L.08. Scientific Citizenship at the Boundaries: Re-Enacting Science Practices for Democratic Futures

In a world shaped by profound entanglements between technoscientific systems, socio-political dynamics and ecological limits, education must address forms of knowledge that are increasingly uncertain, value-laden, and contested (1). The climate crisis makes visible how the production, circulation, and public use of scientific knowledge constitute key democratic arenas, where participation, responsibility, and intergenerational justice are negotiated.

This panel invites contributions that explore how educational practices can foster scientific citizenship (2) by enabling students to engage not only with scientific concepts, but also with the epistemic processes, uncertainties, and negotiations through which scientific knowledge is produced and to prepare young people to navigate such post-normal conditions (3), where uncertainty is high, stakes are collective, and decisions require inclusive and deliberative reasoning.

We invite classroom experiences that re-enact authentic scientific endeavour. We welcome theoretical, empirical, and design-based work that engages learners in the reconstruction of science, modelling complexity, imagining socio-ecological futures, and engaging in boundary crossing across disciplines (4), institutions, communities, and knowledge traditions through designs that treat knowledge as situated, negotiated, and consequential for democratic life and planetary futures (5).

Aims:

• Highlight and promote models that situate learners within the epistemic and collaborative dynamics of real inquiry, engaging them with uncertainty and complexity

• Showcase classroom boundary-crossing experiences where knowledge is constructed, questioned, and negotiated, connecting scientific understanding with civic participation and democratic deliberation.

• Explore the potential of NOS-informed approaches for developing reflective, empowered, and socially responsible citizens, cultivating agency to imagine and shape democratic and sustainable futures.