The increasing number and variety of controversial scientific and technological issues with which citizens are confronted has led, in recent years, to calls for a schooling of science which prepares future citizens for participation in resolving such issues. We examined the social conscience of science teachers as it bears on the teaching of controversial issues. The study was conducted by interviewing teachers in two widely different English-speaking locations, Scotland and the United States. The research explores the perceptions of teachers with regard to the teaching of controversial issues, the problem of handling personal value positions when dealing with issues, and the tension that exists between the teaching of controversial issues and traditional value-free science curricula.

In its various guises the political and economic implications of the spectrum of ideas labelled 'sustainable development' have been widely discussed in the media. This research engaged secondary school teachers in the debate concerning the implications for education of the concept of sustainable development. Underpinning this pilot research project is the assumption that teachers, as generally informed citizens, have been sensitised to some of the issues raised in the public domain. Teachers in both the USA and Scotland were interviewed to ascertain the extent to which they had begun to make connections between what they have heard and read informally about sustainable development and their responsibilities as teachers. The objective of this research was to determine the impact of this informal 'environmental' education on teaching practice.

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The central question facing humankind is ' What kind of society are we to have?' We argue that in order to begin to answer this question, citizens need to recognize that one of the driving forces determining our society is that science is a human social activity like any other. This flies in the face of much of the rhetoric and ideology about science -the stories and myths of formal and informal education. We wish to encourage both a socially responsible science and a public mindful of its strengths and weaknesses. We explore two case studies to illustrate our concerns. These are the construction of knowledge about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and the social construction of safety standards for exposure to low-level ionizing radiation. These two health-related controversial scientific issues illustrate the problematic nature of much of science and the implications for the public at large.

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