Development and implementation of the science-technology-society learning unit to enhance grade 10 student’s scientific argumentation

Implications
This study presents the problems of teaching and learning to promote scientific argumentation in grade 10 science classrooms that reflects the strong emphasis on the students’ learning to take a test strategy and classroom teaching and learning cultures in the educational context of Thailand. These problems lead to the employment of STS approach in developing the STS learning unit in Work and Energy in order to enhance grade 10 students’ scientific argumentation. The topic of work and energy is raised as the targeted content and context in the STS approach because this topic presents several interesting socio-scientific issues and conflicts to make arguments on it. However, there is a difficulty in seeking for interesting, controversial issues to suit with the targeted physics topic. Science teachers who are interested in using the STS approach to promote their students’ scientific argumentation may need to understand the basic principle of STS philosophy and approach. The history of what and how a scientist works and his or her life need to be provided. Also, a variety of examples of STS learning units covering different science subjects and grade levels of students should be provided in order to assist science teachers in gaining some ideas about what the STS teaching and learning look like. In addition, science teacher training on STS approach is demanded.

This study affirms that the STS approach is effective in helping science students enhance their scientific argumentation. The playground issue has appeared as being one interesting and effective controversial societal issue for students who learn with the STS approach. The STS playground unit can enhance students’ ability to increase the quality of their scientific argumentation. Particularly, this study indicates that the Need for knowledge, Decision making and Socialization stages provide students with an opportunity to develop high quality scientific argumentation. In addition, the science teachers who are interested to employ the STS approach in developing scientific argumentation in their students can apply the STS learning unit presented in this study as an example to design their own STS learning unit in the same or different science topics.

Limitations

This study employed a case study research design and included a small number of participants; consequently, it has the limitations in generalizing the findings of this study to a large population and to the research contexts being much different from the research context of this study.

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by the Higher Education Research Promotion and National Research University Project of Thailand, Office of the Higher Education Commission, through the Cluster of Research to Enhance the Quality of Basic Education. The authors would like to express sincere gratitude to the Office of the Higher Education Commission.