Integrating case study teaching and the four component model: Cultivating ethical decision in genetics education

Open

Hidayati Maghfiroh, Siti Zubaidah, Susriyati Mahanal, Hendra Susanto, Chun-Yen Chang

2025 Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Vol. 21 Issue 12 Article Cited by 0 Quartile

Abstract

Emerging genetic technologies present complex socio-ethical dilemmas, requiring biology students to develop ethical decision-making (EDM) skills. This study aimed to design and evaluate a learning intervention integrating case study teaching and the four component model of morality, while also identifying design principles relevant for EDM. The method of this study used educational design research across three phases: preliminary analysis, intervention development, and evaluation. A total of 101 undergraduate biology students and 22 genetics instructors and practitioners participated, with ethical approval obtained from Universitas Negeri Malang. The field evaluation revealed significant improvements in EDM skills, with the largest effects on moral sensitivity (Cohen’s d = 0.83), followed by judgment (d = 0.78), character (d = 0.77), and motivation (d = 0.64). These findings confirm the intervention’s effectiveness and provide design principles to guide the development of similar ethical learning interventions in science education. © 2025 by the authors; licensee Modestum.

Affiliations

Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia; Graduate Institute of Science Education, Institute for Research Excellence in Learning Sciences, Department of Earth Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate School of Education, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan, Taiwan