Supporting Socially Responsible Science Education through a three visions of scientific literacy framed learning study

Purpose This study explores how secondary science teachers in British Columbia engaged with the Three Visions of Scientific Literacy Heuristic (3-VSL) within a Learning Study (LearnS) to support students’ responsible engagement with controversial societal issues related to science, termed Socially Responsible Science Education (SRSE). The study examined how LearnS promoted teachers’ integration of 3-VSL, addressed SRSE implementation challenges, and developed theoretical fluency in their practice. Design/methodology/approach A case study approach involved three science teachers and a school administrator in a 30-week LearnS. A novel concurrent-and-successive (C&S) LearnS model allowed iterative cycles of lesson planning, enactment, and reflection. Data included semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, artifacts, and meeting recordings. Thematic analysis identified key themes in teachers’ experiences employing 3-VSL. Findings The teachers initially resisted critical orientations of 3-VSL but, through reflection and research lessons, enriched their understandings and enactments of SRSE. They generated personal interpretations of 3-VSL to guide SRSE practices. The 3-VSL framework helped refine literacy-focused objects of learning and guide pedagogy. Practical implications Findings highlight LearnS as an effective professional development model for promoting SRSE. The study demonstrates how 3-VSL scaffolds teacher learning, supports curricular enactment, and addresses context-specific challenges in implementing critically oriented science teaching. Originality/value This study contributes a novel LearnS case from Canada. It expands LearnS beyond variation theory, engages with a complex teaching challenge (SRSE), and introduces a novel LearnS model (C&S). Findings suggest that varying critical components of LearnS—such as objects of learning, theories, models, and contexts—can strengthen its capacity to support diverse teacher aims across educational milieus.