SCIENCE FOR SOCIETAL RESILIENCE: THE ROLE OF SCHOOLS AND (SOCIAL) SCIENCE EDUCATION

Abstract

In recent years, science and scientists have come under increasing scrutiny, with a growing wave of scepticism and delegitimization undermining not only scientific results but also the very foundations of scientific inquiry. This erosion of trust is particularly acute in the social sciences and humanities, disciplines that are crucial for understanding and navigating the complexities of modern society. The marginalization of these fields is not merely an academic concern – it poses a threat to informed public discourse, democratic governance, and the collective ability to respond to global challenges, namely – our societal resilience. Broadly speaking, schools and teachers are one of the most crucial players in developing trust and interest in science, understanding of science, and habits of consuming scientific content. How teachers teach about science, depends on their own science-related values, beliefs and knowledge. Hence, the aim of the study is to examine secondary school teachers’ scientific literacy, their perceptions of scientific value of different school subjects, and practices of developing science literacy of students.

We look at these aspects in the context of the development of scientific school culture. As the theoretical framework of the study we employ the Social domain theory of Derek Layder and several models of scientific literacy. We pay particular attention to the Layder’s domain of psycho-biography in relation to domains of social setting and contextual resources that shape teachers views and attitudes towards science, including the scientific value of various school subjects. Our empirical analysis is based on 47 semi-structured interviews with different subject teachers and a survey of teachers (N=579), where we examined the following: 1) perceived scientific value of school subjects; 2) scientific literacy of teachers; 3) attitudes towards pseudoscience. The study was carried out as part of the research project funded by the Latvian Council of Sciences (title of the project "Scientific school culture for sustainable society”; project No. lzp-2021/1-0135).