Science education and democratic participation: an uneasy congruence?

Levinson, Ralph

doi:10.1080/03057260903562433

Cited by 145 publications

(108 citation statements)

References 106 publications

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“…The role of education in general has been described as reproducing societal practice (Giddens, 1984) and propagating societal development (Giddens, 1984;McWilliam & Lee, 2006) by constructing and supporting a knowledge society (Brennan, 2008;Szkudlarek, 2007). Levinson (2010) provides four frameworks for describing different ways by which the role of science education for democratic participation is described. For example, two of Levinsons categories, 'Deficit' and 'Deliberative democracy' fit well with the notion of a knowledge society.…”

Section: Development and Changing Role Of Science Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Critical society anticipates more direct participation in democratic processes since laymen are empowered by knowledge and negotiation skills to engage in discussions with experts about issues related to societal transformation (Kalantzis, 2006). The notion of critical society corresponds to the frameworks Levinson (2010) calls 'Science education as praxis' and 'Dissent and conflict'.…”

Section: Development and Changing Role Of Science Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Students’ Ontological Security and Agency in Science Education—An Example from Reasoning about the Use of Gene Technology

Lindahl

Linder

2013

International Journal of Science Education

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This paper reports on a study of how students' reasoning about socioscientific issues is framed by three dynamics: societal structures, agency and how trust and security issues are handled. Examples from gene technology were used as the forum for interviews with 13 Swedish high-school students (year 11, age 17 -18). A grid based on modalities from the societal structures described by Giddens was used to structure the analysis. The results illustrate how the participating students used both modalities for 'Legitimation' and 'Domination' to justify positions that accept or reject new technology. The analysis also showed how norms and knowledge can be used to justify opposing positions in relation to building trust in science and technology, or in democratic decisions expected to favour personal norms. Here, students accepted or rejected the authority of experts based on perceptions of the knowledge base that the authority was seen to be anchored in. Difficulty in discerning between material risks (reduced safety) and immaterial risks (loss of norms) was also found. These outcomes are used to draw attention to the educational challenges associated with students' using knowledge claims (Domination) to support norms (Legitimation) and how this is related to the development of a sense of agency in terms of sharing norms with experts or with laymen. IntroductionA good example of an educational context where understanding of the development of agency and reasoning is important is when discussions about societal use of gene technology take place. This article uses such a context to look at the development of agency in relation to societal structures when students handle trust and security issues.

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Section: Development and Changing Role Of Science Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Development and Changing Role Of Science Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Students’ Ontological Security and Agency in Science Education—An Example from Reasoning about the Use of Gene Technology

Lindahl

Linder

2013

International Journal of Science Education

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“…The cumulative research typically describes different modes of organization, but still little is known about what modes of dialogic organization support the intended learning. Yet, it is suggested that untutored student group discussions may be important for the development of decision-making skills (Driver, Newton & Osborne, 2000;Kolstø, 2000;Levinson, 2010), since they can share their thoughts among peers without the constraints of a teacher presence. Thus, we focus our study on different modes of untutored smallgroup discussions in a socio-scientific issue context with the purpose of gaining knowledge on how different features of the student conversation influence their decision-making.…”

Section: Contribution Of This Paper To the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes and Language Use in Group Discussions on Socio-Scientific Issues

Lindahl

Folkesson

2016

EURASIA J MATH SCI T

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The school systems of many countries have been pervaded by student-centred pedagogy making students' small group discussion a common feature of the classroom practice. However, there is a lack of studies focussing different modes of discussion for the purpose of finding out whether some modes are more beneficial than others. Hence, the aim of this study is to explore the underpinnings of student small group conversations on Socio-scientific Issues in order to develop an understanding of the key aspects of what interrupts or revitalizes the conversation. We focus on the importance of attitudes and language use for the fate of students' decision-making conversations. Our theoretical framework builds on Dewey's notion of Open-mindedness and Bernstein's communication codes. Students' use of morals, opinions and agitational talk interrupted conversations, whereas new aspects and new perspectives revitalized the conversation. Students need guidance to avoid using justifications in conjunction with a Close-minded attitude.

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“…Much of this scholarship has been within the critical tradition seeking social and eco-justice (see for example, Barton, 2002;Burke & Bazzul, 2017;Gilbert, 2013;Levinson, 2010). Such critical work can promote emancipatory discourses that privilege social redistribution without necessarily interrogating the Eurocentrism that has contributed to centuries worth of colonial oppression, inequality and planetary harm.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Decolonial Moment in Science Education: Using a Socioscientific Issue to Explore the Coloniality of Power

Carter¹

2017

RBPEC

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Decolonialism as a politically engaged endeavour interrogating enduring colonial knowledge production is essential to any discussion of global injustices including those that sociocultural approaches to science education seek to challenge and ameliorate. This paper describes a decolonial moment in my own science teaching to undergraduate primary (elementary) preservice teachers around a socioscientific issue of Ethical Clothing/Fashion. The decolonial moment consists of a semiotically guided reading of some of fashion designer Vivienne Westwood’s promotional photographs for The Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI), a development project in Kenya. Through this reading, differing social and power relations emerge than probably intended, aimed at unsettling the Eurocentric colonial discourses that many students carry with them into the classroom. The paper concludes with a review of both my own, and the pre-service teachers’ reflections on our learning.

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Science education and democratic participation: an uneasy congruence?

Cited by 145 publications

References 106 publications

Students’ Ontological Security and Agency in Science Education—An Example from Reasoning about the Use of Gene Technology

Students’ Ontological Security and Agency in Science Education—An Example from Reasoning about the Use of Gene Technology

Attitudes and Language Use in Group Discussions on Socio-Scientific Issues

A Decolonial Moment in Science Education: Using a Socioscientific Issue to Explore the Coloniality of Power

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