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A2.3 · Investigate economic, cultural, and social contexts of science

Learn to investigate economic, cultural, and social contexts of science through clear examples and targeted practice.

Ontario Grade 9 Science

STEM Skills, Careers, and Connections

A Grade 9 guide to asking who science serves, what shapes it, and how to weigh evidence

A new science idea does not appear in isolation. For example, a community considering a new way to monitor a local species may ask whether it works, what it costs, whether it respects local knowledge, and who will use the results. These are connected questions, but they are not the same kind of question. This lesson focuses on investigating the economic, cultural, and social contexts of science. Context means the surrounding conditions and viewpoints that can shape research and its effects. The goal is not to replace scientific evidence with opinion. It is to understand evidence alongside the people, resources, and values involved.

What you will learn

Describe economic, cultural, and social contexts that can shape a science investigation.
Plan fair, respectful questions about how science affects different people.
Separate scientific evidence, simplified models, and social or ethical judgments.
Use evidence and its limits to explain a reasoned conclusion.

1. Start with an everyday observation and a clear question

Science is a way of building and checking explanations about the natural world. Before an investigation begins, people choose what to study and how to study it. Those choices can be shaped by context. A community may care about a question because it affects health, land, food, energy, or the local environment.

Economic context concerns resources and costs, such as money, time, equipment, and paid work. Cultural context concerns shared knowledge, practices, values, language, and relationships with places or living things. Social context concerns people and groups, including who makes decisions, who is affected, and who can take part.

Suppose students want to learn whether a local pollinator is appearing in a school garden. A clear science question could be: “Which pollinators are observed in the garden during scheduled observation periods?” A context question could be: “Who should help choose the observation locations, and how will the results be shared?” The first asks about observations of living things. The second asks how the investigation relates to people and community priorities.

A useful investigation begins with curiosity, then checks whether the question is specific, respectful, and answerable with safe methods. Students could use school-approved observations and existing records. They should not handle wildlife or enter private or protected areas without permission.

Economic context: resources and costs.
Cultural context: shared knowledge, values, and practices.
Social context: people, groups, participation, and effects.
A science question and a context question can be connected but are not interchangeable.

2. Use a model to keep evidence and judgment distinct

A model is a simplified representation that helps people think about a situation. The flow model below is a planning aid, not a claim that every investigation follows the same route. Real investigations may revisit earlier choices.

Begin with a science question and decide what evidence could help answer it. Evidence is information gathered or recorded in a way that can support or challenge an explanation. Then consider context: what resources are available, whose knowledge may matter, who could be affected, and how people can participate. Finally, explain what the evidence supports and what decisions involve values or priorities.

For instance, a record showing pollinators at a garden is evidence that they were observed there at those times. It does not by itself prove why they came, whether their numbers are changing, or what the community should do. A recommendation about changing the garden may also involve cost, access, cultural meaning, and community priorities. That recommendation is a social or ethical judgment, not a direct measurement.

An ethical judgment is a reasoned view about what is fair, responsible, or respectful. People can disagree about a judgment while agreeing on the same observations. A careful explanation names the evidence, describes its limits, and makes clear where values enter.

Evidence supports or challenges a science explanation; it does not answer every social decision.
A model simplifies reality and should not be mistaken for the full process.
State who may benefit, who may bear costs, and whose knowledge is included.

3. Investigate context fairly and safely

A fair inquiry uses questions that do not assume one group is correct or that all people share the same experience. Instead of asking, “Why do people oppose this project?”, ask, “What benefits and concerns have different community members described?” The revised wording leaves room for more than one view.

Plan how information will be gathered. Possible sources include school-approved interviews, published reports, public information, or classroom observations. Follow school rules, ask permission where needed, and do not collect private information without approval. Be clear about who provided information and what it can tell you.

Consider whether the method leaves out some people. An online survey may miss people without reliable internet access. A meeting at one time may not work for people with work or care responsibilities. These limits do not automatically make the information useless, but they affect how broadly it can be applied.

Economic, cultural, and social factors can also shape which science questions receive attention. Equipment and staff time cost resources. Local knowledge may point to questions that outside researchers have not considered. Public needs can influence which findings are shared or used. Recognizing these influences does not mean evidence is false; it means the investigation should be examined thoughtfully.

Use open, neutral questions and identify information sources.
Respect permission, privacy, and school safety rules.
Check who can participate and who may be missing.
Context can shape research priorities without deciding whether evidence is reliable.

4. Explain conclusions with care

A strong conclusion separates three things: what was observed, what the evidence may mean, and what people might decide. For example: “The class records show pollinators in the garden during the observation periods. The records do not show whether the number changed over the whole season. The school community could discuss whether to collect more observations before changing the garden.”

This wording avoids claiming more than the evidence supports. It also leaves the decision to the people responsible for it, while showing which additional information could help. A simplified model can guide the discussion, but it cannot represent every person’s experience or settle a value disagreement.

Use the same care when studying biology, chemistry, electricity, or space science. A scientific finding may be relevant to a community, but the social effects and priorities still need to be investigated. Do not treat a popular claim, a diagram, or a personal view as measured evidence unless its source and basis are clear.

Report observations separately from explanations and recommendations.
Name limits and uncertainty in plain language.
A decision may combine scientific evidence with social or ethical priorities.

Three contexts to investigate

Context	What it considers	Example question
Economic	Money, time, equipment, and other resources	What will the investigation cost to run and maintain?
Cultural	Shared knowledge, values, practices, and relationships with place	What local knowledge or practices should be considered?
Social	People affected, participation, access, and decision-making	Who can take part, and who may be affected?

Worked example

Choose questions for a pollinator inquiry

A school garden group wants to learn about pollinators and decide whether to add more flowering plants. Write one science question and two context questions that would help the group investigate responsibly.

Planning a context-aware inquiry

A simplified planning model, not a fixed sequence. The arrows show useful connections, not proof that every inquiry proceeds this way.

Separate the questions
The science question should ask about something the group can observe. Context questions should ask about resources, people, or community priorities.
Make the questions answerable
A suitable science question is, “Which pollinators are observed during scheduled garden visits?” It identifies what will be recorded without claiming that a short set of visits represents every season.
Include context
Useful context questions include, “What time and staff support can the school provide?” and “Whose views should be included before changing the garden?” The first concerns resources; the second concerns participation and effects.

Answer: Science question: Which pollinators are observed during scheduled garden visits? Context questions: What time and support can the school provide? Whose views should be included before changing the garden?

Check: The observation question can produce evidence. The context questions help examine resources and who may be affected.

Worked example

Interpret a hypothetical survey carefully

A class uses a hypothetical, school-created survey. Of 20 students who chose to respond, 15 say they would support more flowering plants. What can the class conclude, and what can it not conclude?

Describe the evidence
The survey records support from 15 of the 20 students who responded. That is a statement about these respondents, not necessarily every student.
Check who is represented
Students chose whether to respond, so people with different views may have been more or less likely to take part. The survey source is hypothetical and school-created; it is not published research.
Avoid an unsupported decision
The result suggests support among the respondents. It does not prove that all students support the change, that the plants will attract more pollinators, or that the change is the best choice. Those questions need other evidence and discussion.

Answer: The class can say that 15 of the 20 respondents supported more flowering plants. It cannot claim that all students support the change or that the change will have a particular effect on pollinators.

Check: The response count is evidence about respondents. It has limits because participation was voluntary and the survey did not test the garden outcome.

Worked example

Discuss a science tool and its effects

A community is considering a hypothetical, low-cost camera system to record wildlife visits near a shared outdoor space. Identify one economic, one cultural, and one social question. Explain why the camera record alone cannot settle the decision.

Ask about resources
An economic question could be, “What would the camera cost to buy, maintain, and operate?” A low purchase price does not tell the whole cost if upkeep or staff time is needed.
Ask about cultural meaning
A cultural question could be, “Are there community practices or values about observing this place or its wildlife that should guide the project?” Ask respectfully and do not assume that every person shares one view.
Ask about people and effects
A social question could be, “Who uses the space, who will decide where the camera goes, and how will privacy concerns be addressed?” The camera may record wildlife, but its location and use affect people too.
State the evidence limit
A camera record could provide evidence of visits within its view and operating times. It would not reveal every animal present, explain why an animal visited, or determine whether the project is acceptable. Those conclusions require other evidence and community discussion.

Answer: Economic: What are the full costs, including upkeep and time? Cultural: What community values or practices should guide the project? Social: Who uses the space and who helps decide? Camera records can show some visits, but cannot settle questions of meaning, privacy, or fairness.

Check: The answer treats camera records as limited evidence and recognizes that decisions also involve economic, cultural, and social considerations.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Treating a community opinion as scientific evidence about the natural world.

Correction: Record opinions as views or judgments. Use observations or other suitable evidence to answer science questions.

Claiming a small or voluntary survey represents everyone.

Correction: State who responded and explain who may be missing.

Assuming that a low purchase price means a project has no economic costs.

Correction: Also consider time, upkeep, and other resources.

Assuming one person speaks for an entire culture or community.

Correction: Avoid broad assumptions. Ask respectfully whose perspectives are included and whose are not.

Using a simplified model as if it showed every detail or settled a decision.

Correction: Explain what the model leaves out. Use evidence and discussion for questions the model cannot answer.

Lesson summary

Investigating science contexts means examining economic resources, cultural knowledge and values, and social effects and participation.
A clear science question identifies evidence that could help answer it.
Evidence, simplified models, and social or ethical judgments are different kinds of information.
Careful conclusions state what the evidence supports, what it cannot show, and whose perspectives may be missing.

Check your understanding

Question 1

A class records which birds visit a schoolyard during planned observation times. Which statement is best supported by those records?

The records show which birds were observed during those times.
The records prove that no other birds ever use the schoolyard.
The records show why each bird chose the schoolyard.
The records decide whether the school should change the yard.

Show answer and explanation

The records show which birds were observed during those times.

The records support a claim about birds observed during the recorded times. They cannot establish that no other birds visit, explain why birds came, or decide what the school should do.

Question 2

A community survey is answered by people who chose to take part. What is the most careful way to report its results?

The answers show what every community member believes.
The answers describe the views of the people who responded; others may be missing.
The answers prove that the science evidence is incorrect.
The answers show that no further discussion is needed.

Show answer and explanation

The answers describe the views of the people who responded; others may be missing.

A voluntary survey gives information about respondents. It may not represent people who did not take part.

Question 3

Which question mainly investigates economic context?

What will the equipment and upkeep cost?
Which people may be affected by the project?
What local values should guide the project?
Which species appeared in the observation record?

Show answer and explanation

What will the equipment and upkeep cost?

Costs and resources are economic context. The other options concern social effects, cultural values, or observations.

Key terms

Context: The surrounding conditions and viewpoints that can shape research and its effects.
Evidence: Information gathered or recorded that can support or challenge an explanation.
Model: A simplified representation used to think about or explain something.
Ethical judgment: A reasoned view about what is fair, responsible, or respectful.
Economic context: The resources and costs connected to an investigation or its effects.
Cultural context: Shared knowledge, values, practices, language, and relationships with places or living things.
Social context: The people and groups involved in or affected by an investigation, including how they participate.

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About this lesson and its review

Published by DoAssignment. This reviewed lesson follows Ontario Grade 9 Science (SNC1W), expectation A2.3. It is a study resource, not an official curriculum publication.

Before publication, content is checked for structure, mathematical or chemical notation, calculations, course boundaries, and readability. Errors can still occur, so corrections are welcomed.

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