Scientific Literacy

By : Muhammad Asyraf Bin Abdul Rahman

P-PM0243/13

What?

• According to the United States National Centre for Education Statistics ;

"scientific literacy is the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and processes required for personal decision making, participation in civic and cultural affairs, and economic productivity"

• Project 2061 in their seminal volume, Science for all Americans (AAAS, 1989) describe scientific literacy as ;

“the understandings and habits of mind they need to become compassionate human beings able to think for themselves and to face life head on. Also equip them participate with fellow citizens in building and protecting a society that is open, decent and vital”.

• England’s Beyond 2000 : Science Education for the future (Millar & Osborne,1998) advocate that all citizens need a basic level of scientific literacy to make informed choices and decisions about issues and problems that occur daily.

Issues and Problems

Occur +Action as

person

=

Characteristics ;

A scientifically literate person is defined as one who has the capacity to:

• understand experiment and reasoning as well as basic scientific facts and their meaning

• ask, find, or determine answers to questions derived from curiosity about everyday experiences

• describe, explain, and predict natural phenomena• identify scientific issues underlying national and local decisions and

express positions that are scientifically and technologically informed• evaluate the quality of scientific information on the basis of its source

and the methods used to generate it• pose and evaluate arguments based on evidence and to apply

conclusions from such arguments appropriately

Scientific Literacy : Malaysia perspective?

Results

Items Program for International

Student Assesment (PISA)Trends in International

Mathematics and Science

Study (TIMSS)

Type of questions :

Response or multiple question from one stem.

Mainly multiple choice questions

Focus : Knowledge, value and students able to do science within reasonable and appropriate

personal, social and global context.

Reproduction of facts and solving problems using

algorithms.

Targeted students :

Assesment on 15 years old students. Assesment on standard four and form two students.

Problems?

Local Authority Elections

Global Context

Societal Context

Personal Context

Content Knowledge Habits of Mind

Science as human endeavor

Character and Values

Metacognition and Self-direction

5 Dimension of scientific literacy for the 21st century

Dimensions

Descriptive Current Scientific Literacy

Content Knowledge

- Integrated, context-based scientific understanding of

core science content.

- Understanding of basic ideas and vocabulary.

Habits of Mind

-Critically examine issues, finding and using

resources, apply core ideas and argue based on

sufficient evidence to solve complex personal,

community and global problems

- Inquiry Skills

Character and Values

- Respect human life and

compassion for other human beings throughout globe.

- Attitude and Motivation

Science as Human Endeavor

-Understanding of collaborative and

interdisciplinary nature of science and relationship between science and society.

- Isolation nature of science.

Metacognition and Self-Direction

-Explicit cognitive to reflect on certain condition, seek and use knowledge wisely.

-Move by their own initiatives

-Not a focus for

scientific literacy

JAPAN

Scientific Literacy is about being able to function in contemporary society in a positive

way.

As educators, we should educating students

to see science everywhere.