The effects of socio-scientific argumentation method on students' levels of relating knowledge with daily life, enterpreneurship and attitudes towards sustainable science

Aim of Science Education Program is to train scientifically literate individuals who can research-inquire, make effective decisions, solve problems, self confident, open to cooperation, communicate effectively and learn throught their life with sustainable development consciousness. One of the contemporary methods which can fulfil this requirement is socio-scientific argumentation method. When practiced with argumentation, socio-scientific issues relate the topic with daily life, draws students' attention and helps students to reveal their real thoughts. Aim of this study is to examine the effects of using socio-scientific argumentation method in science course on students' perceptions of entrepreneurship, levels of relating knowledge with daily life and views about sustainability of science education. Embedded mixed method used in this study, the quantitative data were gathered in order to determine students' perceptions of entrepreneurship and levels of relating knowledge with daily life while qualitative data were gathered in order to determine views towards sustainability of science education. In addition, students views towards socio-scientific argumentation method were taken after the practice. Embedded design from mixed research methods was used in this study. In quantitative part, pre test post test quasi experimental design was used. In qualitative method interviews and observation were made. Since quantitative part of this study made with quasi experimental design, proper sampling were made and a study group was formed for experimental practice. Four classes were taken in this study; two classes as experiment group and two classes as control group. In experiment group courses were conducted with socio-scientific argumentation while science education program and activities was used in control group. The experimental practice duration was limited to six weeks. The practice took eight weeks with using data collection tools before and after the experimental practice. The experimental practice was conducted in 2017-2018 spring semester. Entrepreneurship perception scale, semi-structured interview questions towards sustainability of science education and open ended questions towards levels of relating knowledge with daily life applied to experiment and control groups before and after experimental practice while semi-structured interview questions towards socio-scientific argumentation were applied to experiment group students after the experimental practice. According to results of this study, entrepreneurship and relating knowledge with daily life scores of experiment group students are higher than control group students, who studied according to activities of science education. In addition, according to semi structured interviews made with experiment and control group students before and after experimental practice, experiment group students' views changed positively while control group students' views stayed similar. Obtained results were discussed and imlications about future studies and future practices were presented. Keywords: Science education, socio-scientific argumentation method, entrepreneurship, relating knowledge with daily life, sustainability