THE NATURE OF SCIENCE,

TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY

(SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS)

Shaira Padillo

Science, Technology and

Society

Science, technology, society and environment

(STSE) education, originates from theScience,
Technology and Society (STS)movement
inscience education.

This is an outlook on science education that

emphasizes the teaching of scientific and
technological developments in their cultural,
economic, social and political contexts. In this view of
science education, students are encouraged to
engage in issues pertaining to the impact of science
on everyday life and make responsible decisions
about how to address such issues

Science, Technology and

Society

The Science, Technology, and Society Program

(STS)supports research and associated activities that
examine the relationships among science, technology,
engineering, and society.

It considers proposals that examine historical,

philosophical, social, cultural, policy, and ethical
questions that arise in connection with science and
technology, and their respective interactions with society.
It is committed to the importance and intrinsic value of
scholarly research conducted by individual investigators;
to qualitative, interpretive, and quantitative research;
and to analytical, critical, theoretical, empirical,
ethnographic, and comparative studies.

Science, Technology and

Society

The STS movement has a long history in science education

reform, and embraces a wide range of theories about the
intersection between science, technology and society .

Over the last twenty years, the work of Peter Fensham, the
noted Australian science educator, is considered to have
heavily contributed to reforms in science education.

From Fensham's point of view, this meant that students

would engage with different viewpoints on issues concerning
the impact of science and technology on everyday life. They
would also understand the relevance of scientific discoveries,
rather than just concentrate on learning scientific facts and
theories that seemed distant from their realities.

STS considers proposals in four broad:

Studies of ethics and values in science

and technologyexamine normative issues in
the conduct of science and the development
and implementation of technology. Proposals
focus on how ethical issues and values
interconnect with science and technology, and
how norms and values institutionalized in
science and technology engage with society.
Proposals in this area of STS may examine
how ethics in scientific and technological
research are defined, and by whom.

STS considers proposals in four broad:

Studies in history and philosophy of

science and technologyuse the traditions
and tools of history and philosophy to
examine intellectual, theoretical, sociocultural, and material dimensions of science
and technology. Proposals in this area of STS
engage in analytical, critical, reflective, and
interpretive modes of study of the scientific
and technological enterprises both past and
present.

STS considers proposals in four broad:

Social studies of science and

technologydraw upon the social and behavioral
sciences including anthropology, sociology,
economics, political science, psychology,
geography, and science and technology studies.
Proposals in this area examine the
interconnections of science, technology, and
society. Supported research will bring the tools and
theories of the social sciences to bear on such
issues as how science and technology function in
different societies, and how culture and society
and science, technology, and engineering shape
each other.

STS considers proposals in four broad:

Studies in policy on science and

technologyinclude research on social
and strategic choices, especially policy
choices, that influence knowledge
production and innovation and their
effects, and on the influences of
scientific and technical knowledge and
innovation on policy. Proposals in this
area typically draw upon methodologies
of the social sciences including
qualitative, interpretive, and quantitative

Goals of Science, Technology and Society

The key goals of STS are:

An interdisciplinaryapproach to science education,

where there is a seamless integration of economic,
ethical, social and political aspects of scientific and
technological developments in the science curriculum.

Engaging students in examining a variety of real world

issues and grounding scientific knowledge in such
realities. In today's world, such issues might include the
impact on society of:global warming,genetic
engineering,animal
testing,deforestationpractices,nuclear testing and
environmental legislations.

Goals of Science, Technology and Society

Enabling students to formulate a critical

understanding of the interface between
science, society and technology.

Developing students capacities and

confidence to make informed decisions,
and to take responsible action to address
issues arising from the impact of science
on their daily lives.

Opportunities And Challenges Of STS

Education
Although advocates of STS education keenly emphasize its
merits in science education, they also recognize inherent
difficulties in its implementation

Values & beliefs:The goals of STS education may

challenge the values and beliefs of students and
teachersas well as conventional, culturally entrenched
views on scientific and technological developments.
Students gain opportunities to engage with, and deeply
examine the impact of scientific development on their
lives from a critical and informed perspective.

This helps to develop students' analytical and problem

solving capacities, as well as their ability to make
informed choices in their everyday lives.

Opportunities And Challenges Of STS

Education

Knowledge & understanding:The interdisciplinary

nature of STS education requires teachers to research
and gather information from a variety of sources. At
the same time, teachers need to develop a sound
understanding of issues from various disciplines
philosophy, history, geography, social studies,
politics, economics, environment and science.

This is so that students knowledge base can be

appropriately scaffolded to enable them to effectively
engage in discussions, debates and decision-making
processes.

Opportunities And Challenges Of STS

Education

Pedagogic approach:Depending on
teacher experience and comfort levels, a
variety ofpedagogicapproaches based
onconstructivismcan be used to
stimulate STSE education in the
classroom.

Meaning of Technology

Technology

Technology(fromGreek,techne, "art, skill,

cunning of hand)is the collection of techniques,
methods or processes used in the production of
goods or services or in the accomplishment of
objectives, such as scientific investigation.
Technology can be the knowledge of techniques,
processes, etc. or it can be embedded in
machines, computers, devices and factories,
which can be operated by individuals without
detailed knowledge of the workings of such
things.

Technology

The purposeful application ofinformationin

thedesign,production, andutilizationofgoods
and services, and in theorganizationof
humanactivities.

The branch of knowledge that deals with the

creation and use of technical means and their
interrelation with life, society, and the
environment, drawing upon such subjects as
industrial as, engineering, applied science, and
pure science.

Meaning of Science

Science

Scienceis a systematic enterprise that

builds and organizesknowledgein the form
of
testableexplanationsandpredictionsabout
theuniverse.In an older and closely related
meaning, "science" also refers to this body of
knowledge itself, of the type that can be
rationally explained and reliably applied. Ever
sinceclassical antiquity, science as a type of
knowledge has been closely linked
tophilosophy.

Science

Body of knowledgecomprising of
measurable or verifiablefactsacquired
through application of thescientific
method, and generalized intoscientific
lawsorprinciples. While all sciences
arefoundedonvalidreasoning and
conform to the principles oflogic, they
are not concerned with the definitiveness
of their assertions or findings.

Science

The word science comes from the Latin

"scientia," meaning knowledge.

According to Webster's New Collegiate

Dictionary, the definition of science is
"knowledge attained through study or
practice," or "knowledge covering
general truths of the operation of
general laws, esp. as obtained and
tested through scientific method
concerned with the physical world."

Science

Knowledge about or study of the natural

world based on facts learned through
experiments and observation.

A particular area of scientific study (such

as biology, physics, or chemistry) or a
particular branch of science.

Thank you for listening!

God Speed!