تضمين القضايا العلمية المجتمعية SSI في كتب الكيمياء في المملكة العربية السعودية و وعي المعلمين بها

Abstract EN

The threefold goal of this study is to investigate the inclusion of soci-scientific issues (SSI) in student textbooks and teacher guides of high school chemistry (grades 10, 11 & 12), to find out whether guidelines were provided to assist teachers in addressing SSI, and to explore teachers’ awareness of, and how they address SSI in the classroom.

Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used employing content analysis technique for a set of 6 student textbooks and teacher guides, and then interviewing 9 chemistry teachers who were randomly chosen.

Findings showed that in the 83 lessons included in the three grades’ textbooks, SSI were only implicitly mentioned 67 times.

These issues were distributed unequally in the three grades as 13.4 %, 35,8 %, and 50.8 % in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades respectively.

The term SSI was not mentioned at all and guidelines were not included, which may suggest that even the implicit inclusion was not intentional.

Furthermore, the issues were mentioned in the context of science and society as well as science and technology, with broad guidelines to linking science to society and life in 73 % of the documented SSI.

Findings also revealed that teachers’ awareness of SSI was low and conventionally addressed.

The interviewed teachers, however, hold positive attitudes towards teaching SSI and they believe that it is a priority to be taught.