Investigating the views of science teachers with different character and value levels regarding global citizenship on teaching socio-scientific issues

The aim of this study is to examine the opinions of science teachers with different levels of character and values related to global citizenship regarding the teaching of socio-scientific issues (SSI).The study group was determined using the criterion sampling model. The "Character and Values as Global Citizens Assessment" was administered to 17 volunteer science teachers working in different schools in Burdur province, and based on this scale, 9 science teachers with different character and value judgments related to global citizenship were identified.In this study, the phenomenological design was used in line with the qualitative research approach. To investigate the views of the 9 science teachers included in the study group regarding SSI teaching, a semi-structured interview form was used as the data collection tool. The collected data was analyzed using content analysis. According to the results, it was determined that science teachers do not have sufficient knowledge about the place of socioscientific issues in the curriculum. Additionally, the most commonly used teaching methods include discussions, research, and debates. In terms of media tools, news and the internet stand out. However, teachers stated that they face difficulties due to the diversity of family structures, differences in opinions, and dilemmas arising from socioscientific issues. Furthermore, teachers suggested that the achievements related to socioscientific issues should be enhanced and that the topics addressed should be chosen in a more up-to-date manner to better align with students' lives.