Different lenses for equity: exploring student perspectives of a socioscientific issue

Abstract Science and society are inseparably linked, shaping each other in ways that define our world. Recognizing the importance of teaching science for empowering students to take meaningful action toward building sustainable society, Vision III science literacy advocates for development of competencies that equip learners to grow into compassionate, socially responsible citizens. Socioscientific issues (SSIs), particularly those rooted in equity implications, offer rich contexts for cultivating these competencies. However, recognizing the unique perspectives individuals bring to the classroom is essential for tailoring effective instruction, especially with controversial SSIs, as perspectives often shape learning, and engagement. This study was conducted in a large-enrollment, science-literacy course that uses structured decision-making to guide students in evaluating multiple alternative solutions to an SSI to reach conclusion. Housing buyouts for flood mitigation was chosen as the teaching context. This mixed method research employs pre and post-assessment surveys, student reflections across different timepoints, to shed light on undergraduate students’ perspectives on buyouts as a flood mitigation solution and how they address the equity implications of this measure. Initial findings revealed that 45% of students incorporated equity in their reasoning at the beginning of the module, and 51% at the end. We observed that students discussed equity in three distinct ways that led to the development of the Equity Perspective Framework (EPF): “Systemic Barrier Focused” lens primarily focus on analyzing associated sociohistorical context and systemic barriers; “Benefit Focused” lens prioritize immediate benefits of policies or systems while overlooking the associated contexts; “Individual Fairness Focused” lens emphasize individual freedom and fairness, sidestepping broader societal concern. Importantly, these perspectives were found to be dynamic and context-specific, with reflective prompts and classroom discussions contributing to perspectives shifts. This framework offers a valuable lens for understanding how people perceive equity across various issues. Findings underscore the importance of integrating equity within science education and demonstrate how classrooms can serve as transformative spaces for empowering students to engage meaningfully with the social dimensions of science.