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Addressing Complexity in Science|Environment|Health Pedagogy

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Bridging Research and Practice in Science Education

Part of the book series: Contributions from Science Education Research ((CFSE,volume 6))

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss complexity as a key feature for understanding the role of science knowledge in environmental and health contexts—a central issue in Science|Environment|Health pedagogy. Complex systems are, in principle, not predictable. In different contexts, ephemeral mechanisms produce different, sometimes completely unexpected results. The art of decision-making in complex contexts is to take scientific knowledge into account but to interpret its meaning in terms of concrete complex contexts. This is illustrated by four empirical studies on Science|Environment|Health issues, presented midway through this paper. The findings underscore the importance of introducing complexity issues into science education. Not only are all the grand health and environmental challenges of our times highly complex, but there is also evidence that introducing complexity into science education may support many students’ motivation to learn science and change practice in science classrooms. Truly appreciating the role of complexity in Science|Environment|Health pedagogy is likely to raise future citizens who understand the delicate relation between predictability and adaption and to empower them for wise decisions about societal and personal well-being.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Professions, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Bern, Switzerland

    Albert Zeyer

  2. Departamento Didáctica CC. Experimentales y Sociales, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain

    Nuria Álvaro, Olga Mayoral & Valentín Gavidia

  3. Centre for Science and Technology Education, School of Education, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Muttenz, Switzerland

    Julia Arnold

  4. Department Biology Education, IPN – Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education at Kiel University, Kiel, Germany

    J. Christian Benninghaus & Kerstin Kremer

  5. Geography Education, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    J. Christian Benninghaus & Sandra Sprenger

  6. Department of Science-Environment-Society, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden

    Helen Hasslöf, Mats Lundström & Jesper Sjöström

  7. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Alla Keselman

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  1. Albert Zeyer
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  2. Nuria Álvaro
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Correspondence to Albert Zeyer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. CASTeL, School of Physical Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

    Eilish McLoughlin

  2. CASTeL, School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

    Odilla E. Finlayson

  3. Department of Education, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Sibel Erduran

  4. EPI-STEM, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

    Peter E. Childs

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Zeyer, A. et al. (2019). Addressing Complexity in Science|Environment|Health Pedagogy. In: McLoughlin, E., Finlayson, O.E., Erduran, S., Childs, P.E. (eds) Bridging Research and Practice in Science Education. Contributions from Science Education Research, vol 6. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17219-0_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17219-0_10

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-17219-0

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