• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.739-751
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to identify the differences of argumentation discourses for Socio-Scientific Issues in the types of decision-making and personality traits of pre-service biology teachers. For this study, SSI discussion topics were selected according to four types of decision making: logical reasoning, suggestion of complement, emotional base, and internal conflict. Three groups were constructed based on personality traits such as extroversion, acceptability, and integrity. Each three group used the workbook specially developed and freely used the smart device for discussion. A recorder and a camcorder were used to record each group, their behavior was recorded and the written materials during the discussion were collected for the results. Using Walton's analysis framework, the collected data analyzed in terms of the source of utterance, the process of dialogue shift, and the critical movements that can judge the reasoning of utterance. As a result of the study, it was confirmed that the decision-making type of SSI topics and learners' personalities were influential in the decision-making process of SSI small group discussions. This research shows that there is a need to develop instructional materials considering decision-making types and learners' personality types of students as well as pre-service teachers for SSI discussion.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.887-900
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• 2010

This study aimed to identify some tendencies when college students got to making a decision on socioscientific issues. The guiding research questions were as follows. First, what are college students' tendencies in terms of their moral reactions and attitudes toward SSI when they get to making a decision? And second, how do their own circumstances, personalities, and values play a role in shaping their stance on SSI? Data was collected by individual interviews with thirty college students. The results indicated that most participants immediately brought in their own values, worldviews, and feelings in implicit or explicit ways when talking about SSI. Their reactions were influenced by their backgrounds such as religion, and family background, personality, past experiences, personal interests, and prior knowledge. In addition, the responses of the participants presented some tendencies in their decision-making process. The tendencies can be categorized into 1) bringing in personal values without further engagement, 2) being confused with incompatible values, 3) being overwhelmed by too many aspects to consider, and 4) trying to be detached from the issues.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.12-26
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• 2018

This study examined the effects of SSI argumentation program on the preservice biology teachers' decision-making types and communication ability. The SSI argumentation program was developed based on 'Social Decision-Making & Problem-Solving strategy' and Toulmin's argumentation pattern. The preservice teachers had opportunities of SSI argumentation through small group discussions. They were asked to identify the issues regarding SSI, think of solutions, and make a decision along with claims, warrants, data, and rebuttals. The preservice biology teachers experienced four SSI topics of abortion, euthanasia, gene manipulation, artificial intelligence. The results indicated that the preservice biology teachers significantly improved the communication ability after the intervention, but they did not change their types of decision-making. In addition, after the intervention, the Pearson correlation results indicated that 'the logical type' of decision-making significantly relates to the communication ability(p<.01). The preservice biology teachers mentioned that they improved their ability of considering warrants, data, background information, context, and rebuttals. Further, the preserivce biology teachers mentioned that they became take an interest in socioscientific issues and improved their ability of accepting criticism from others as well as caring about others when they argue each other. This study implicated that the SSI argumentation program has effects on improving personality education in school science.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.66-75
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• 2015

This study is to investigate an argumentation level for elementary school students after analysing an argumentation structure about a socio scientific issue(SSI), and inquire a change of the decision-making according to the refutation materials and empathic situation. This data was collected from the semi-structured interview with the 14 students, grade 6th. For this, the first stage is to present the reading materials about the SSI to the students, let them decision-making and make them argue pro and con about the SSI during the interview. After that, facing with the refutation materials against the existing contention and the empathic situation, the change of the decision-making of the students was conducted. After the research, the level of the argumentation of the students was low, and the students who didn't have the background knowledge about the theme made the decisions according to the values, emotions or intuitions of their own. And the decision-making of the students changed more when presented with the refutation materials and the empathic situation, they were difficult to make the decision because of new information and various stances. Besides, they lacked in the ability that recognize the situation related with their own life, just used the fragmentary knowledge associated with value of life respect. Through these result, it is necessary to produce the refutation materials and empathic materials about the SSI to the students for improving the level of argumentation.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.567-592
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to investigate effective teaching and learning method for teaching decision-making on Socio-Scientific-Issues(SSI) in science classroom. So we carried out new teaching and learning trial for decision-making about Global Warming issues. Our new trial focused on self-directed and cooperative learning in decision-making about SSI. And our participants were science gifted or science high-achieved students in middle school. We analysed students' written decision-making of the last process in our new trial. We can find our instruction made progress in informed decision-making, structure of argumentation, reflective thinking stage, using the scientific information and understanding of the nature of science. As a result, self-directed and cooperative learning in decision-making on SSI leads students to the meaningful decision-making scientifically.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.323-334
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• 2017

Current science education aims to guide students as future responsible citizens to make informed decisions on socioscientific issues (SSI). In the authors' previous study, it was found that conceptions of nature of technology (NOT) were explicitly represented in various contexts of SSI with differentiated levels of understanding, and cases of the informed NOT understanding included the key features of well-reasoned SSI decision-making. Therefore, enhancing NOT understanding could be one of the elements to leverage students' informed SSI decision-making. In this study, we developed a rubric to assess NOT understanding in the context of SSI and applied it to evaluate the impact of SSI instruction. Participants were 58 college students who took an SSI course for 6 weeks. Before and after the SSI course, they were asked to write decision-making essays on the Golden Rice issue (a type of genetically modified food). As a result of analyzing the pre- and post decision-making essay using the rubric, it was found that NOT understanding was improved after the SSI course; in addition, the salient patterns of NOT changes were analyzed in detail in order to gauge the influence of the SSI classes. Implications for science education were discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.79-93
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• 2013

This study examined value-judgement and decision-making process of middle school students on three biotechnology related socioscientific issues (SSI) (i.e. designer baby, amniotic fluid test, and embryonic stem cell research). In particular, it focused on the level of consistency in their value application to the decisions. Twenty 8th grade students participated in the SSI program. The participants were asked to mark their positions on each issue before and after the debates. All classroom and sub-group debates were audio-recorded. The researcher conducted individual interviews with 10 students after the program. The results show three patterns emerging. First, five students applied their personal values in a consistent manner when making decisions on the three consecutive issues. Second, three students demonstrated incremental resoluteness in their value application as the sessions proceeded and had tendency to be oriented towards a specific value, more so towards the end of the program than the beginning. And third, four students gradually showed ambivalence in their decisions as they participate in the program. The results suggest that science teachers addressing SSI need to encourage students to be aware of their own values and to engage in internalized decision-making in light of those values. They also need to be aware of the possible challenges that students might feel in their decision-making process caused by the complexity of SSI.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.421-433
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• 2023

This study examined the reasoning of gifted elementary science students in a socioscientific issues (SSI) classroom discussion on COVID-19-related trash disposal challenges. This study aimed to understand the characteristics of evidence use and decision-making difficulties in each type of SSI-related reasoning. To this end, the transcripts of 17 gifted students of elementary science discussing SSIs in a classroom were analyzed within the framework of informal reasoning. The analysis framework was categorized into three types according to the primary influence involved in reasoning: rational, emotional, and intuitive. The analysis showed that students exhibited four categories of evidence use in SSI reasoning. First, in the rational reasoning category, students deemed and recorded scientific knowledge, numbers, and statistics as objective evidence. However, students who experienced difficulty in investigating such scientific data were less likely to have factored them in subsequent decisions. Second, in the emotional reasoning category, students' solutions varied considerably depending on the perspective they empathized with and reasoned from. Differences in their views led to conflicting perspectives on SSIs and consequent disagreement. Third, in the intuitive reasoning category, students disagreed with the opinions of their peers but did not explain their positions precisely. Intuitive reasoning also created challenges as students avoided problem-solving in the discussion and did not critically examine their opinions. Fourth, a mixed category of reasoning emerged: intuition combined with rationality or emotion. When combined with emotion, intuitive reasoning was characterized by deep empathy arising from personal experience, and when combined with rationality, the result was only an impulsive reaction. These findings indicate that research on student understanding and faculty knowledge of SSIs discussed in classrooms should consider the difficulties in informal reasoning and decision-making.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.404-420
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• 2024

Many risk-related issues within the realm of science education have been addressed through science-technology-related socioscientific issues (SSI) education. It has been established that the topics categorized as SSI are interconnected with risk-related issues. These topics emphasize numerous points of convergence with the goals of SSI education, particularly in understanding and analyzing risks, including risk assessment, risk management, and risk decision-making. Such understanding can aid in grasping the complexity of SSI based on risk-related issues and facilitate informed decision-making by structuring debates. Although there has been discourse on the need for education aimed at future survival and reflection on the responsibilities and roles of education in risk-prone societies, concepts or strategies related to actual risk responses are rarely addressed in science education and schools. Education tailored to risk-prone societies is not yet well established. This study explored the incorporation of climate change risk education into science education. A framework for climate change risk education was developed, encompassing seven elements, with corresponding definitions and examples. The researchers applied this framework to evaluate the extent to which climate change risk education is integrated into the current science curriculum of Korea. Additionally, SSI lesson scenarios related to climate change were analyzed using this risk education framework to determine the types and extent of risk education incorporated. The findings underscore the importance of teaching climate change risk education to equip students for rational decision-making.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.861-879
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to explore the science gifted students' value-judgments and decision making writing on the space exploration enterprise. Sixty-four first graders of a gifted science school took the seminar-style decision making instruction for 10 hours in one month. After having the seminar-style decision making instruction, we have analyzed science gifted students' value-judgments and decision making process utilizing questionnaires and their writings. As a result, gifted students were aware of both sides of the space exploration enterprise, benefits and risks, and showed different decision making depending on their priorities of evidence interpretation. Although the majority of gifted students were very well aware of the importance of space exploration enterprise, they would still need to know the background information of space exploration enterprise. Based on this study, implications of SSI education and future research about space exploration enterprise were discussed in the result.