Using the Socioscientific Context of Climate Change To Teach Chemical Content and the Nature of Science

Abstract

A thematic course called "Climate Change: Chemistry and Controversy" was developed for upper-level non-STEM students. This course used the socioscientific context of climate change to teach chemical principles and the nature of science. Students used principles of agnotology (direct study of misinformation) to debunk climate change misconceptions commonly encountered in the media and politics. The culmination of the course was a service-learning project to create training documents for staff at a local science center that explained common climate misconceptions. In the process of completing this project, students gained a greater appreciation for the nature of science and learned chemical principles of electromagnetic radiation, atomic structure (isotopes), molecular structure (Lewis structures, VESPR, and polarity) spectroscopy, and stoichiometry. This paper summarizes the outcomes of the course, teaching strategies used to reach the outcomes, and strategies for incorporating agnotology and socioscientific study in science courses.

A Systematic Review of the Research Papers on Chemistry-Focused Socio-Scientific Issues

“…The code 'chemicals and environmental pollution' might bridge school science/chemistry to daily life (e.g., Albe, 2008;Holbrook, 1998;Flener-Lovitt, 2014;Versprille et al, 2017) and stimulate participants' interest and attitudes towards chemistry (e.g., Versprille et al, 2017) as well as developing their problem-solving strategies (Mandler et al, 2012). The code 'alternative energy sources' might encourage participants to re-think our consumption habits.…”

“…The code 'alternative energy sources' might encourage participants to re-think our consumption habits. Hence, people could think about evidence and content knowledge (e.g., Flener-Lovitt, 2014;Yapıcıoğlu & Aycan, 2018;Karpudewan & Roth, 2016) by weighing and leveraging dimensions of SSI such as economic, environmental, health, social and ethics (Price et al, 2014).…”

“…A high proportion in the present-intrinsic component of individual dimension may stem from a 'need-to-know' basis (e.g., Ültay & Çalik, 2012), which individually satisfies students' learning curiosity and stimulates their interest in chemistry/science (Stuckey et al, 2013). In other words, because SSI acts as an actual context to see the relevance of chemistry in daily life (Flener-Lovitt, 2014;Gilbert, 2006;Parchmann et al, 2006), the research papers may have purposed to equip the participants with personal and societal life skills (Feierabend & Eilks, 2011;Stuckey et al, 2013) and meet their individual learning curiosity/interest in the present. Likewise, through the present-intrinsic and extrinsic components of societal dimension, the research papers seem to have promoted the participants to find their own places in society (e.g., becoming a scientifically literate person) and learn how to behave in society (Stuckey et al, 2013).…”

The Energy Concept and its Relation to Climate Literacy

“…However, this line of argumentation predominately derives from an educational, rather than a scientific discussion, because there are less complex phenomena for conveying energy aspects. The use of climate change as a context is often justified by the fact that addressing it as a socio-scientific issue creates a motivating and meaningful mediation context (e.g., Besson & Ambrosis, 2013;Flener-Lovitt, 2014). Whether climate change is superior to other contexts in terms of increasing energy knowledge has not been adequately investigated.…”

Epistemological aspects of computational simulations and their approach through educational simulations in high school

“…These discussions should promote opportunities for students to (i) access and interpret science in the context of complex real-world problems; (ii) judge the credibility of scientific claims based on social and epistemological aspects; and (iii) cultivate a deep and continuous participation in science, even when away from the formal curriculum. 60 On the other hand, the process of using simulations in science teaching should involve discussion of different stages relevant for the construction of school scientific knowledge, stages in accordance with the way of conducting scientific research from the perspective of the NOS.…”