Using Drama to Enrich Students’ Argumentation About Genetically Modified Foods

In theory, there is broad agreement among science education stakeholders that supporting the achievement of scientific literacy is crucial for citizens to make informed and critical decisions about socioscientific issues (SSI). Likewise, it is widely held that argumentation is an important component...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science & education 2023-06, Vol.32 (3), p.635-668
Main Authors: Archila, Pablo Antonio, Truscott de Mejía, Anne-Marie, Restrepo, Silvia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biotechnology
College Science
College Students
Colleges & universities
Drama
Education
Effect Size
Enrichment
Food
Foreign Countries
Genetic modification
Genetically engineered microorganisms
Genetically modified organisms
Genetics
History
Literacy
Persuasive Discourse
Philosophy of Science
Science and Society
Science Education
Science Instruction
Students
Teaching Methods
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Summary:In theory, there is broad agreement among science education stakeholders that supporting the achievement of scientific literacy is crucial for citizens to make informed and critical decisions about socioscientific issues (SSI). Likewise, it is widely held that argumentation is an important component of scientific literacy. In practice, however, university science courses give undergraduates limited opportunities to strengthen their argumentation skills. The purpose of this study was to provide evidence to explore the use of drama to enrich students’ argumentation about genetically modified (GM) foods. This study was conducted in Colombia where an eventual banning of GM crops is the subject of discussion in Congress. Data include the oral and written arguments produced by seventy-five students (55 females and 20 males, 18–24 years old) in a university science course during a complete drama-based teaching–learning sequence. Coding of students’ responses to open-ended questions, Cohen’s d effect size, and chi-square tests were performed. The outcomes suggest that the sequence effectively provided participants with explicit opportunities to enrich their GM food argumentation, producing arguments about their viewpoints and anticipating counterarguments. The evidence provided in this study contributes to the exploration of an emergent possibility in science education, namely, the use of drama as a platform for enriching students’ argumentation about SSI.
ISSN:0926-7220
1573-1901
DOI:10.1007/s11191-022-00346-y