Enhancing Prospective Teachers- 21st Century Thinking Skills on Climate Change Issues through Socioscientific-based Teaching Materials
Desti Herawati, Rita Istiana
Universitas Pakuan
Abstract
This study examined the 21st century thinking skills of prospective teachers on the climate change issues in Indonesia using socioscientific-based teaching materials. This study used Research and Development (R&D) method with 4D model. The research subject were second semester of prospective teachers who contracted the Environmental Study course. The 21st century thinking skills in this study were focused on the group of ways of thinking (critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making). The 21st century thinking skills were measured by essay instruments that contain climate change issue in Indonesia. The results of the study showed that there was significant difference between 21st century thinking skills of prospective teachers before and after using socioscientific-based teaching materials. This indicated that the existance of socioscientific issues in teaching materials used by prospective teachers was able to train them to think critically, solve the problems, and make a decision related to issues presented in national news media. Prospective teachers- content knowledge related to the socioscientific issues also determines the quality of their thinking skills. Therefore, a socioscientific-based teaching materials could be one of learning resources for training and developing 21st century skills of prospective teachers especially in responding to the debatable national issues.
Keywords: 21st century skills, socioscientific issue, socioscientific-based teaching materials
Topic: BIOLOGY EDUCATION