Bioethics in Nigerian Science Education: Towards a Framework for Integrating Ethical Reasoning into Secondary and Tertiary Science Curricula

This study developed a framework for integrating bioethical reasoning into secondary and tertiary Science curricula in Nigeria. Rapid advances in biotechnology, genetic engineering, and biomedical science demand that science graduates possess robust ethical reasoning capacities; however, bioethics is largely absent as a structured component of Nigerian Science Education at both levels. A multi-phase design incorporating theoretical framework development, empirical needs assessment, and framework validation was employed. Phase one reviewed global bioethics education frameworks and interviewed 20 bioethicists, science educators, and policy advisers. Phase two surveyed 400 final-year secondary students and 200 first-year university science students across Ogun, Enugu, Kano, and Rivers States using a Bioethics Awareness and Reasoning Scale with a reliability of 0.84. Phase three convened a two-day national expert validation workshop with 25 curriculum developers, Science Education academics, and bioethicists to review and ratify the proposed framework. Results showed critically low bioethics awareness among both student populations, with university students demonstrating only marginal improvement over secondary students. The Contextualised Nigerian Bioethics Science Education Framework specifies conceptual content, pedagogical approaches, and assessment strategies appropriate for both levels. This constitutes an original curriculum development and theoretical contribution. Keywords: bioethics, science education, curriculum framework, Nigeria, ethical reasoning.