Relationships Between Preservice Teachers’ Interest, Perceived Knowledge, and Argumentation in Socioscientific Issues: Implications for Teaching About the Complexity of Sustainability Challenges

Pedro Daniel Cadena-Nogales, José Javier Verdugo-Perona, Joan Josep Solaz-Portolés () and Vicente Sanjosé
Additional contact information
Pedro Daniel Cadena-Nogales: Physics Departament, Facultad de Ciencias Socioambientales, Universidad Regional Amazónica IKIAM, Parroquia Muyuna, km 7, Tena 150102, Napo, Ecuador
José Javier Verdugo-Perona: CDC-Research Group, Department of Experimental and Social Sciences Education, Faculty of Teaching Training, University of Valencia, Avda. Tarongers 4, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Joan Josep Solaz-Portolés: CDC-Research Group, Department of Experimental and Social Sciences Education, Faculty of Teaching Training, University of Valencia, Avda. Tarongers 4, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Vicente Sanjosé: CDC-Research Group, Department of Experimental and Social Sciences Education, Faculty of Teaching Training, University of Valencia, Avda. Tarongers 4, 46022 Valencia, Spain

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-17

Abstract: Socioscientific issues are a key aspect of science education, enhancing citizens’ understanding of the intricate relationships among global concerns and fostering their engagement in informed decision making on these problems. To this end, teachers must be able to establish connections between scientific content, its application in everyday life, and its impact on social, economic, and environmental dimensions. This study analyzes the factors that influence teachers’ ability to address these topics in the classroom. It includes two studies. The first study ( n = 213) examines prospective science teachers’ interest in and perceived knowledge of 14 issues related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The second study ( n = 135) analyzes the types of arguments that participants use to justify their interest. A mixed-method ex post facto design was employed, using ad hoc questionnaires. The results suggest significant differences between interest and perceived knowledge across certain specific topics. Additionally, the topic addressed tends to evoke specific dimensions within arguments, with cultural/social and ecological/environmental aspects being the most prevalent, influencing the connections teachers establish with everyday life contexts. These findings highlight how interest, perceived knowledge, and the topic itself influence the dimensions considered in argument construction when discussing socioscientific issues and may contribute to the development of teacher training programs that foster a deeper understanding of the complex nature of these sustainability-related issues.

Keywords: socioscientific issues; education for sustainability; preservice science teachers; interest; perceived knowledge; types of arguments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/9/3860/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/9/3860/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:9:p:3860-:d:1641900

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().