The evaluation of socioscientific issues-based developed module for pre-service science teachers in terms of content knowledge and argumentation quality

In this study, it was aimed to develop a module for teaching socioscientific issues (SSIs) and to evaluate these module in terms of pre-service science teachers' content knowledge, argumentation quality and their views on these issues. The study designed as an action research and the participants of the study were 25 junior pre-service science teachers. Data collection tools are energy content knowledge questionnaire, video records of courses, interview form about SSIs, views of teaching SSIs test, focus group interview form about SSIs and students' diaries. The teaching module, which includes the eight-week teaching courses for pre-service teachers, consists of three stages: gaming activities, argumentation and lesson planning. At the end of the study, the developed teaching module was provided an advancement on the level of energy content knowledge and argumentation quality of the pre-service science teachers. In terms of views about SSIs, it was seen that after the developed module, pre-service science teachers were exemplified energy-related issues about SSIs. The views of pre-service science teachers about features of SSIs have changes towards dilemmas. They also suggested alternative strategies for teaching and assessment of these issues and they were indicated that they can be challenged both in teaching and in evaluating. Eventually, it can be said that developed module was an available tool for teaching energy issues in SSIs-based teaching-learning framework. In this study, it was seen that there were only five learning outcome having SSI feature about these issues in the science curriculum. It can be suggest that these issues should be include in the science curriculum by the considered the importance of energy in terms of energy budget, the importance of energy for development level of countries around the world and and the importance on acquiring citizenship awareness for scientific literacy. In addition to all these, the similarities and the differences can be discussed with other studies by developing modules for different levels of teaching about other SSIs.