Abstract

The time of uncertainty and risk we live in today demands future citizens capable and willing to make transformative changes that strengthen human values, equality, and justice on Earth. For education in general and science education in particular, the COVID-19 pandemic has created new realities that require shifting science teaching and learning away from traditional approaches that focus on content memorization and teach science as depoliticized and decontextualized. In this thesis, I analyze the theory of learning and experience of John Dewey, the theory of problem-posing pedagogy of Paulo Freire, and the theory and practice of socioscientific issues to examine their contributions to transforming science education in the middle school towards a more relevant and responsive framework. I argue that activating a science teaching and learning context through the lens of these theories improves students' understanding of the nature of science and empowers them to recognize the interrelation of science with social, political, economic, cultural, ethical, and environmental factors. Additionally, it promotes the development of students’ critical thinking and social responsibility to engage with awareness in decision-making processes concerned with science-related social and environmental dilemmas. The significance of my thesis lies on the importance of the theoretical contributions to strengthen a critical scientific literacy, a politicized science education that involves a socioscientific issues framework to foster a science educational culture that nurtures critical and responsible future citizens. Implications, recommendations for teachers, and challenges in practice are also discussed.