Photosynthesis is a fundamental biochemical process that converts light into chemical energy stored in carbohydrates, forming the basis of all complex life. Despite its importance, traditional teaching methods often present photosynthesis as a context-free biochemical mechanism, which many students find too abstract to be engaging. This perception can reduce motivation and increase the risk of misconceptions. Teachers also report difficulties in teaching the topic. This thesis proposes that linking photosynthesis instruction to societal and sustainability contexts can make learning more meaningful and address common misunderstandings. The goal is to develop a scientifically grounded teaching design that fosters photosynthesis literacy: a form of scientific literacy that equips students with powerful photosynthesis knowledge for a well informed citizenship.

The thesis comprises four sub-studies. The first develops a theoretical model for photosynthesis literacy, drawing on three conceptualisations of scientific literacy. It argues that integrating elements from all three is essential for cultivating students’ deep understanding. The second sub-study, a Delphi study, translates this model into a framework of 25 content areas with corresponding learning objectives. This framework incorporates both conceptual clarity and contextual relevance. In the third sub-study, a design study conducted with two biology teachers transforms the framework into a ten-lesson teaching design. The fourth sub-study evaluates the impact of this design through a quasi-experiment using a custom questionnaire aligned with the framework’s objectives. Students who participated in the new teaching design performed significantly better than those in the control group.

Qualitative data from interviews and classroom observations identified four potential success factors of the teaching design explaining the positive results: authentic experiences, fascination and wonder, student-centred learning, and collaborative engagement.

The thesis demonstrates that a systematic transformation of an academic discipline content into student-adapted pedagogy can enhance learning outcomes and shape powerful knowledge, in this case about photosynthesis.

Fotosyntes anses vara den mest betydelsefulla biokemiska processen på jorden. Trots dess centrala betydelse upplevs fotosyntesundervisningen som svårtillgänglig. Avhandlingen utgår från att undervisningen om fotosyntes bör kopplas till hållbarhets- och samhällsfrågor för att öka relevansen och angripa vanliga missuppfattningar hos elever. Syftet är att utveckla en undervisning som ger elever fotosynteskunskaper för ett välinformerat medborgarskap.

Genom fyra delstudier undersöktes hur disciplinär vetenskaplig kunskap kan transformeras till relevant fotosynteskunskap för skolelever. Den första delstudien utvecklade en teoretisk modell för fotosynteslitteracitet. I den andra delstudien omvandlades modellen till ett ramverk med 25 ämnesområden med tillhörande lärandemål genom en Delphistudie. Den tredje delstudien omsatte ramverkets mål till en undervisningsdesign, utvecklad i samarbete med biologilärare. I den fjärde delstudien utvärderades designen där elever som deltagit i undervisningen uppnådde signifikant bättre resultat än kontrollgruppen. Fyra framgångsaspekter i undervisningsdesignen identifierades: autentiska upplevelser, fascination och förundran, elevaktivt arbetssätt samt kollaborativt lärande.

Avhandlingen visar att en systematisk transformation av ett ämnesinnehåll från en ämnesdisciplin till ett elevnära undervisningsinnehåll kan förbättra lärandet och göra kraftfull kunskap, i detta fall om fotosyntes, mera tillgängligt för lärande.

In this study we transform a recently created photosynthesis literacy framework to enacted curriculum in an educational design research (EDR) study, with the ultimate aim of fostering photosynthesis literate citizens by providing a more relevant photosynthesis education, based on its importance for sustainability and relevance to other pressing societal issues. The study was conducted over a year in Sweden in seventh-grade secondary school classes and in collaboration with two biology teachers. The EDR was divided into three stages: (i) piloting, (ii) developing a new teaching design, and (iii) three rounds of evaluation and development to finesse a teaching design that builds on the aforementioned photosynthesis literacy framework and consists of four themes, which are detailed in 25 learning objectives. In the three developing and evaluation rounds the teaching design was enacted by the two teachers in their biology classes. In between the rounds, the teaching design was analysed, revised, and re-revised. The final teaching design settled on and presented herein consists of ten lessons. This teaching design can be used to reinvent photosynthesis education in a way that makes it more relevant for students. It also addresses many of the known misconceptions related to teaching and learning about photosynthesis.

This article argues for a broader and more socially relevant photosynthesis instruction in compulsory science education. Presently, the predominant practice is traditional instruction, focusing on students' conceptual understanding of photosynthesis based on molecular and energy-related principles. Views of what is referred to as scientific literacy change in line with the new values and demands of a globalised society. Scientific literacy has evolved from a narrow conception of natural sciences to a broader teaching approach, addressing science from a whole society perspective. The article discusses how photosynthesis instruction can be redirected tofuture issues such as societal and sustainability and argues for a wider approach to scientific literacy involving active citizenship to address present and future sustainability challenges. A scientific literacy model is presented, along with its relation to the concept of powerful knowledge, defined as the kind of knowledge students need to have control and agency in their own lives. Powerful knowledge is discussed in terms of how photosynthesis instruction could be used to address societal and sustainability issues such as climate change, food chains, energy issues and food production. The need for a new and updated photosynthesis education 2.0 is presented.

Vår värld står inför flera hållbarhetsutmaningar som är kopplade till fotosyntes, direkt eller indirekt. Biologisk mångfald och mänsklighetens livsmedelsförsörjning är kanske de mest uppenbara men det gäller också klimat- och energifrågor. Kan hållbarhetsfrågorna ge svar på varför man behöver lära sig om fotosyntesen?