Saint Anthony’s College

Santa Cruz, Santa Ana, Cagayan 3514 | FAS School System

LEARNING MODULE 1
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SUBJECT: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
YEAR LEVEL/SEMESTER: FIRST YEAR| SECOND SEMESTER
SCHOOL YEAR: 2021-2022
SUBJECT TEACHER: MAY APPLE O. GARALDE

INTRODUCTION:
The relationship between science and technology and society, can be described
by the example of rain falling on a mountain. Rain that has fallen on a mountain
does not immediately wash away downhill. First, it is captured and stored by
forests, giving life to trees and other vegetation and creating a verdant landscape.
This can be compared to the accumulation of scientific knowledge and the
continuing search for truth, obtained through basic research, and perhaps
demonstrates that science has intrinsic value in itself.
Meanwhile, the rainwater stored in the forest bubbles out from springs and flows
downhill in a steadily widening stream. A single stream flow can separate into a
large number of sub-flows, and sometimes the flow can go underground into a
subterranean network. This situation can be compared to the diversity of
research and development that can arise based on scientific knowledge, leading
to the planting of various new technological seeds.
Eventually, the river reaches farming communities and urban cities, where it is
utilized for drinking water and other household purposes, for agricultural or
industrial uses, and for various other needs, universally benefiting all aspects of
society. This is equivalent to research and development resulting in practical
technologies that boost the prosperity of the people's society and lives, and to the
utilization of science and technology in response to various issues facing society.
If the forest fails to capture a sufficient amount of the falling rain, society will
quickly be faced with drought and people will not be able to live. In the same way,
realization of societal progress through science and technology requires a
sufficient accumulation of scientific knowledge. In other words, science can be
considered to be the foundation of strength of society. However, this foundation
strength is not something that can be acquired in a single day or night, but
instead requires a steady, continuous build-up.

STANDARDS:
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
a. Discuss the interactions between S&T and society throughout history
b. Discuss how scientific and technological developments affect society and
the environment
 c. Discuss how scientific and technological developments affect society and
the environment
d. Articulate ways by which society is transformed by science and technology
e. Discuss the role of Science and Technology in Philippine nation building
f. Evaluate government policies pertaining to science and technology in terms
of their contributions to nation building
g. Identify actual science and technology policies of the government and
appraise their impact on the development of the Filipino nation.

WEEK 1
Historical antecedents in which social considerations changed the course of
science and technology
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Science is a body of knowledge pursued by scientists. What the scientists do is
referred to as the process. Knowledge derived from science leads to products,
which are often referred to as technology, like in manufacturing. All these take
place in the society. Therefore science, technology and society are intricately
linked. People study science in individual compartments like Physics, Chemistry
and Biology, but they do not know their relevance in the community and to their
individual lives. STS cover every aspect of the pure sciences. When you finished
writing your exams in Physics, Chemistry and Biology you thought that was all
there is to those subjects. Those subjects are part of your life. An automobile is
a product of Science, what you call technology.

Nature of Science
Scientific results are linked to the development of new products and new
technologies, and contribute greatly to economic and medical progress, and to
other real social and economic activities. When the question is raised about what
science and technology for the society really means, one important viewpoint is
whether or not scientific results are linked to the development of technologies
that can create real, utilizable products and services.

Nature of Technology
Technology is the product of science. Technologists are scientists. Have you seen
a technologist who is not a scientist? Because of this connection, technology can
be said to be dynamic and tentative. Do you agree with this statement? It is true,
that is why we have technological advancement. Think of how much changes
have taken place around you.

Nature of Society
The Sociologist will tell you that their main job is to study society. The society is
made up of community of people. Among these people are scientists and
technologists. What proceeds from the work of the scientists and technologists
are used up by the society? When for instance a plane is developed by the
scientist and technologist, the recipients (users) are the people in the society.
Society itself is not stagnant. Society is dynamic. Look back to your village where
you were growing up. It is possible that you have electricity now, pipe borne
water, road that connects your village to their own etc. There are more plans to
turn your village to a much better place than what you currently have. It is like
science and technology-dynamic and tentative. Thus, scientists and
technologists abode in a community (society) they see the need of the society. As
one grows, the other grows. If one is stunted the other will be stunted. Any factor
that affects the society has effect on the scientist and the technologist who are
also part of the society.

Science and Technology Historical Timeline

The Birth of Technology (2 Million Years BC)

Tools. The birth of technology was when the first human-like species, Homo
Habilis ('skilful person' 2.6 million years BC) made sharp cutting edges from
stone. Later, Homo Neanderthals or cave men (200 000-30 000 years BC) used
tools and weapons and were the very successful ancestors of Homo sapiens, the
species we recognize as our ancestors today. Swords, daggers and other
weaponry represented a warlike society but are also interpreted as items of social
status, perhaps given as diplomatic gifts between tribes (Iron Age Celtic dagger
from 250-50 BC).

Metals. Lead (Pb), one of the softest metals, extracted from rocks in 6500 BC in
Anatolia (now Turkey), followed by copper (Cu) three thousand years later in
Mesopotamia. The Iron Age was built on a hard, strong and versatile metal, iron
(Fe).
The wheel. The longest-used invention in human history, had the biggest
influence on the development of modern civilization. Around 4500 BC the wheel
and axle combination became the most important invention of all time. Carts
came into common use. By 2000 BC wheels had spokes, and then rapid
development occurred with waterwheels and windmills to provide power.

New Inventions (9th- 18th Century)

Arab Alchemy. Turning common metals into precious metals, proved to be a
dead end around the 9h Century AD. Nevertheless, Arabs were clever chemists
and discovered many chemicals that we use today.

Gunpowder. Gunpowder is a substance used in guns to propel (move forward)

the bullet. The recipe tor making gunpowder appeared in a book in Europe in
1242. Roger Bacon (1214 1294), an English friar and philosopher, was the first
to describe its formula. Guns soon followed.

Printing. The 15th century saw the start of mechanical printing machines able
to make identical copies of sheets of paper and books. Spreading knowledge and
information was a very slow process before the invention of typography.
Jóhannes Gutenberg (1398-1468) developed the first mechanical printing
machine in the 1440s. The first printed book was the Bible in 1456 with a run of
150 copies. Each Bible previously took three years to make by hand.
The Telescope. The telescope was invented by Dutchman Hans Lippershey
(1570-1619). In 1610, using his improved design, Galileo Galilei (1564- 1642)
was able to prove that the Earth revolved around the Sun. This confirmed the
ideas of the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) but it angered
the Catholic Church who had adopted the idea that the Earth was at the centre
of everything. The Harlan J. Smith Telescope, McDonald Observatory in Fort
Davis (USA). Founded in 1932, it is the observatory of the University of Texas
and operates six telescopes.

The Microscopes. Looking at small things became possible when a Dutch maker
of spectacles, Hans Janssen and his son, put glass lenses together in 1590 to
make a primitive microscope Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) took this
invention a step further in 1676 with a magnification of 270 times and discovered
tiny single-celled creatures in pond water.

Lightning Conductor. In 1752, Benjamin Franklin (1706 -1790), the American

statesman, philosopher and scientist proved that lightning was a form of
electricity when he flew a kite in a thunderstorm. Around 1754, Franklin and the
Czech scientist, Prokop Divis (1698 1765) independently developed the lighting
conductor to protect buildings from being hit and damaged by lighting.

The First Industrial Revolution (1760 1840)

Steam Power. This era saw the development of steam engines to power factory
machinery. Heating water in a boiler to make steam to power a vehicle was a
major technological advance. James Watt (1736 -1819) is recognised as the
inventor of the steam engine in 1765 Water could be pumped out of mines and
industrial processes speeded up. George Stephenson's (1781- 1848) Rocket was
the first locomotive to pull heavy load a long distance. This led to the rapid
expansion of railways throughout Britain and the world. The combination of iron
and steam paved the way for the great Victorian engineering projects of Isambard
Kingdom Brunel (1806 1859): He designed bridges, tunnels, viaducts and ships.
Steam engines enabled the development of pumps, locomotives, steam ships,
steam lorries, etc.

Photography. In T826, arter years or experiments, the French inventor Joseph

Nicephore Niepce (765- 1833), using Bitumen of Judea' spread on a pewter plate
and an exposure of eight hours in bright sunlight, produced the first permanent
picture. His technique was improved upon by his colleague Louis Daguerre
(1787-1851) by using compounds of silver, the basis of modern photography,
Already in the 16th century, a device called ‘camera obscura' was able to project
images on a board, however, it wasn't able to capture permanent images.

The Second Industrial Revolution (19th Century 1945)

The Electric Light. After many refinements, Thomas Edison's (1847-1931)
electric light bulbs were the best and by 1879 they would last for hundreds of
hours, much longer than any of their rivals. They were also cheap. To sell bulbs,
energy was needed, so Edison's Electric Illumination Company built their own
power station in New York. After many decades he successfully persuaded the
public to opt for clean, convenient electric light rather than gas lights. Edison
made his first light bulbs from bamboo fibres.

The Telephone. This is an invention that made a lot of money. Alexander

Graham Bell (1847 1922) was the first in the race to patent a machine in 1876
that one could use to talk to someone on the other side of the world. Admittedly,
it was initially from one room to another. The message was "Mr. Watson, come
here, I want you". A year later in 1877 he set up his company and demonstrated
long distance calls.

The Motor Car. Until the 1860s all prototype motor cars were steam driven.
German inventor Nicolas Otto (1832 1891) created an improved internal
combustion engine in 1876 and this is still the way cars work today. In 1885, the
first car, the Benz Patent Motorwagen, was developed by Karl Benz (1844-1929).
It was a long time before Cars became common. Petrol, a cleaning fluid, was only
available from the chemist. Famous names such as Rolls Royce and Henry Ford
developed the technology; Rolls Royce for the rich and Henry Ford for the man in
the street.

The Movies. It has been only just over one hundred years since the first movie,
or film, was shown by the brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière (1862.- 1954 and
1864 1948) in 1895 at the Grand Cafë in Paris. The terrifying film was entitled
The Arrival of a Train at Ciotat Station. Surprisingly, the brothers decided that
films didnt have much of a future and went back to photography. In 1889, George
Eastman (1854- 1932) pioneered celluloid film with holes punched in the side so
that the movie camera could show the film precisely frame by frame.

X-rays. X-rays were quickly adapted for their use in medicine. They are especially
useful in examining the skeletal system, but they can also identify other diseases,
for example pneumonia and lung cancer Science is impressive when something
is discovered that cannot be seen. German physicist Wilhelm Rontgen (1845-
1923) working with electrical discharges in glass tubes noticed in 1895 that there
was a faint glow on a nearby screen. These rays were invisible and could pass
through most materials. He also recorded them on photographic paper and thus
the first X-ray image was developed. He quickly realised the medical potential of
his discovery. Henri Becquerel (1852 1908) discovered radioactivity in 1896 while
trying to find more out about X-rays. Marie Curie (1867 1934), a Polish born
French chemist and physicist and two times Nobel Prize winner, is best
remembered for her research into radioactivity and new radioactive elements.

Communications. Radio waves travel in all directions at an incredible 300 000

km per second. The German physicist Heinrich Hertz (1857 1854) was the first
to prove they existed but it was Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937) was the one who
set up the world's first radio stations to transmit and receive Morse code.
Flight. At the turn of the century, 1903, two bicycle repairmen from Ohio, Wilbur
and Orville Wright built and flew the first really successful aeroplane near Kitty
Hawk, North Carolina.

Rockets and Space Flights. The earliest rockets were used in China in the 11th
century but by the 19th century speed and accuracy were much improved.
Knowledge of astronomy meant that scientists knew the relative movements of
the planets in relation to the earth. A Russian mathematics teacher, Konstantin
Tsiolkovsky was the first person to draw up plans for space stations and air locks
to allow space walks.

The Atomic Bomb. Science and technological advances can be seen as good or
bad. The invention of gunpowder must have seemed like that. In 1932, physicist
John Cockcroft and Earnest Walton did the impossible. They split the atom. They
proved Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity and unlocked the secrets of the atomic
nucleus.

ACTIVITY 1.
In a tabular data, differentiate Science, Technology, and Society.
SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY SOCIETY

ACTIVITY 2.
Discuss the positive and negative impacts of science and technology on society.
POSITIVE IMPACTS NEGATIVE IMPACTS
Science on society

Technology on society

WEEK 2
Intellectual revolutions that defined society
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Scientific revolution is a golden age in the history of science. It marked the birth
of science as a discipline and as a field of inquiry and gave birth to the
development of the scientific method. It was a time in the history of science where
many scientific ideas and discoveries, which were considered innovative and
useful, were developed. Some of these ideas were also controversial in the
scientific community and in the political arena. The scientific revolution
significantly changed how people study science and do scientific activities. It
inspired human creativity and critical thinking, moving away from thought
experiments to data-driven and experiment-based ideas.

There were many intellectuals who made essential contributions in science

during the period of scientific revolution. Nicolaus Copernicus developed a model
of the universe in which everything moved around a single center at unvarying
rates. He placed the Sun in the center of the universe and all the planets were
surrounding or orbiting it. Copernicus's model of planets orbiting around the
Sun automatically positioned the planets into a logical sequence. Charles Darwin
made significant contribution in the field of evolutionary biology and philosophy
of science. His theory of evolution by natural selection is very useful in many
fields until now. Sigmund Freud developed the idea of psychoanalysis that helped
in understanding human behavior especially neurological conditions.

Science also developed in different parts of the world: in Asia, Europe,

Mesoamerica, and Africa. People in these continents invented tools to help them
in everyday life, discovered medicines to cure diseases, observed heavenly bodies,
built structures, discovered many things, and invented mathematics as a tool
and as a discipline. Science provided different ancient civilizations the means to
survive and understand the natural and physical world. It also enabled human
beings to develop various technologies that helped them in their everyday tasks.

ACTIVITY 3.
Answer the following questions briefly but substantially.

1. What is the contribution of Copernicus in the philosophy of science?

2. What is Darwin’s contribution to modern science?
3. By looking for other sources and literatures, what are the controversies
or questions on Freud’s ideas?

ACTIVITY 4.
Review the history of science and make a timeline highlighting the major
discoveries and developments in science.
Cradles of early science Discoveries and development
Development of science in
Mesoamerica

Development of science in Asia

Development of science in Africa

 WEEK 3
Science and technology and nation building
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Government Policies on Science and Technology
The Philippine government introduced and implemented several programs,
projects, and policies to b0ost the area of science and technology. The goal is to
prepare the whole country and its people to meet the demands of a
technologically driven world and capacitate the people to live in a world driven
by science.
Padilla-Concepcion (2015) reported that in 2015, in response to the ASEAN 2015
Agenda, the government, particularly the Department of Science and Technology
(DOST), has sought the expertise of the National Research Council of the
Philippines (NCRP) to consult various sectors in the society to study how the
Philippines can prepare itself in meeting the ASEAN 2015 Goals. As a result of
the consultation, the NCRP is expected to recommend policies and programs that
will improve the competitiveness of the Philippines in the ASEAN Region.

The NCRP clustered these policies into four, namely:

1. Social Sciences, Humanities, Education, International Policies and
Governance
 Integrating ASEAN awareness in basic education without adding to the
curriculum
 Emphasizing teaching in the mother tongue
 Developing school infrastructure and providing for ICT broadband
 Local food security

2. Physics, Engineering and Industrial Research, Earth and Space Sciences, and
Mathematics
 Emphasizing degrees, licenses, and employment opportunities
 Outright grants for peer monitoring
 Review of R.A. 9184
 Harnessing science and technology as an independent mover of
development

3. Medical, Chemical, and Pharmaceutical Sciences

 Ensuring compliance of drug-manufacturing firms with ASEAN-
harmonized standards by full implementation of the Food and Drug
Administration
 Creating an education council dedicated to standardization of
pharmaceutical services and care
 Empowering food and drug agencies to conduct evidence based research
as pool of information
 Allocating two percent of the GDP to research
 Legislating a law supporting human genome projects

4. Biological Sciences, Agriculture, and Forestry

  Protecting and conserving biodiversity by full implementation of existing
laws
 Use of biosafety and standard model by ASEAN countries
 Promoting indigenous knowledge systems and indigenous people's
conservation
 Formulation of common food and safety standards

There are also other existing programs supported by the Philippine government
through the DOST. Some of these projects are the following:
 Providing funds for basic research and patents related to Science and
technology. The government funds basic and applied researches. Funding
of these research and projects are also from the Overseas Development Aid
(ODA) from different countries.
 Providing scholarships for undergraduate and graduate studies of students
in the field of science and technology. Saloma (2015) pointed out that the
country needs to produce more doctoral graduates in the field of science
and technology, and proauce more research in these fields, including
engineering.
 Establishing more branches of the Philippine Science High School System
for training young Filipinos in the field of science and technology.
 Creating science and technology parks to encourage academe and industry
partnerships.
 Balik Scientist Program to encourage Filipino scientists abroad to come
home and work in the Philippines or conduct research and projects in
collaboration with Philippine-based scientists. Developing Science and
technology parks in academic campuses to encourage academe and
industry partnerships. The establishment of the National Science Complex
and National Engineering Complex within the University of the Philippines
campus in Diliman. These aimed to develop more science and technology
and engineering manpower resources needed by the country. They also
aimed to produce more researches in these fields

ACTIVITY 5.
Answer the following questions briefly but substantially.
1. What can you say about the implementation of some
science and technology policies and projects in the country?
2. Identify several issues in the Philippines. What science
and technology-related policies could be developed and
implemented to solve these issues?
 WEEK 4
Science Education in the Philippines
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The Concept of Science Education
Science education focuses on teaching, learning, and understanding science.
Teaching science involves developing ways on how to effectively teach science.
This means exploring pedagogical theories and models in helping teachers teach
scientific concepts and processes effectively. Learning science, on the other hand,
includes both pedagogy and the most interesting aspect, which is helping
students understand and love science.

Understanding science implies developing and applying science-process skills

and using science literacy in understanding the natural world and activities in
everyday life.

Getting deeper into the discourse of science education, John Dewey (2001)
stressed the importance of utilizing the natural environment to teach students.
Accordingly, nature must indeed furnish its physical stimuli to provide wealth of
meaning through social activities and thinking. t is not surprising therefore that
science education is important. In fact, Marx (1994) opines that science is going
to be one of the most important school subjects in the future.

Science education is justified by the vast, amount of scientific knowledge

developed in this area that prepares citizens in a scientifically and technologically
driven world. Science education provides skills and knowledge that are necessary
for a person to live in what Knight (1986) describes as the age of science and to
develop a citizenry that will meet the goals of science in the society (Tilghman,
2005). Developing a science culture is therefore an immense responsibility for
schools.

Science Education in Basic and Tertiary Education

In basic education, science education helps students leam important concepts
and facts that are related to everyday life (Carale & Campo, 2003; Meador, 2005;
Worth & Grollman, 2003) including important skills such as process skills,
critical thinking skills, and life skills that are needed in coping up with daily life
activities (Chaille & Britain, 2002). Science education also develops positive
attitude such as: the love for knowledge, passion for innovative things, curiosity
to study about nature, and creativity (Lind, 1997). Science education will develop
a strong foundation for studying science and for considering science-related
careers in the future. This is an investment for the country to develop a
scientifically cultured and literate citizenry.
In tertiary education, science education deals with developing students
understanding and appreciation of science ideas and scientific works. This is
done through offering basic science courses in the General Education
Curriculum. Science education in the tertiary level also focuses on the
preparation of science teachers, scientists, engineers, and other professionals in
various science-related fields such as engineering, agriculture, medicine, and
health sciences. The state provides scholarships to encourage more students to
pursue science courses.

ACTIVITY 6.
Answer the following questions briefly but substantially.

1. Are there private schools with outstanding science education

programs? Identify and compare their science education
programs with public science schools.
2. Identify science and technology policies that could be adapted
or implemented in the Philippines.

WEEK 5
Indigenous science and technology in the Philippines
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Indigenous Knowledge System
Indigenous knowledge is embedded in the daily life experiences of young children
as they grow up. They live and grow in a society where the members of the
community prominently practice indigenous knowledge. Their parents and other
older folks served as their first teachers and their methods of teaching are very
effective in transmitting cultural knowledge in their minds. The lessons they
learned are intimately interwoven with their culture and the environment. These
lessons comprised of good values and life stories of people on their daily life
struggles. Their views about nature and their reflections on their experiences in
daily life are evident in their stories, poems, and songs.

Indigenous Science
Indigenous science is part of the indigenous knowledge system practiced by
different groups of people and early civilizations (Gribbin, 2001; Mkapa, 2004;
Sibisi, 2004). It includes complex arrays of knowledge, expertise, practices, and
representations that guide human societies in their enumerable interactions with
the natural milieu: agriculture, medicine, naming and explaining natural
phenomena, and strategies for coping with changing environments (Pawilen,
2005). Ogawa (1995) claimed that it is collectively lived in and experienced by the
people of a given culture.

According to Cajete (2004), indigenous science includes everything, Irom

metaphysics to philosophy and various practical technologies practiced by
indigenous peoples both past and present. Iaccarino (2003) elaborated this idea
by explaining that science is a part of culture, and how science is done largely
depends on the cultural practices of the people.
Indigenous beliefs also develop desirable values that are relevant or consistent to
scientific attitudes as identified by Johnston (2000), namely: (1) motivating
attitudes; (2) cooperating attitudes; (3) practical attitudes, and (4) reflective
attitudes. These cultural beliefs therefore can be good foundation for developing
positive values toward learning and doing science and in bringing science in a
personal level.

Pawilen (2005) explained that indigenous science knowledge has developed

diverse structures and contents through the interplay between the society and
the environment. According to Kuhn (1962), developmental stages of most
sciences are characterized by continual competition between a number of distinct
views of nature, each partially derived from, and all roughly compatible with the
dictates of scientific observation and method. Sibisi (2004) also pointed out that
indigenous science provides the basics of astronomy, pharmacology, food
technology, or metallurgy, which were derived from traditional knowledge and
practices

ACTIVITY 7.
Answer the following questions briefly but substantially.

1. What is your understanding of indigenous science?

2. What are examples of indigenous science practices?
3. Do you think indigenous science should be considered
science?

ACTIVITY 8.

Research on the connection of

indigenous knowledge to science
and technology.
 WEEK 6
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TASK:

Make a letter to any of the scientists or philosophers

showing your appreciation of their contributions in science
and technology!
__________________________________________________________
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EVALUATION:
Answer the following questions briefly but substantially.
1. Considering the current state of our society, do you
think science literacy among people has contributed to the
growth of our economy?
2. How can science influence government policies?

REFERENCES:
 Aldea, L., Caronan, H., & Candido, M.,(2018). Science, Technology and
Society (OBE READT). Books Atbp. Publishing Corp.
 David Cababaro Bueno, Ed.P(2019). Science, Technology and Society.
Books Atbp. Publishing Corp.
 Serafina, J., Pawilen G., Caslib Jr. B., & Alata, E.,(2018). Science,
Technology and Society. Rex Book Store, Inc.