Science Education for Citizenship: A Case Study

Abstract

The aim of this study is to discover the topics/contexts covered in the science course withrespect to citizenship education. This study was carried out using a case study design, a qualitativeresearch approach. Since this study was designed as a case study, the primary data collectiontechnique was the participant observation technique. Critical case sampling was used to collectqualitative data during the observations. The observational data were obtained from two classes in2009 during the fall semester. Also, several semi-structured interviews were conducted with theteachers in 2010 during the spring semester to support observation data and increase the credibilityof the study. Criterion sampling was used to determine the teachers to enroll in the study, and atotal of 24 teachers participated in the interviews. The study data were analyzed through contentanalysis. In the content analysis, a conceptual framework was formed in light of the literature onthe relationship between citizenship education and citizenship education within a science course.The coding stage in this study was based on this conceptual framework. The results showed that,as a part of citizenship education, science course could deal with the topics of ScienceTechnology-Society-Environment, Scientific Literacy, Socio-Scientific Issues, Rights and Duties.