The Chimera, the Robot Artist, and the Cardboard Hand: Exploring Socioscientific Issues Through Frankenstein-Themed Hands-On Activities Among Middle Schoolers

In this paper, we present findings from an exploratory qualitative study that investigated how hands-on activities can help learners think of socioscientific issues more concretely. These activities borrowed themes, such as the responsibilities of creators and limits of scientific exploration from the culturally ubiquitous Frankenstein story to stimulate students’ thinking about socioscientific issues faced by scientists when they create and manipulate life. Our findings suggest that hands-on activities can open up new ways for learners to think about the social and ethical ramifications of emergent scientific practices and advancements. By allowing them to work on different hands-on activities that imitate scientific work, learners could explore various ethical questions around the creation and manipulation of organic and artificial life, which in turn could allow them to think about complex issues more elaborately. Our findings provide a framework for understanding young learners’ conceptualizations and perceptions of various socioscientific issues. Lessons from this study can also inform practitioners and professionals about how to design and implement hands-on activities that are inexpensive, accessible, and broadly appealing to diverse groups of learners.