Teaching of bioethics at high school level: reflections on and challenges of training science and biology teachers.

Abstract

Advances within science and technology and the notable social transformations resulting from these achievements are easy to see. The impact of these transformations has been a subject of debate because of their potential for harm and benefits, and also because of their ethical and social implications. There are now discussions on the importance of bringing forward bioethics teaching to the elementary school level, because it has been noted that science education has not produced good results with regard to preparing students to make decisions. Thus, importance has been placed on investigating teachers’ initial training. The present study formed part of a completed doctoral project and focused on the initial training for science and biology teachers. The aim was to analyze, from the teachers’ viewpoint, the implications of their role in providing ethical-moral training for students and in identifying students’ difficulties, along with their role in organizing teaching that places value on decision-making. Bioethics from the perspective of protection and the psychology of moral development formed theoretical reference points. In this analysis, factors that would make it unviable to insert the bioethics dimension into science and biology teaching were identified. Such factors were regarded as challenges to be overcome. In this discussion, the differences between education and indoctrination and between relativism and universalism were issues examined.