore academic content by consistently posing, investigating, and answering questions. Also, known simply as ‘inquiry,’ this approach puts students’ questions at the center of the curriculum, and places just as much value on the component skills of research as it does on knowledge and understanding content (Towns & Sweetland, 2008). The process of teaching and learning through inquiry-based is appropriate for students from preschool through graduate school (Towns & Sweetland, 2008). Previous studies in inquiry-based learning approach have often focused its application in science and mathematics education. Nevertheless, the approach is equally well-suited to the teaching of the humanities such as in early childhood education, as suggested by Arslan (2010) and Snow-Renner and Lauer (2005). Moreover, Drayton and Falk (2001) have stated that inquiry approach can create scientifically literate individuals. Thus, the term socioscientific inquiry approach in this paper represents one approach that is designed to stimulate deeper interest and knowledge related to science.

In this study, the preservice teachers were required to observe and understand facts which led to analysis and interpretation of information. The inquiry process in not complete until the teachers are able to find solutions and perform the relevant applications. Consequently, the acquisition and practice of this skill led to a holistic understanding of concepts in SSI. The importance of having an excellent problem-solving skill at bachelor degree level has also been emphasize in Malaysian Qualification Framework (MQF) (MQA, 2008). Domain number 4 clearly stated that individuals should show techniques and capabilities to search and use data to make decision after having considered social, scientific and relevant ethical issues. Although developing problem solving skills is often accepted as a desirable goal in many educational settings, there is little evidence that students are better problem solvers after graduating. As a result, the students can solve routine problems, but they cannot adapt their prior knowledge for the solution of new problems (Koray et al., 2008; Hollingworth & McLoughlin, 2001). Not all the preservice teachers from a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education pursue science stream in school. Thus, they are not familiar with the steps in conducting scientific investigation that integrates the elements of inquiry. However, the lack of formal training in scientific study should not be a deterrence: according to Snow-Renner and Lauer (2005), one of the key elements in supporting teacher learning is through an inquiry-based teaching and learning that is well defined and well structured. Therefore, the introduction and revision of an inquiry-based teaching and learning approach might be an appropriate approach. This approach engages the preservice teachers to pursue problem solving actively and involved them in scientific practices regardless of their specific background. Agreeing with the philosophy behind SSI, scientific skills such as collecting and interpreting scientific data and building evidence-based explanation could become a necessity skill sets for the future teachers in order to fulfill their role more effectively.

Teachers are one of the main sources for improving the problem-solving skills of children. Consequently, learning problem-solving skills at an early age will lay a sound basis for children and for the world (Arslan, 2010). Ceylan, Yıldız-Bıçakçı, Gürsoy and Aral (2009) stated that the preschool teacher plays a major role in the development of children during preschool years. Teachers play an important role in showing children that they have the ability and ways and means to deal with problems that arise in their environment (Bingham, 1998). The methods used by teachers to interpret events and situations and the problem-solving styles of the teachers have a significant impact on the cognitive schema of children (Arslan, 2010). Considering that teachers having effective problem-solving skills will help their students to learn these skills, it is important for the preservice teachers to receive this kind of practices beforehand (Arslan, 2010). Although this study is grounded by the general importance of problem solving skills learning that occurs between the interactions of teachers and children, it is not a study of the transference of problem-solving skills to children. Instead, the purpose of this study is to explore and understand the problem-solving skills of early childhood preservice teachers through an inquiry approach which is motivated by socio-scientific issues. This study focuses on the following research question: What are the early childhood preservice teachers’ responses to using socioscientific inquiry approach in problem solving?