The complexity of scientific dilemmas such as genetic cloning, climate change and stem cell research exemplify the infiltration of scientific issues into the social lives of all citizens. However, how people make decisions about scientific issues is a new area of research because there is greater demand for conceptual understanding of complex material and much of this understanding of information is contingent on social and environmental factors. Scientific understanding involves comprehension of scientific ideas from the ‘frontiers’ of science and this information is made available through media, schools, teachers, politicians, internet to name a few sources. Research on how people evaluate and make sense of this information suggests that most individuals are not adequately prepared to make informed decision about scientific issues as this involves understanding complex social and scientific issues. This research paper reports on preliminary results examining the link between conceptual understanding of sustainability and the reasoning patterns in decision making about sustainability to provide a framework for understanding socioscientific argumentation amongst preservice student teachers. Environmental education encourages informed decision making about the sustainable use of natural resources and biodiversity. Teachers’ understanding of sustainability and the way teachers present sustainability issues, to inform student decision making, is critical in environmental education. The paper assesses how pre-service teachers use their knowledge of sustainability to employ particular reasoning patterns when faced with sustainability issues.

Over 120 students in groups of 8-10 were asked to respond in great detail to a range of socioscientific issues related to sustainability. For example, scenarios were devised in which students were asked to discuss their opinion and write down their opinionative response to a set scenario. For example, students were asked if they would consider paying extra tax if it were to help with more recycling and so on. A range of these scenarios were developed in order to consider the range of social issues associated with a concept such as sustainiability. The focus group discussions were recorded using Zing software. By analysing the reasoning patterns suggested in the group discussions what became evident were particular formal and informal reasoning, the way scientific knowledge is used to help argumentation and other factors that influence opinions about sustainability.

this study is a preliminary report which attempts to • identify how well the science of sustainability is understood • identify how socioscientific arguments about sustainability issues are constructed • evaluate the information in arguments pertaining to scientific understandings of sustainability and socioscientific factors informing decision making • inform recommendations about incorporating socioscientific argumentation into the knowledge base for prospective teachers.