Relationships between preservice teachers' interest, perceived knowledge, and argumentation in socioscientific issues: Implications for teaching about the complexity of sustainability challenges

Socioscientific issues are a key aspect of science education, enhancing citizens' under-standing of the intricate relationships among global concerns and fostering their engage-ment in informed decision- making on these problems. To this end, teachers must be able to establish connections between scientific content, its application in everyday life, and its impact on social, economic, and environmental dimensions. This study analyzes the fac-tors that influence teachers' ability to address these topics in the classroom. It includes two studies. The first study (n = 213) examines prospective science teachers' interest in and perceived knowledge of 14 issues related to sustainable development goalsthe Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The second study (n = 135) analyzes the types of arguments that participants use to justify their interest. A mixed-method ex post facto design was em-ployed, using ad hoc questionnaires. The results suggest significant differences between interest and perceived knowledge across certain specific topics. Additionally, the topic addressed tends to evoke specific dimensions within arguments, with cultural/social and ecological/environmental aspects being the most prevalent, influencing the connections teachers establish with everyday life contexts. These findings highlight how interest, per-ceived knowledge, and the topic itself influence the dimensions considered in argument construction when discussing socioscientific issues and may contribute to the develop-ment of teacher training programs that foster a deeper understanding of the complex na-ture of these sustainability-related issues.