Developing an instrument to assess pedagogical content knowledge for biological socioscientific issues

Addressing socioscientific issues (SSIs) in the classroom provides an appropriate context to concentrate on several components of scientific literacy. The purpose of the study was to develop a valid, reliable, instrument to assess teachers' PCK for biological socioscientific issues (PCK-BSSIs). In this paper, two aspects of the research have been described; the framework on which PCK-BSSI is based, and the development, administration, and analysis procedures of the instrument. The PCK-BSSIs will allow re-searchers to explore teachers' understanding of SSIs, how teachers' PCK for BSSIs develops over time, and the relative efficacy of various professional developments. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study aims to develop a valid and reliable instrument for assessing teachers' PCK for biological socioscientific issues, allowing researchers to explore teachers' understanding of SSIs, the development of PCK-BSSIs over time, and the efficacy of various professional developments.