Optimistic Fiction as a Tool for Ethical Reflection in STEM
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2021

Greater emphasis on ethical issues is needed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The fiction for specific purposes (FSP) approach, using optimistic science fiction texts, offers a way to focus on ethical reflection that capitalizes on role models rather than negative examples. This article discusses the benefits of using FSP in STEM education more broadly, and then explains how using optimistic fictions in particular encourages students to think in ethically constructive ways. Using examples of science fiction texts with hopeful perspectives, example discussion questions are given to model how to help keep students focused on the ethical issues in a text. Sample writing prompts to elicit ethical reflection are also provided as models of how to guide students to contemplate and analyze ethical issues that are important in their field of study. The article concludes that the use of optimistic fictions, framed through the lens of professional ethics guidelines and reinforced through ethical reflection, can help students to have beneficial ethical models.

STEM pedagogy

fiction for specific purposes

interdisciplinarity

science fiction

ethical reflection

Författare

Kathryn Strong Hansen

Chalmers, Vetenskapens kommunikation och lärande, Fackspråk och kommunikation

Journal of Academic Ethics

1570-1727 (ISSN) 15728544 (eISSN)

Vol. 19 3 425-439

Ämneskategorier

Didaktik

Språk och litteratur

Etik

Lärande och undervisning

Pedagogiskt arbete

DOI

10.1007/s10805-021-09405-5

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2022-04-05