Graduation Year
2014
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Ph.D.
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Department
Curriculum & Instruction
Degree Granting Department
Secondary Education
Major Professor
Dana L. Zeidler, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Benjamin Herman, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Patricia Jones, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Janet Richards, Ph.D.
Keywords
ethical, evidence-evaluation, moral issues, science education
Abstract
The discrepancy between what students are being taught within K-12 science classrooms and what they experience in the real world has been well documented. This study sought to explore the ways a high school biology curriculum, which integrates socioscientific issues, impacts students' emotive reasoning and their ability to evaluate evidence, make informed decisions on contemporary scientific dilemmas, and integrate scientific content knowledge in their reasoning on SSI. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to examine differences within and between an SSI treatment group and a comparison group as well as individual differences among students' responses over a semester of high school biology. Results indicated students used emotions largely to evaluate evidence and make decisions on contentious scientific dilemmas. In addition, the results showed students used newly gained scientific content knowledge to make logical predictions on contentious scientific issues. Statistical significance was found between groups of students in regard to their interest in the use of embryonic stem cell treatments to restore rats' vision, as well as students' abilities to evaluate evidence. Theoretical implications regarding the use of SSI in the classroom are presented.
Scholar Commons Citation
Powell, Wardell Anthony, "The Effects of Emotive Reasoning on Secondary School Students' Decision-Making in the Context of Socioscientific Issues" (2014). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/5385
