Abstract:

Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE) has shown to trigger students’ interest in science as well as the acquisition of competences and critical thinking. It promotes an adequate view of the nature of science and facilitates the understanding of both processes and products of science. In addition, IBSE offers powerful opportunities for the development of meaningful and situated science learning, while using scientific ideas in the investigation and understanding of relevant problems.

Given that potential, IBSE can be regarded as a key approach to address current challenges in science education. Among these challenges are to ensure the scientific literacy of future citizens and to promote Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI).

Both mentioned challenges are intertwined, since science education has a twofold goal, educate future scientists who will lead innovation and research and promote well-informed citizens able to participate in the debate of socio-scientific issues. Science education intends to equip both scientists and non-scientists with the knowledge, skills and values necessary to make their own contribution to our society. Excellent in this twofold goal of science education is therefore fundamental for the development of modern technology-based democratic societies and for achieving the aims of RRI in order to better aligned research outcomes to the values, needs and expectations of society.

The Seventh Framework European Project PARRISE (Promoting Attainment of Responsible Research and Innovation in Science Education) intends to contribute to these challenges through the development, dissemination and support across Europe of an educational framework for Socio Scientific Inquiry Based Learning.

Within this project, the present paper focus on the contributions of one of the partners of the PARRISE Consortium. Researchers from the University of Jaén will build on their previous experiences in other European projects to benefit from successful practices and resources aligned with the PARRISE approach.

The dissemination of innovative educational materials must go along with appropriate teacher training in the pedagogical approach being promoted. Therefore, discussion will be provided on strategies for efficient teacher professional development and on key teaching competences for the use of Socio Scientific Inquiry Based Education.

The authors will analyse the potential of some of the materials designed within the COMPASS project, in which they took part, to promote education on socio scientific issues. They will also discuss pre-service and in-service teacher training in Inquiry Based Learning, based on their previous experiences within the PRIMAS project.

Keywords:

Inquiry Based Science Education, Socio Scientific Issues, Teacher Training, Inquiry Based Learning, Responsible Research and Innovation.