Perceptions of Science and Technology Issues in STEM Students’ Argumentative Writing

This study explores how STEM undergraduate students perceive key issues in science and technology and identifies implications for STS (Science, Technology and Society) education. A total of 67 argumentative essays written by STEM students in a general education writing course were analyzed to examine the students’ positions on and reasoning about major science and technology issues. The analysis revealed that the students most frequently addressed three key issues: restriction versus expansion of public participation, autonomy versus regulation in technological development, and the disclosure versus protection of personal data. The findings showed that many students held technocratic and deterministic views, emphasizing the need for rapid technological advancement, expressing somewhat negative perceptions of public participation in technological development, and exhibiting binary thinking about the public use of personal data. The finding implies that students, while demonstrating a certain level of awareness of their professional responsibilities and social values as scientists and engineers, still tend to adhere to technocratic orientations and instrumental ways of thinking. These cognitive tendencies appear to reflect internal tensions between students' identities as future technologists and as members of the general public affected by emerging technologies. Based on these results, the study suggests that STS education for STEM students should incorporate more opportunities for critical discussion on the normative dimensions of technology and encourage creative thinking beyond dichotomous frameworks. Such an approach may foster a more reflective and socially engaged understanding of science and technology among future experts.