Exploring Secondary School Students' Attitudes Toward Socio-scientific Issues with a Focus on Climate Change Attitudes

Abstract

This quantitative study examined Lebanese secondary school students' attitudes toward socio-scientific issues (SSIs), focusing on climate change as a representative topic due to its social, economic, and political complexities. A sample of 130 students from grades 10 to 12 in Lebanese private schools completed the Attitudes Toward Socio-scientific Issues Scale (ATSIS) and a subset of the Attitudes Toward Climate Change and Science Instrument (ACSI). Exploratory factor analysis identified four components - Interest in SSI (curiosity, enthusiasm, engagement), Usefulness of SSI (relevance), Liking of SSI (enjoyment), and Anxiety Towards SSI (apprehensions) - highlighting the multifaceted nature of students' attitudes toward SSIs. The findings reveal that while students acknowledge the importance of SSIs, their interest and enjoyment levels are moderate, and they report low anxiety, suggesting confidence in tackling these issues. Notably, female students showed greater interest and perceived usefulness in SSIs than male students, although no significant gender differences emerged in enjoyment or anxiety. Despite a high level of concern for climate change, a gap remains between awareness and climate-positive behaviors. This study underscores the need for practical, hands-on educational strategies to bridge this gap, and it recommends further exploration of gender-specific factors and longitudinal studies to track changes in attitudes over time.