1. Nasser Mansour University of Exeter n.mansour@ex.ac.uk
Investigating science teachers’ beliefs, intentions and practices about teaching/learning Science-Technology-Society (STS) issues
Nasser Mansour
University of Exeter

2. What is STS
STS is an interdisciplinary field of study that seeks to explore and understand the many ways that modern science and technology shape modern culture, values, and institutions on one hand, and how modern values shape science and technology on the other hand
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3. STS as a New Paradigm & the game of politics
traditional paradigm of science curriculum in the 19th century.
the Second World War and the nuclear bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan in 1945.
Sputnik’s revolution in Russia in 1957.
In early 1970s, a call for science programmes relating science, technology and society to make students aware of the importance of the effects of science and technology on their life.
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4. STS approach
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5. Research question
What is the range of beliefs that Egyptian science teachers hold about teaching STS issues?
What are science teachers’ beliefs about the priority of integrating science, Technology, and Society (STS) issues on the science curriculum?
What are science teachers’ knowledge regarding science, Technology, and Society (STS) related issues?
Science teachers’ beliefs about importance of science, Technology, and Society (STS) issues?
What are science teachers’ sources of knowledge of the STS issues?
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6. Methodology-methods-sample
Quantitative methodology
Questionnaire
A total of 162 Egyptian science teachers responded to the questionnaire
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7. STS questionnaire
The questionnaire consists of 36 items. It is divided into three parts:
Part one contains 14 items focused on teacher’s beliefs about Science-Technology-Society (STS).
Part two contains 22 items focused on teacher’s beliefs about teaching science through STS issues:
Part three: Background profile
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8. Research results
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9. Beliefs about the relationship between Science and Technology (BAST)
The majority of teachers believe that there is a reciprocal relationship between science and technology. For example:
More than 90% stated that technology is very important for science to be progressed.
95.7% of the teachers expressed views about the affect of science on technology (item 2) and other 75.9 % of the teachers expressed that technology has influences on society (item 3).
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10. Beliefs about the relationship between Science and Technology (BAST)
Statements
Student should learn that 1 SD 2 3 4 5 SA
Technology is the application of science. (N) 8
(4.9)
(1.2)
(1.9) 57
(35.2) 86
(53.1)
Science does affect technology. (R)
(2.5)
(0.6)
(1.2) 98
(60.5)
Technology does affect science. (R) 6
(3.7) 27
(16.7) 51
(31.5) 72
(44.4)
Technology provides tools and techniques for science. (HM)
(1.9) 45
(27.8)
102
(63)
The majority of the respondents indicated that the teachers believe that there is a reciprocal relationship between science and technology.
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11. Beliefs about the relationship between Science and Society (BASS)
The majority of the respondents indicated that they believe that there is an interactive relationship between science and Society and each one affects the other. For example:
Science does affect society to a great extent. (84.6 %).
Society’s quest to understand the world stimulates the accumulation of scientific knowledge (88.4%).
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12. Beliefs about the relationship between Technology and Society (BATS)
The majority of the respondents indicated that they believe that there is an influential relationship between technology and society. for example:
More than 80 % stated that technology has a great effect on the progress of the society.
a high percentage of the teachers (95.7 %) see that the use of technology In Egyptian society is controlled by society traditions, morals, and values. This finding was not surprising in terms of the main characteristic of Egyptian society, which is religion-oriented.
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13. a linear relationship between science:
Beliefs about the relationship among Science, Technology and Society (BASTS)
a linear relationship between science:
Science technology society (13%)
Technology science society (1.9)
Science
Society technology (1.9)
Society
Science technology (26%)
Technology
science Society (4.3%)
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14. A cyclical-linear relationship between science: Science
Beliefs about the relationship among Science, Technology and Society (BASTS)
A cyclical-linear relationship between science:
Science
Technology Society (15%)
Technology
Science Society (4.3%)
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15. A cyclical relationship between science (33%) Science
Beliefs about the relationship among Science, Technology and Society (BASTS)
A cyclical relationship between science (33%)
Science
Technology Society
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16. the teachers hold mixed views:
Beliefs about the roles of teachers/students in teaching/learning STS (BATR)
the teachers hold mixed views:
On the one hand, teachers hold constructivist views concerning their roles and their students. For example, provide their students with STS learning resources (82.1%) (Item 20). give the students the opportunity to express their opinions and lead the discussion of STS issues (77.1%) (Item 23).
Within this traditional orientation, high percentage of the teachers (93.8%) believes that their main role is to explain STS issues.
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17. Beliefs about Beliefs about teaching/learning STS (BAT/LSTS)
the teachers hold mixed views:
Constructivist view:(92%) believed that it is important to provide more than one source of information (item 27). (71.6%) expressed that learners construct knowledge about STS issues based on their prior knowledge related with these issues (item 28).
traditional view, 82.1 % hold beliefs that students receive mainly knowledge regarding STS issues from what teachers say at the classroom (item 33) % highlighted science textbooks as main sources of teaching/learning STS (item31).
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18. Beliefs about STS issues (BASTS issues)
the issues that relate to air pollution, water quality and resources issue and human health and disease came in the first place with a priority mean of 7.66, 7.31, and 7.03 in sequentially.
The issues that relate to overpopulation, hazardous substances, Land use, and Nuclear reactors came in the middle with a priority mean of 5.56, 5.39, 5.18, and 4.65 in sequentially.
The issues of energy shortages, world hunger and food resources, and plans and animals extinction came last with a priority mean of 4.57, 3.87, and 3.73 in sequentially.
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19. science teachers’ knowledge of the STS issues
teachers’ good knowledge of the target issues are in favour of air pollution, water quality and resources issue, and human health.
Teachers’ knowledge of these three issues affected the importance ratings they gave to them. They rated them as the most important issues.
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20. The results concerning the importance of including the STS issues in the science curricula
it is important to include the issues of air pollution and quality, health and population, water quality and recourses in science curricula.
This finding concurs with the high priority the teachers gave to these issues and their good knowledge of them.
41 % saw that the issues of population growth, hazardous substances, and energy shortage should be included in science curricula. Yet, % of the teachers gave a moderate importance to including the issues of the land, world hunger and food production, nuclear reactors, and plants and animals extinction in the curricula.
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