Troy D Sadler
Biographic Data
| ID | 3465562 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Troy D Sadler |
| GIVEN NAMES | Troy D |
| FAMILY NAME | Sadler |
| SIGNATURE | SADLER T D |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9401-0300 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 49 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
When Structure and Content of Socioscientific Argumentation Develop in an Unbalanced Way
To cultivate the capability of making informed decisions on socioscientific issues, ideally, we hope students would engage in discerning and evaluating justifications for and against different positions while constructing well‐structured, persuasive arguments. When argumentations do not develop ideally, it is important to understand the constraints presented. This study explores a case where socioscientific argumentation (SSA) in a fifth‐grade cl…
Learning Computational Thinking Through Unplugged Algorithmic Explanations of Natural Selection
Computational thinking (CT) is becoming increasingly important for K‐12 science education, thus warranting new integrations of CT and science content. This intervention study integrated CT through unplugged, or handwritten, algorithmic explanations of natural selection. As students investigated natural selection in varying contexts (specific and context‐general), students created explanations based on evidence of natural selection by using algori…
Restructuring the science curriculum around grand challenges
Artificial intelligence and the Journal of Research in Science Teaching
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a transformative technology that promises to impact many aspects of society including research, education, and publishing. We, the editors of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching (JRST), think that the journal has a responsibility to contribute to the ongoing dialogues about the use of AI in research and publishing with particular attention to the field of science education. We use this editorial to share ou…
Exploring system dynamics of complex societal issues through socio-scientific models
Research on socio-scientific issues (SSI) has revealed that it is critical for learners to develop a systematic understanding of the underlying issue. In this paper, we explore how modeling can facilitate students’ systems thinking in the context of SSI. Building on evidence from prior research in promoting systems thinking skills through modeling in scientific contexts, we hypothesize that a similar modeling approach could effectively foster stu…
The role of affect in science literacy for all
The goal of science literacy for all underlies much of today's K-12 science education (National Academies of Sciences [2016]. Science literacy: Concepts, contexts, and consequences. National Academies Press; Roberts, [2007]. Scientific literacy/science literacy. In S. K. Abell, & N. G. Lederman (Eds.), Handbook of research on science education (pp. 729–780). Lawrence Erlbaum). This goal assumes that the citizens of contemporary societies must be …
Teacher learning through collaborative curriculum design in the midst of a pandemic
Developing and Using Multiple Models to Promote Scientific Literacy in the Context of Socio-Scientific Issues
A vision that focuses on diversity and broader impact
The Journal of Research in Science Teaching (JRST) has made an easy transition from one editorial team to the next. We thank the outgoing editorial team, led by Coeditors Fouad Abd-El-Khalick and Dana L. Zeidler and Managing Editor Elizabeth C. Niswander, for its exemplary work and dedication to JRST. You can read their Editors' report in Issue 58, Volume 2, which summarizes their tenure. From their 5-year editorship, we have inherited a strong j…
Measurement of socio-scientific reasoning (SSR) and exploration of SSR as a progression of competencies
Socio-scientific reasoning (SSR) is key to helping students take informed positions around socio-scientific issues (SSI). SSR comprises four competencies: recognising complexity of SSI’s, multiple perspectives around SSI’s, the need for ongoing inquiry around SSI’s, and skepticism around different parties’ claims made about SSI’s. The Quantitative Assessment of SSR (QuASSR) provides a promising measurement framework, but there are still important…
Exploring primary students causal reasoning about ecosystems
Using socio-scientific issues (SSI) in the science learning environment can promote student motivation to learn and make learning experiences more meaningful. Embedding model-based reasoning opportunities in science lessons can promote substantial science learning. However, how these both work together to promote science learning is a little studied area. We focused on this area by exploring if and how model-based reasoning supported 3rd-grade st…
Students’ perceptions of socio-scientific issue-based learning and their appropriation of epistemic tools for systems thinking
Learning science in the context of socio-scientific issues (SSI) is widely advocated for achieving the goal of scientific literacy that values using science in daily lives. While prior research suggests that SSI-based learning can promote students’ disciplinary knowledge and practices, less is known about students’ perceptions of SSI-based learning and how to support students in considering the epistemic aspects of SSI learning. In this study, we…
New directions in socioscientific issues research
The socioscientific issues framework has proven to have a significant impact over the last two decades on many areas related to the development of functional scientific literacy in students. In this article, we summarize and synthesize recent trends in socioscientific issues research that impact both disciplinary and interdisciplinary science education research. These trends represent science-in-context investigations that we propose are advanced…
Socio-scientific reasoning and environmental literacy in a field-based ecology class
The complex environmental challenges humanity faces require citizens who are scientifically and environmentally literate. Many environmental education programs are situated in the field where students are immersed in their learning. These field-based activities are engaging but may lack opportunities for students to develop critical thinking and reasoning skills necessary to be environmentally literate. We suggest a socio-scientific issue (SSI) b…
Preservice Science Teachers' Informal Reasoning about Socioscientific Issues
The purpose of the current study is to explicitly test the extent to which issue contexts affect the informal reasoning processes engaged in by individuals. In order to address the research question framing this study, we engaged 39 Turkish preservice science teachers (PSTs) in interviews designed to elicit argumentation related to multiple socioscientific scenarios. Three scenarios related to gene therapy, another three related to human cloning,…
Scientific literacy, Pisa, and socioscientific discourse
In this article, we explore the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) with a lens informed by the socioscientific issues (SSI) movement. We consider the PISA definition of scientific literacy and how it is situated with respect to broader discussions of the aims of science education. We also present an overview of the SSI framework that has emerged in the science education community as a guide for research and practice. We then us…
Situated learning in science education
This paper presents situated learning as a theoretical framework for conceptualising new ways to approach science education. Key constructs associated with this framework, including communities of practice, Discourse and identity, are introduced. I advance an argument to develop classroom communities of practice based on engaged citizenship relative to the negotiation of socio‐scientific issues (SSI). The aim of this approach would be student dev…
What Do Students Gain by Engaging in Socioscientific Inquiry?
Patterns of informal reasoning in the context of socioscientific decision making
The purpose of this study is to contribute to a theoretical knowledge base through research by examining factors salient to science education reform and practice in the context of socioscientific issues. The study explores how individuals negotiate and resolve genetic engineering dilemmas. A qualitative approach was used to examine patterns of informal reasoning and the role of morality in these processes. Thirty college students participated ind…
Beyond STS
An important distinction can be made between the science, technology, and society (STS) movement of past years and the domain of socioscientific issues (SSI). STS education as typically practiced does not seem embedded in a coherent developmental or sociological framework that explicitly considers the psychological and epistemological growth of the child, nor the development of character or virtue. In contrast, the SSI movement focuses on empower…
Student conceptualizations of the nature of science in response to a socioscientific issue
This study investigates student conceptualizations of the nature of science (NOS) and how students interpret and evaluate conflicting evidence regarding a socioscientific issue. Eighty‐four high school students participated in the study by reading contradictory reports about the status of global warming and responding to questions designed to elicit ideas pertinent to the research goals. A subsample of 30 students was interviewed in order to tria…
Informal reasoning regarding socioscientific issues
Socioscientific issues encompass social dilemmas with conceptual or technological links to science. The process of resolving these issues is best characterized by informal reasoning which describes the generation and evaluation of positions in response to complex situations. This article presents a critical review of research related to informal reasoning regarding socioscientific issues. The findings reviewed address (a) socioscientific argument…
Beyond STS
An important distinction can be made between the science, technology, and society (STS) movement of past years and the domain of socioscientific issues (SSI). STS education as typically practiced does not seem embedded in a coherent developmental or sociological framework that explicitly considers the psychological and epistemological growth of the child, nor the development of character or virtue. In contrast, the SSI movement focuses on empower…
Socio-scientific reasoning and environmental literacy in a field-based ecology class
The complex environmental challenges humanity faces require citizens who are scientifically and environmentally literate. Many environmental education programs are situated in the field where students are immersed in their learning. These field-based activities are engaging but may lack opportunities for students to develop critical thinking and reasoning skills necessary to be environmentally literate. We suggest a socio-scientific issue (SSI) b…
Preservice Science Teachers' Informal Reasoning about Socioscientific Issues
The purpose of the current study is to explicitly test the extent to which issue contexts affect the informal reasoning processes engaged in by individuals. In order to address the research question framing this study, we engaged 39 Turkish preservice science teachers (PSTs) in interviews designed to elicit argumentation related to multiple socioscientific scenarios. Three scenarios related to gene therapy, another three related to human cloning,…
Teacher learning through collaborative curriculum design in the midst of a pandemic
Learning Computational Thinking Through Unplugged Algorithmic Explanations of Natural Selection
Computational thinking (CT) is becoming increasingly important for K‐12 science education, thus warranting new integrations of CT and science content. This intervention study integrated CT through unplugged, or handwritten, algorithmic explanations of natural selection. As students investigated natural selection in varying contexts (specific and context‐general), students created explanations based on evidence of natural selection by using algori…
Restructuring the science curriculum around grand challenges
Student conceptualizations of the nature of science in response to a socioscientific issue
This study investigates student conceptualizations of the nature of science (NOS) and how students interpret and evaluate conflicting evidence regarding a socioscientific issue. Eighty‐four high school students participated in the study by reading contradictory reports about the status of global warming and responding to questions designed to elicit ideas pertinent to the research goals. A subsample of 30 students was interviewed in order to tria…
Informal reasoning regarding socioscientific issues
Socioscientific issues encompass social dilemmas with conceptual or technological links to science. The process of resolving these issues is best characterized by informal reasoning which describes the generation and evaluation of positions in response to complex situations. This article presents a critical review of research related to informal reasoning regarding socioscientific issues. The findings reviewed address (a) socioscientific argument…
Patterns of informal reasoning in the context of socioscientific decision making
The purpose of this study is to contribute to a theoretical knowledge base through research by examining factors salient to science education reform and practice in the context of socioscientific issues. The study explores how individuals negotiate and resolve genetic engineering dilemmas. A qualitative approach was used to examine patterns of informal reasoning and the role of morality in these processes. Thirty college students participated ind…
Beyond STS
An important distinction can be made between the science, technology, and society (STS) movement of past years and the domain of socioscientific issues (SSI). STS education as typically practiced does not seem embedded in a coherent developmental or sociological framework that explicitly considers the psychological and epistemological growth of the child, nor the development of character or virtue. In contrast, the SSI movement focuses on empower…
What Do Students Gain by Engaging in Socioscientific Inquiry?
Scientific literacy, Pisa, and socioscientific discourse
In this article, we explore the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) with a lens informed by the socioscientific issues (SSI) movement. We consider the PISA definition of scientific literacy and how it is situated with respect to broader discussions of the aims of science education. We also present an overview of the SSI framework that has emerged in the science education community as a guide for research and practice. We then us…
Situated learning in science education
This paper presents situated learning as a theoretical framework for conceptualising new ways to approach science education. Key constructs associated with this framework, including communities of practice, Discourse and identity, are introduced. I advance an argument to develop classroom communities of practice based on engaged citizenship relative to the negotiation of socio‐scientific issues (SSI). The aim of this approach would be student dev…
Preservice Science Teachers' Informal Reasoning about Socioscientific Issues
The purpose of the current study is to explicitly test the extent to which issue contexts affect the informal reasoning processes engaged in by individuals. In order to address the research question framing this study, we engaged 39 Turkish preservice science teachers (PSTs) in interviews designed to elicit argumentation related to multiple socioscientific scenarios. Three scenarios related to gene therapy, another three related to human cloning,…
Socio-scientific reasoning and environmental literacy in a field-based ecology class
The complex environmental challenges humanity faces require citizens who are scientifically and environmentally literate. Many environmental education programs are situated in the field where students are immersed in their learning. These field-based activities are engaging but may lack opportunities for students to develop critical thinking and reasoning skills necessary to be environmentally literate. We suggest a socio-scientific issue (SSI) b…
New directions in socioscientific issues research
The socioscientific issues framework has proven to have a significant impact over the last two decades on many areas related to the development of functional scientific literacy in students. In this article, we summarize and synthesize recent trends in socioscientific issues research that impact both disciplinary and interdisciplinary science education research. These trends represent science-in-context investigations that we propose are advanced…
Measurement of socio-scientific reasoning (SSR) and exploration of SSR as a progression of competencies
Socio-scientific reasoning (SSR) is key to helping students take informed positions around socio-scientific issues (SSI). SSR comprises four competencies: recognising complexity of SSI’s, multiple perspectives around SSI’s, the need for ongoing inquiry around SSI’s, and skepticism around different parties’ claims made about SSI’s. The Quantitative Assessment of SSR (QuASSR) provides a promising measurement framework, but there are still important…
Exploring primary students causal reasoning about ecosystems
Using socio-scientific issues (SSI) in the science learning environment can promote student motivation to learn and make learning experiences more meaningful. Embedding model-based reasoning opportunities in science lessons can promote substantial science learning. However, how these both work together to promote science learning is a little studied area. We focused on this area by exploring if and how model-based reasoning supported 3rd-grade st…
Students’ perceptions of socio-scientific issue-based learning and their appropriation of epistemic tools for systems thinking
Learning science in the context of socio-scientific issues (SSI) is widely advocated for achieving the goal of scientific literacy that values using science in daily lives. While prior research suggests that SSI-based learning can promote students’ disciplinary knowledge and practices, less is known about students’ perceptions of SSI-based learning and how to support students in considering the epistemic aspects of SSI learning. In this study, we…
Developing and Using Multiple Models to Promote Scientific Literacy in the Context of Socio-Scientific Issues
A vision that focuses on diversity and broader impact
The Journal of Research in Science Teaching (JRST) has made an easy transition from one editorial team to the next. We thank the outgoing editorial team, led by Coeditors Fouad Abd-El-Khalick and Dana L. Zeidler and Managing Editor Elizabeth C. Niswander, for its exemplary work and dedication to JRST. You can read their Editors' report in Issue 58, Volume 2, which summarizes their tenure. From their 5-year editorship, we have inherited a strong j…
The role of affect in science literacy for all
The goal of science literacy for all underlies much of today's K-12 science education (National Academies of Sciences [2016]. Science literacy: Concepts, contexts, and consequences. National Academies Press; Roberts, [2007]. Scientific literacy/science literacy. In S. K. Abell, & N. G. Lederman (Eds.), Handbook of research on science education (pp. 729–780). Lawrence Erlbaum). This goal assumes that the citizens of contemporary societies must be …
Teacher learning through collaborative curriculum design in the midst of a pandemic
Exploring system dynamics of complex societal issues through socio-scientific models
Research on socio-scientific issues (SSI) has revealed that it is critical for learners to develop a systematic understanding of the underlying issue. In this paper, we explore how modeling can facilitate students’ systems thinking in the context of SSI. Building on evidence from prior research in promoting systems thinking skills through modeling in scientific contexts, we hypothesize that a similar modeling approach could effectively foster stu…
Artificial intelligence and the Journal of Research in Science Teaching
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a transformative technology that promises to impact many aspects of society including research, education, and publishing. We, the editors of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching (JRST), think that the journal has a responsibility to contribute to the ongoing dialogues about the use of AI in research and publishing with particular attention to the field of science education. We use this editorial to share ou…
When Structure and Content of Socioscientific Argumentation Develop in an Unbalanced Way
To cultivate the capability of making informed decisions on socioscientific issues, ideally, we hope students would engage in discerning and evaluating justifications for and against different positions while constructing well‐structured, persuasive arguments. When argumentations do not develop ideally, it is important to understand the constraints presented. This study explores a case where socioscientific argumentation (SSA) in a fifth‐grade cl…
Learning Computational Thinking Through Unplugged Algorithmic Explanations of Natural Selection
Computational thinking (CT) is becoming increasingly important for K‐12 science education, thus warranting new integrations of CT and science content. This intervention study integrated CT through unplugged, or handwritten, algorithmic explanations of natural selection. As students investigated natural selection in varying contexts (specific and context‐general), students created explanations based on evidence of natural selection by using algori…
Restructuring the science curriculum around grand challenges
Science Education and Pedagogy (18 works) · Education and Critical Thinking Development (16 works) · Pedagogy (16 works) · Psychology (16 works) · Science education (16 works) · Sociology (16 works) · Mathematics education (15 works) · Educational Strategies and Epistemologies (14 works) · Computer Science (11 works) · Scientific Literacy (9 works)