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An STS case study about students' decision making on the waste issue
Author(s) -
Kortland Koos
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
science education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.209
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1098-237X
pISSN - 0036-8326
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-237x(199611)80:6<673::aid-sce3>3.0.co;2-g
Subject(s) - clarity , curriculum , context (archaeology) , unit (ring theory) , mathematics education , process (computing) , normative , psychology , pedagogy , computer science , political science , chemistry , biology , operating system , paleontology , biochemistry , law
The physical science curriculum in Dutch junior secondary education in operation since 1993 includes dealing with environmental issues in the classroom—be it in the context of decision making by students or not. A small‐scale research and development project with the aim of providing an empirical base for the required educational innovations started midway 1990 as a cooperative effort of the Institute for Curriculum Development (SLO) and the Centre for Science and Mathematics Education (CDβ). This article presents a case study about students' decision making on the waste issue in the physical science curriculum. A teaching unit limiting the waste issue to household packaging waste was developed and trialed in grade 8 middle ability classes with students aged 13–14. The students' existing and developing decision making ability has been assessed against the background of a normative model of the decision making process, with evaluating alternatives on relevant criteria at its core. The research connected to the classroom trials shows that before teaching the unit students are able to evaluate alternatives on one (or more nonconflicting) criteria. After teaching the unit the students argumentations about a decision making situation have improved as far as validity and clarity of the criteria used for evaluating alternatives is concerned, but have remained stable with respect to the limited range of criteria used. After an exploration of the reasons for these disappointing learning effects, the article ends with some reflections on the way in which a new version of the unit might be more effective in developing the students' existing decision making ability. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.