Science Teachers’ Perceptions on the Use of Films Addressing Socioscientific Issues in the Classroom

The study aimed to develop some insights into whether science teachers are aware of films that contain socioscientific issues, the influence of the films they watch on their perception on these issues and whether they would like to use these films as teaching materials in the classroom. Therefore, in the study, the perception of science teachers on some socioscientific issues (nuclear power plants, global warming, genetically modified organisms, genetic cloning, tissue and organ donation) and the films they watched on these socioscientific issues were investigated. In this qualitative study, the case study design was used. A total of 18 science teachers participated in the study. The research data were collected through written documents, semi-structured interviews on the use of films in education and focus group interviews in order to reveal the teachers’ perception on socioscientific issues. According to the written findings obtained, some of the participating teachers’ perception on socioscientific issues changed after watching the films on these issues. According to the interview findings, 14 of the teachers mentioned that films related to socioscientific issues could change students’ perception, while 4 stated that they would not change students’ perception. Half of the participating teachers stated that they had not watched any films on socioscientific issues before the study and were unaware of the existence of such films. According to the teachers, the common characteristics of the films on socioscientific issues are being about issues that concern society, having individuals or companies’ interests at the forefront, containing dilemmas, prompting questioning and thinking and showing different perception.