Beyond the Classroom: Exploring the Impact of Technology-, Culture-, and Daily Routine-Based Socioscientific Issues on Pre-service Primary Teachers’ Decisions and Argumentation

Abstract

This study investigates pre-service primary teachers’ (PPTs’) decision-making processes, the factors influencing these decisions, and the extent to which they can defend their decisions in a qualified manner within the context of culture-based socioscientific issues (SSIs), and daily routine–based SSIs, in addition to technology-based SSIs. Hydroelectric power plants were chosen for a technology-based SSI, tying cloth to trees as a culture-based SSI, and using facial cleansing gels as a daily routine–based SSI. This study used a qualitative descriptive design, which is suitable for describing phenomena in relatively new or underexplored areas, allowing the integration of qualitative interpretations with simple quantitative indicators such as frequencies of factors influencing decisions. In the context of this design, data were collected through written forms in which 25 PPTs explained and defended their decisions regarding SSI scenarios developed by the researchers. The data were analyzed inductively to identify factors influencing PPTs’ decisions and deductively to examine argumentation qualities. The findings indicate that PPTs were able to make clear decisions in technology-based SSI but showed indecision in culture-based and daily routine–based SSIs. Supportive decisions were frequently observed for technology and daily routine–based SSIs, whereas culture-based SSIs often resulted in decisions favoring discontinuation of the tradition. Additionally, the factors influencing decisions and the quality of justifications varied depending on the SSI context, particularly in cultural and daily routine–based issues. These results suggest that culture and daily routine–based SSIs should be incorporated more frequently to develop individuals’ decision-making and argumentation skills.