Socio-Scientific Issues as a Vehicle to Promote Soft Skills and Environmental Awareness
This research aims to investigate the effect of socio-scientific issues (SSI) based instruction on preservice science teachers’ soft skills and .
- Pub. date: January 15, 2021
- Pages: 161-174
- 1136 Downloads
- 2178 Views
- 10 Citations
This research aims to investigate the effect of socio-scientific issues (SSI) based instruction on preservice science teachers’ soft skills and environmental awareness. By applying cluster random sampling, 83 preservice science teachers (PSTs) were selected from the Department of Science Education at a university in Indonesia. The participants were divided into two groups which comprised the experimental group who were taught using SSI-based instruction, while the control group received direct instruction. The quasi-experimental study was carried out through a pre- and posttest control group design. Data was gathered quantitatively using soft skills and environmental awareness questionnaires. The soft skills questionnaire comprised six sub-skills questions: communication, collaboration, problem-solving, creativity, teamwork, and social interaction. The environmental awareness questionnaire contained questions about the PSTs’ attitudes, behavior, and willingness to act. These sub-skills were developed based on literature studies and reviews of previous studies. Face validity was conducted by the experts, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.84 (for soft skills) and 0.86 (for environmental awareness) were obtained. The data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The result showed that SSI-based instruction had a significant effect on improving preservice science teachers’ soft skills and environmental awareness. After being taught using SSI-based instruction, all the sub-skills of the soft skills of the experimental group had increased compared to before. A similar trend was also found in their scores for environmental awareness. All the components of environmental awareness, after lecturing using SSI-based instruction, showed a significant increase compared to before. These results support the claim that SSI-based instruction fosters soft skills and promotes environmental awareness.
Keywords: Environmental education, preservice science teachers, generic skills, SSI-based instruction.
References
Abbas, M. Y., Singh, R. (2014). A survey of environmental awareness, attitude, and participation amongst university students: A case study. International Journal of Science and Research, 3(5), 1755-1760.
Akitsu, Y., & Ishihara, K. N. (2018). An integrated model approach: Exploring the energy literacy and values of lower secondary students in Japan. International Journal of Educational Methodology, 4(3), 161-186. https://doi.org/10.12973/ijem.4.3.161
Ambusaidi, A., Boyes, E., Stanisstreet, M., & Taylor, N. (2012). Omani students’ views about global warming: Beliefs about actions and willingness to act. International Research Geography Education, 21(1), 21-39. https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2012.639154
Andreas, S. (2018). Effects of the decline in social capital on college graduates’ soft skills. Industry and Higher Education, 32(1),42-56. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950422217749277
Attakorn, K., Tayut, T., Pisitthawat, K., & Kanokorn, S. (2014). Soft skills of new teachers in the secondary schools of KhonKaen secondary educational service area 25, Thailand. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 112, 1010-1013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.1262
Barraza, L., & Walford, R. A. (2002). Environmental education a comparison between English and Mexican school children. Environment Education Research, 8(2), 171-186. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620220128239
Boyes, E., & Stanisstreet, M. (2012). Environmental education for behavior change: which actions should be targeted? International Journal of Science Education, 34(10), 1591-1614
Chen, C. W. K., Chen, C., & Shieh, C. J. (2020). A study on correlation between computer-aided instructions integrated environmental education and students’ learning outcome and environmental literacy. Journal of Mathematics, Science and Education, 16(6), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/8229
Chhokar, K., Dua. S., Taylor, N., Boyes, E. (2012). Senior secondary Indian students’ views about global warming, and their implications for education. Science Education International, 23(2), 133-149
Cimatti, B. (2016). Definition, development, assessment of soft skill and their role for the quality of organizations and enterprises. International Journal for Quality Research, 10(1), 97-130.
Creswell, J. W., & Clark, V. L. P. (2010). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Sage.
Crosbie, R. (2005). Learning the soft skills of leadership. Industrial and Commercial Training, 37(1), 45-51. https://doi.org/10.1108/00197850510576484
Dimitrov, D. M., & Rumrill, P. D. (2003). Pretest-posttest designs and measurement of change. Work, 20, 159–165.
Dynia, J. M., Schachter, R. E., Piasta, S. B., Justice, L. M., O’Connell, A. A., & Yeager Pelatti, C. (2018). An empirical investigation of the dimensionality of the physical literacy environment in early childhood classrooms. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 18(2), 239-263. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468798416652448
El-Batri, B., Alami, A., Zaki, M., & Nafidi, Y. (2019). Extracurricular environmental activities in Moroccan middle schools: Opportunities and challenges to promoting effective environmental education. European Journal of Educational Research, 8(4), 1013–1028. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.8.4.1013
Flanagan, C. A., Gallay, E., Pykett, A. A., & Smallwood, M. (2019). The environmental commons in urban communities: the potential of place-based education. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00226
Franzen, A. (2003). Environmental attitudes in international comparison: An analysis of the ISSP surveys 1993 and 2000. Social Science Quarterly, 84(2), 297-309
Friedrichsen, P., Sadler, T.D., Graham, K., & Brown, P. (2016). Design of a socio-scientific issue curriculum unit: Antibiotic resistance, natural selection, and modeling. International Journal of Designs for Learning, 7(3), 1-18.
Fu, L., Zhang, Y., Xiong, X., & Bai, Y. (2018). Pro-environmental awareness and behaviors on campus: Evidence from Tianjin, China. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 14(1),427-445.
Gewertz, C. (2007). Black boys’ educational plight spurs single-gender schools: New federal rules seen as chance for innovation. Education Week, 26(1), 24-25.
Greenberg, A. D., & Nilssen, A. H. (2015).The role of education in building soft skills: Putting into perspective the priorities and opportunities for teaching collaboration and other soft skills in education. Wainhouse Research http://downloads01.smarttech.com/media/research/wainhouse.pdf
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis. Prentice-Hall.
Hart Research Associates. (2015). Falling short? College learning and career success. The Association of American Colleges & Universities.
Hilton, J. T., & Canciello, J. (2018). A five-year reflection on ways in which the integration of mobile computing technology influences classroom instruction. International Journal of Technology in Education, 1(1), 1-11.
Hosany, S., Prayag, G., Veen, R. V. D., Huang, S., & Deesilatham, S. (2017). Mediating effects of place attachment and satisfaction on the relationship between tourists’ emotions and intention to recommend. Journal of Travel Research, 56(8), 1079-1093. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287516678088
Hui, N., Saxe, S., Roorda, M., Hess, P., & Miller, E. J. (2017). Measuring the completeness of complete streets. Transport reviews, 38(1), 73-95.https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2017.1299815
Hunter, R. H., & Jordan, R. C. (2019). The TELA: A new tool for assessing educator environmental literacy. Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 15(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/6286
Hwang, Y. H., Kim, S., & Jeng, J. M. (2000). Examining causal relationship among selected antecedents of responsible environmental behaviour. Journal of Environmental Education, 31(4), 19-26
Irwanto, I., Saputro, A. D., Rohaeti, E., & Prodjosantoso, A. K. (2018). Promoting critical thinking and problem solving skills of preservice elementary teachers through process-oriented guided-inquiry learning (POGIL). International Journal of Instruction, 11(4), 777-794. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11449a
Jiang, Y., Ramkissoon, H., Mavondo, F. T., & Feng, S. (2017). Authenticity: the link between destination image and place attachment. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 26(2), 105-124. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2016.1185988
Kanokorn, S., Pongtorn, P., & Sujanya, S. (2014). Soft skills development to enhance teachers’ competencies in primary schools. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences , 112, 842 – 846. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.1240
Karahan, E., & Roehrig, G. (2015). Constructing media artifacts in a social constructivist environment to enhance students’ environmental awareness and activism. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 24(1), 103-118. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-014-9525-5
Kechagias, K. (Ed.). (2011). Teaching and assessing soft skills (MASS Project September 2011). Measuring & Assessing Soft Skills (MASS ). https://cutt.ly/wjoCkqp
Kilinc, A., Boyes, E., & Stanisstreet, M. (2011).Turkish school students and global warming: beliefs and willingness to act. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics Science Technology Education, 7(2), 121-134
Klosterman, M. L., Sadler, T. D., & Brown, J. (2011). Science teachers’ use of mass media to address socio-scientific issues and sustainability. Research in Science Education, 42, 51-74. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-011-9256-z
Lester, B. T., Ma, L., Lee, O., & Lambert, J. (2006). Social activism in elementary science education: a science, technology, and society approach to teach global warming. International Journal of Science Education, 28(4), 315-339
Littledyke, M. (2008). Science education for environmental awareness: approaches to integrating cognitive and affective domains. Environmental Educational Research, 14(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620701843301
Loughry, M. L., Ohland, M. W., & Woehr, D. J. (2014). Assessing teamwork skills for assurance of learning using CATME team tools. Journal of Marketing Education, 36(1), 5–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/0273475313499023
Morgil, I., Arda, S., Secken, N., Yavuz. S., & Ozyalcin Oskay, O. (2004). The influence of computer-assisted instruction on environmental knowledge and environmental awareness. Chemistry Educational Research Practice, 5(2), 99-110
Moseley, C., Summerford, H., Paschke, M., Parks, C., & Utley, J. (2019). Road to collaboration: Experiential learning theory as a framework for environmental education program development. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 19(3), 238-258. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2019.1582375
National Research Council. (2012). A framework for k-12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. National Academy Press.
Negev, M., Sagy, G., Garb, Y., & Salzberg, A., Tai, A. (2008). Evaluating the environmental literacy of Israeli elementary and high school students. Journal of Environmental Education, 39(2), 3-20
Nizaar, M., Sukirno, Djukri & Haifaturrahmah (2020). Wastepreneurship: A model in improving students’ confidence and creativity. European Journal of Educational Research, 9(4), 1473-1482. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.9.4.1473
Nurwidodo, N., Amin, M., Ibrohim, I., & Sueb, S. (2020). The role of eco-school program (Adiwiyata) towards environmental literacy of high school students. European Journal of Educational Research, 9(3), 1089-1103.https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.9.3.1089
Noah, J. B., & Aziz, A. B. A. (2020). A systematic review in soft skills development among university graduates. Journal of Social Science, 6(1), 43-58.
Palmer, J. A., & Suggate, J. (2004). The development of children’s understanding of distant places and environmental issues: report of a UK longitudinal study of the development of ideas between the ages of 4 and 10 years. Research Papers in Education, 19(2), 205-237. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671520410001695434
Pata, K., & Metsalu, E. (2008). Conceptualizing awareness in environmental education: An example of knowing about air-related problems. Science Education International, 19(I), 24-34
Robbles, M. M. (2012).Executive perceptions of the top 10 soft skills needed in today’s workplace. Business Communication Quarterly, 75(4), 453–465. http://doi.org/10.1177/1080569912460400
Roth, C. (1992). Environmental literacy: Its roots, evolution and directions in the 1990s. ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education, Columbus
Sadler, T. D., Barab, S. A., & Scott, B. (2007). What do students gain by engaging in socioscientific inquiry? Research in Science Education, 37(4), 371–391.
Sadler, T.D., Foulk, J.A., & Friedrichsen, P.J. (2017). Evolution of a model for socioscientific issue teaching and learning. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology, 5(2), 75-87. http://doi.org/10.18404/ijemst.55999
Said, A. M., Yahaya N., Ahmadun F. L. R. (2007). Environmental comprehension and participation of Malaysian secondary school students. Environmental Education Research, 13(1), 17-31
Salequzzman, M. D., Stocker, L. (2001). The context and prospects for environmental education and environmental career in Bangladesh. International Journal of Sustainability Higher Education, 2(2), l04-121.
Saltan, F., & Divarci, O. F. (2017). Using blogs to improve elementary school students’ environmental literacy in science class. European Journal of Educational Research, 6(3), 347-355. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.6.3.347
Samuelsson, K., Colding, J., & Barthel, S. (2019). Urban resilience at eye level: Spatial analysis of empirically defined experiential landscapes. Landscape and Urban Planning, 187, 70-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.03.015
Saputro, A. D., Irwanto, I., Atun, S., & Wilujeng, I. (2019). The impact of problem solving instruction on academic achievement and science process skills among prospective elementary teachers. Elementary Education Online, 18(2), 496-507. https://doi.org/10.17051/ilkonline.2019.561896
Sherburn, M., & Devlin, A. S. (2004). Academic major, environmental concern, andarboretum use. Journal of Environmental Education, 35(2), 23-36
Susilawati., Aznam, N., & Paidi. (2020a). Instructional design on the environmental pollution theme in the higher education. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmetal Science, 485, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/485/1/012054
Susilawati., Aznam, N., Paidi., & Ngadimin (2020b). Teachers’ perspectives toward soft skills in science learning. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1460, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1460/1/012111
Tang, K. N. (2019). Beyond employability: Embedding soft skills in higher education. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 18(2), 1-9.
Tang, K. N., Chan, C. T., & Devi, U. (2015). Critical issues of soft skills development in teaching professional training: educators’ perspectives. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 205, 128-133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.09.039
Tang, K. N., Nor, H. H., Hashimah, M. Y. (2015). Novice teacher perceptions of the soft skills needed in today’s workplace. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 177, 284-288.
Tsaoussi, A. I. (2020). Using soft skills courses to inspire law teachers: a new methodology for a more humanistic legal education. The Law Teacher, 54(1), 1-30
Visintainer, T., & Linn, M. C. (2015). Sixth-grade students progress in understanding the mechanisms of global climate change. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 24(2), 287-310.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society. Harvard University Press.
Walters, L. M., Green, M. R., Goldsby, D., & Parker, D. (2018). Digital storytelling as a problem-solving strategy in mathematics teacher education: How making a math-eo engages and excites 21st century student. International Journal of Technology in Education and Sciences, 2(1), 1-16.
Woosnam, K.M., Aleshinloye, K.D., Ribeiro, M.A., Stylidis, D., Jiang, J., & Erul, E. (2018). Social determinants of place attachment at a World Heritage Site, Tourism management, 67, 139-146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.01.012
Zeidler, D. L., & Nichols, B. H. (2009). Socioscientific issues: Theory and practice. Journal of Elementary Science Education, 21(2), 49-58.