Recent efforts in the science education community have highlighted the need to integrate research and theory from science communication research into more general science education scholarship. These synthesized research perspectives are relatively novel but serve an important need to better understand the impacts that the advent of rapidly…

Determining what students think about science, technology, and society (STS) is of great importance. This also provides the basis for scientific literacy. As such, this study was conducted with a total of 102 senior students attending a university located in western Turkey. This study utilized the survey model as a research model and the…

There are only a few studies about how primary school students engage in socio-scientific discussions. This study aims to add to this field of research by focusing on how 9-10-year-olds in Sweden and England handle climate change as a complex environmental socio-scientific issue (SSI), within the context of their own lives and in relation to…

We experimented with teaching nanotechnology in high school within the perspective of citizenship education in science by involving experts in nanotechnology, education, ethics and philosophy. After training, the students debated a Socially Acute Question (SAQ) that they elaborated during the various phases of instruction. The field of SAQs…

This study explored the effects of Problem-Based Leaning (PBL) with web-anchored instruction in nanotechnology on the science conceptual understanding, the attitude towards science, and the perception of science in society of elementary students. A mixed-methods approach was used. Subjects (N=46) participated in the study for approximately two…

This paper reports on the development of an instrument which was used to gather information on the views of science students on the social responsibility of scientists. The methodology is based on a "Views on Science-Technology-Society (VOSTS)" instrument which was developed in Canada. It involves three phases, employing interviews and…

Investigates high school students' beliefs about mathematics and science, including beliefs about mathematical and scientific truths, the value and importance of inquiry, gender equity and ability with respect to the pursuit of mathematics and science careers, the relationship between mathematics and technology, and the role of science in society.…

Science educators agree that learning science involves learning about the body of scientific knowledge, about how that knowledge is generated, and about how it is socially constructed. However, the emphasis in many science curricula has been on learning about the body of knowledge to the neglect of the epistemology and sociology of science. The…

Examines whether and to what extent general education STS and physics courses helped college students build more informed, realistic views about the interactions among science, technology, and society. General education STS courses were found to be of value while the physics course had almost no impact on students' views. (LZ)

Presents the perspectives of a number of students on science, society, and the future. Focuses on the benefits of scientific knowledge and associated changes. (DDR)

Reports on a survey of first year French university students to discover their views and opinions on the subject of "Science and Technology." Content analysis was used to study scientific titles and texts produced by the students. The main ideas deduced from this analysis encompassed themes such as scientific discovery and conquest,…

Argues that humanities specialists should become more informed and involved in the development of computer uses in natural language processing. (LMO)

This is the second article of a four part series of a study of Canadian high-school graduates' views on science-technology-society topics. It reports student perceptions of the interaction of science technology and society. Science and technology were viewed as a unified enterprise and their roles were indistinguishable. (ML)

Elementary education students enrolled in both science methods and social studies methods coursework implemented standards-based STS lessons during their clinical experience. Data were collected from preservice teachers, elementary/middle school students, and cooperating in-service teachers. Findings from each school group include (a) preservice…

Reports an investigation of the perceptions of technology of teachers who are the heads of their school science departments. Relates these perceptions with those of a sample of 13-year-old pupils. Reveals that many teachers have a restricted view of technology. Discusses the implications of findings for curriculum change. (CW)