## 4 Discussion
### Digital News and Socioscientific Issues  
The results of this study demonstrate that the use of digital news articles in science education was well received by pre-service teachers, particularly for its ability to connect scientific content with real-world and socially relevant issues. This aligns with growing recognition in the literature that addressing complex, real-world problems is a key strategy for fostering scientific literacy [22]. Many participants explicitly valued the opportunity to engage with content that was relevant to their lives and the broader social context. For instance, comments such as \"The news articles help connect science with reality and social issues\" (Group C) and \"Addressing real-world problems that affect people today\" (Group A) reflect the positive reception of socioscientific content.  
SSIs are not the only path to promoting scientific literacy, but they offer a powerful framework for stimulating intellectual and social development in students [16]. By involving learners in the critical evaluation of media, data, and conflicting viewpoints, SSI-based approaches help build students' capacity for informal reasoning, argumentation, and evidence-based decision-making--competencies that are essential for citizenship in a scientifically complex world [68]. As some participants noted, the activity encouraged them to become more critical and discerning consumers of information: \"It allowed us to learn to be more critical with what we read and to search for information to compare\" (Group B).  
From a pedagogical perspective, the integration of digital news also supports contextualized learning, which is especially important in disciplines like chemistry that are often perceived as abstract and disconnected from everyday life [69].  
Despite these benefits, the shift toward teaching with SSIs remains challenging for educators. Research highlights that teachers often resist new pedagogical approaches, particularly those that require a repositioning of their role--from knowledge transmitters to facilitators of student-led inquiry [22]. The interdisciplinary and controversial nature of many SSI topics also demands that teachers draw on broad competencies, including pedagogical content knowledge, life experiences, and familiarity with societal contexts [20]. One participant's reflection--\"It's interesting to carry out a guided integration of technology with content\" (Group C)--suggests a growing openness to such practices, especially when appropriate support and structure are provided.  
Importantly, this pedagogical model encourages not only cognitive but also social-emotional development. Students involved in SSI-based learning tend to develop empathy, a stronger sense of responsibility, and a heightened awareness of their roles as citizens [70]. These outcomes are further enhanced through collaboration, as students learn to navigate diverse perspectives and communicate effectively [71]. The digital news activity in this study often involved group work and discussion, which several participants cited as positive aspects of the experience.  
Finally, the findings reinforce the need for chemistry education--and science education more broadly--to prepare students to engage critically with science in society. In fact, science teaching should contribute to forming well-informed citizens who are capable of analysing complex problems, making reasoned decisions, and assuming social responsibility [17]. The use of real-world news articles as a pedagogical tool thus represents a valuable step toward this goal.