Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Socio-scientific Views on Environment and Health as Challenges to Science Education

  • Chapter
Science | Environment | Health

Abstract

Environment and health are interlinked areas that are generating increasing interest and relevance in view of achieving a sustainable society. This is the main argument for increased emphasis on environmental and health issues in science education. However, beyond this foreground goal, environment and health problems provide a background of opportunities to ask questions about the nature and role of science in society. From a positivist technical perspective, environment and health are well-defined measurable resources or states that can be controlled by well-educated individuals. Environmental and health education and related research approaches have, for a certain time, followed this line. From a socio-scientific perspective, the potential of environmental and health issues lies in searching beyond the surface: What notions of environment and health can be identified, how are they represented in society, and how are they represented in science? How do members of society, such as citizens, politicians, and scientists, come to know about what matters in current and future environmental and health developments? And what concepts do people have about how environmental and health problems might be approached? Such questions illustrated by examples and related research approaches are challenges for a socio-scientific orientation in science teaching.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Albe, V. (2007). Students’ Argumentation in Group Discussions on a Socio-Scientific Issue. In R. Pinto & D. Couso (Eds.), Contributions from Science education research (pp. 389–401). Berlin: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bilharz, M., & Gräsel, C. (2006). Gewusst wie: Strategisches Umwelthandeln als Ansatz zur Förderung ökologischer Kompetenz in Schule und Weiterbildung. Bildungsforschung, 3(1), [http://www.bildungsforschung.org/index.php/bildungsforschung/article/viewFile/27/25].

  • Elster, D. (2005). Was macht naturwissenschaftlichen Unterricht für Mädchen und Buben interessant? In Österreichisches Zentrum für Begabtenförderung und Begabtenforschung (Hrsg.), Die Forscher/innen von morgen (pp. 153–161). Innsbruck: Studienverlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gillis, J. (2011). A scientist, his work and a climate reckoning. Slowing the runaway train of greenhouse gas emissions. New York Times, Monday, 3. January. Copyright by Tages Anzeiger, pp. 1, 4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gräsel, C. (1999). Die Rolle des Wissens beim Umwelthandeln–oder: Warum Umweltwissen träge ist. Unterrichtswissenschaft, 27, 196–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gräsel, C. (2009). Umweltbildung. In R. Tippelt & B. Schmidt (Hrsg.), Handbuch Bildungsforschung (2., überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage, S. 845–860). Wiesbaden: Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.

    Google Scholar 

  • Häberli, R., Gasser, R., Grossenbacher-Mansuy, W., & Lehmann Pollheimer, D. (2002). Vision Lebensqualität: Nachhaltige Entwicklung – Ökologisch notwendig, wirtschaftlich klug, gesellschaftlich möglich. Schlussbericht Schwerpunktprogramm Umwelt. Zürich: Hochschulverlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heimlich, J. E., & Ardoin, N. M. (2008). Understanding behavior to understand behavior change: a literature review. Environmental Education Research, 14(3), 215–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hines, J. M., Hungerford, H. R., & Tomera, A. N. (1986/1987). Analysis and synthesis of research on responsible environmental behavior: a meta-analysis. The Journal of Environmental Education, 18(2), 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • HSGYM – Hochschule und Gymnasium. Hochschulreife und Studierfähigkeit. Zürcher Analysen und Empfehlungen zur Schnittstelle. Zürich: www.hsgym.ch | www.educeth.ch.

  • Hungerford, H. R., & Volk, T. L. (1990). Changing learner behavior through envirnomental education. The Journal of Environmental Education, 21(3), 8–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, B. B., & Schnack, K. (2006). The Action Competence Approach in Environmental Education. Environmental Education Research, 12(3–4), 471–486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, G. M., Howe, A., & Rua, M. J. (2000). Gender differences in students’ experiences, interests, and attitudes toward science and scientists. Science Education, 84(2), 180–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krüger, T. (2008). Die Entdeckung der Eiszeiten. Internationale Rezeption und Konsequenzen für das Verständnis der Klimageschichte. Basel: Schwabe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kyburz-Graber, R., Hofer, K., & Wolfensberger, B. (2006). Studies on a socio-ecological approach to environmental education: A contribution to a critical position in the education for sustainable development discourse. Environmental Education Research, 12(1), 101–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kyburz-Graber, R., Rigendinger, L., Hirsch Hadorn, G., & Werner Zentner, K. (1997). A socio-ecological approach to interdisciplinary environmental education in senior high schools. Environmental Education Research, 3(1), 17–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levinson, R. (2007). Towards a pedagogical framework for the teaching of controversial socio-scientific issues to secondary school students in the age range 14–19. Ph.D. thesis. Institute of Education, University of London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osborne, J. (2007). Engaging young people with science: Thoughts about future direction of science education. In C. Linder, L. Östman, & P.-O. Wickman (Eds.), Promoting scientific literacy: science education research in transaction (pp. 105–112). Proceedings of the Linnaeus Tercentenary Symposium held at Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, May 28–29, 2007. Uppsala: Geotryckeriet.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osborne, J., Erduran, S., & Simon, S. (2004). Enhancing the quality of argumentation in school science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41(10), 994–1020.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pfister, Ch. (2010a). The “1950s Syndrome” and the transition from a slow-going to a rapid loss of global sustainability. In F. Uekötter (Ed.), The turning points of environmental history. University of Pittsburgh Press: Pittsburgh.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pfister, Ch. (2010b). Le débat sur les gaz à effet de serre – le dû des scientifiques. ProClim-Flash, 48, 3.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ratcliffe, M. (2009). The place of socio-scientific issues in citizenship education. In A. Ross (Ed.), Human rights and citizenship education (pp. 12–16). London: CiCe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robottom, I. (2003). Shifts in understanding environmental education. In R. Kyburz-Graber, P. Posch, & U. Peter (Eds.), Challenges in teacher education. Interdisciplinarity and environmental education (pp. 34–40). Wien: Studienverlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sauvé, L., Berryman, T., & Brunelle, R. (2003). Environnement et développement: la culture de la filière ONU. Education relative à l’environnement, Regards, Recherches, Réflexions, 4, 33–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schlüter, K., & Kyburz-Graber, R. (2000). Ansichten der Lehrerbildnerinnen und Lehrerbildner zur Umweltbildung. In U. Nagel, C. Bachmann-Affolter, & D. Högger (Hrsg.), Innovation durch Umweltbildung. Potentiale eines interdisziplinären Studienbereichs in der neuen Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerbildung (pp. 58–66). Zürich: Pestalozzianum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seybold, H., & Nikel, J. (2006). Special Issue: Environmental education in three German-speaking countries: research perspectives and recent developments. Environmental Education Research, 12(1).

    Google Scholar 

  • Sia, A. P., Hungerford, H. R., & Tomera, A. N. (1985/86). Selected predictors of responsible environmental behaviour. The Journal of Environmental Education, 17(2), 31–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simonneaux, L. (2007). Argumentation in socio-scientific contexts. In S. Erduran & M. P. Jiménes-Aleixandre (Eds.), Argumentation in science (pp. 179–199). Berlin: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Stein, D. K. (2001). Scientific literacy for citizenship: Tools for dealing with the science dimension of controversial socioscientific issues. Science Education, 85(3), 291–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, R. (1987). Schooling and environmental education: Contradictions in purpose and practice. In I. Robottom (Ed.), Environmental education: Practice and possibility (pp. 69–82). Geelong, Victoria, Australia: Deakin University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, R. (2007). Schooling and environmental/sustainability education: From discourses of policy and practice to discourses of professional learning. Environmental Education Research, 13(2), 265–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strobl, G. (2008). Naturwissenschaftliche Bildung und die Debatte um Scientific Literacy. In K. P. Ohly & G. Strobl (Hrsg.). Naturwissenschaftliche Bildung. Konzepte und Praxisbeispiele für die Oberstufe (pp. 46–59). Weinheim: Beltz.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2005). United nations decade of education for sustainable development 2005–2014. Draft international implementation scheme. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO-UNEP United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization – United Nations Environmental Programme. (1978). Final report intergovernmental conference on environmental education, Tbilisi 1977. Paris: UNESCO-UNEP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zeidler, D. L., Sadler, T. D., Applebaum, S., & Callahan, B. E. (2009). Advancing Reflective Judgment through Socioscientific Issues. Research in Science Teaching, 46(1), 74–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeidler, D. L., Sadler, T. D., Simmons, M. L., & Howes, E. V. (2005). Beyond STS: A research-based framework for socioscientific issues education. Science Education, 89(3), 357–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ZHSF. (2009). Expertise zu Naturwissenschaft und Technik in der Allgemeinbildung im Kanton Zürich. Zürich: Bildungsdirektion.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Education, University of Zurich, Beckenhofstrasse 31, CH 8006, Zurich, Switzerland

    Regula Kyburz-Graber

Authors
  1. Regula Kyburz-Graber
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Regula Kyburz-Graber .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Insitute of Education, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Albert Zeyer  & Regula Kyburz-Graber  & 

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Kyburz-Graber, R. (2012). Socio-scientific Views on Environment and Health as Challenges to Science Education. In: Zeyer, A., Kyburz-Graber, R. (eds) Science | Environment | Health. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3949-1_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation