Children’s perspective-taking and decision-making on forests and land use

Students' reasoning and decision making on complex socioscientific issues are critical for developing scientific literacy for 21st century citizenship. By incorporating a scenario-based approach, this study aims to understand the complexity of students' decision making on environmental issues: forests and land use. To help students grasp the context of these issues, we developed scenarios reflecting their experiences and understanding of forests within local communities. Through scenario-based surveys, students in Grade 5-6 science classrooms were encouraged to explore diverse stakeholders' perspectives and articulate their decisions regarding the scenarios. Additionally, students in focus groups participated in semi-structured discussions and interviews. The data collected from the surveys and students' dialogues were thematically analyzed. The study found that students prioritized environmental concerns, demonstrated skepticism toward politicians' perspectives, and emphasized righteousness in their decision making. These findings suggest that a holistic approach is essential to engage students' diverse perspectives in socioscientific and environmental problem solving. However, this also highlights the ongoing challenge of disciplinary boundaries within school curricula and pedagogical practices in science classrooms.