How do students justify scientists’ disagreement related to a Socio-scientific Issue? The case of Bear reintroduction in the Pyrenees

Abstract

The objectives are to analyze how students justify scientists’ disagreement related to a SSI and to examine the influence of their positions concerning the SSI on their justifications. A sequence of activities about the reintroduction of bears in the Pyrenees was carried out with 125 secondary students in two high schools from Barcelona. The analysis of students’ written responses suggests that they justify scientists’ disagreement by referring to the existence of differences between scientists’ beliefs and the researches that had been done. Students’ positions influenced significantly on the strategies proposed to reach scientific consensus and in the justification of the need of carrying out more investigations before making more decisions in this field.