Investigating the Use of Socio-Scientific Issues as Phenomena Through a Storyline Framework in a High School Biology Course

This action research dissertation investigates the efficacy of a socio-scientific phenomena-driven biology curriculum in a Title 1 Massachusetts High School. Grounded in social constructivism, culturally relevant pedagogy, and self-determination theories, the study explores the impact of socio-scientific phenomena on students’ perceived importance of science education, motivation, engagement, and achievement. A mixed-methods approach was used, and data was collected through student engagement reflection, Science Motivation Questionnaire, and pre- and post-assessments to holistically evaluate the efficacy of the curriculum. The findings include increased student engagement, motivation, and achievement after participating in the intervention, which supports the motivation-engagement-achievement feedback loop. Student agency was an integral part of this research, asking questions that drove their learning and developing a critical consciousness of systemic community issues. The implications of this research include the storyline framework being a curricular tool to transform science classrooms into places where students not only survive but thrive with teachers supporting educational and environmental justice in their communities. This study contributes to ongoing discourse on effective pedagogical practices for implementing the Next Generation Science Standards and how to integrate real-world contexts into science education to cultivate a generation of scientifically literate and socially conscious individuals.