Masanao Katagiri

This research aimed to reveal the consciousness of Japanese secondary science teachers when dealing with content relating to social and ethical issues in science classes. In a survey, we analyzed responses obtained from 266 science teachers at junior high schools and 206 science teachers at high schools in Osaka Prefecture. We found the following three points: 1) Their knowledge, awareness, and experience about “science, technology, and society” in science classes increased with age and teaching experience, 2) However, these trends differed according to subject in high school science teachers. The consciousness of biology teachers tended to be higher than physics and chemistry teachers’, 3) In class, they more often set up opportunities to learn about various people’s values and opinions about ethical issues with science and technology than to ask students to express their opinions. These results showed science teachers’ awareness of handling contents relating to social and ethical issues with science and technology in class. The results also indicated the necessity to develop training programs and teaching materials that deal with the relationship between advanced science technology and society.