Abstract:

For many years, curriculum reforms in secondary science education have focused in several countries on the development of scientific and technological literacy (STL). It is often taken as a reference and a goal for science and technology education in a perspective of “socio-civic” (Hlebowitsh & Hudson, 1991) or social responsibility (Ramsey, 1993) in the context of a scientific and technological society. While discourses are numerous in the perspective of citizenry education, the concept of STL is frequently recognised as being controversial (Jenkins, 1990, 1994).
A number of different conceptions have been proposed within the science and technology education community, by social scientists and public opinion researchers concerned with science and technology policy issues, sociologists of science, and science communication community. Different visions can be portrayed among the education research community to provide a fuller understanding of the diverse positions, descriptions and interpretations (Laugksch, 2000; Roberts, 2007). To portray such visions, two features can be identified. One is related to the nature of knowledge implied in SL. The other is related to the extent of involvement in and with society.
In France, recent reforms in secondary education have established that science teaching should encourage students to participate as citizens in decisions on socioscientific issues that our societies actually encounter (energy use, GMOs, global warming...). With such an aim, the promotion of STL is related to democratising technoscience in society. This situation opens complex debates within the education community related to the nature of knowledge to be taken as reference. A fundamental question can be expressed as “As citizens, what knowledge is most appropriate?” (Tiberghien, 2007).
In this study, science and technology teachers viewpoints on such orientations for science and technology teaching have been investigated by questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Results indicated that teachers refer to recent educational reforms aimed to develop STL for all. But it also shows that only a few of them seem to have a clear idea of their meanings and ways to make these orientations operational in their teaching. Linking science, technology and social preoccupations has only a few resonance within the science and technology teachers conceptions of science and technology teaching for the majority of teachers we interviewed. The vision of social issues for some teachers is focused on a socio-professional or familial sphere. The nature of knowledge is defined with reference to the scientific community. Technology is considered as applied science. Knowledge elaborated within other communities is not considered to be legitimate. This corresponds to a traditional science and technology teaching focused on scientific concepts that has no implications with social issues. These results lead to question the fulfilment of the curriculum aimed to develop scientific and technological literacy and civic responsibility of students. Do such orientations correspond to a new slogan for teaching and learning science and technology in a still traditional way ?