Assessing secondary students’ scientific literacy: A comparative study of suburban schools in England and Malaysia

Abstract

This study sought to assess the level of secondary students’ scientific literacy in suburban schools in Malaysia and England, a research area which to date has not been fully explored in the literature. The study analysed the data using the OECD’s three domain-specific competencies of scientific literacy, namely: i) explain phenomena scientifically, ii) evaluate and design scientific enquiry, and iii) interpret data and evidence scientifically. To assess the level of secondary students’ scientific literacy in these contexts, the study applied the scientific literacy assessment instrument called the ‘Nature of Scientific Literacy Test’ (NOSLiT), first developed by Wenning (2006). The results indicated that the level of scientific literacy of English students was higher than that of Malaysian students across all three domain-specific competencies. Despite the fact that NOSLiT is a systematic and reliable instrument for assessing the level of students’ scientific literacy, the study found that OECD’s three domain-specific competencies of scientific literacy provided better insights into the level of secondary students’ scientific literacy in Malaysian and English suburban schools. It is suggested that future studies should use a qualitative approach to both data collection and analysis to understand the level of students’ scientific literacy in more detail.

Facilitation of Student Questioning in the Malaysian Secondary Science Classroom Using the Investigable Questioning Formulation Technique (IQFT) Protocol

“…This process of inquiry requires students' motivation to learn about science and science self-efficacy (Areepattamannil et al, 2020). Therefore, students in Malaysia need to be guided to formulate investigable questions because in traditional Malaysian classrooms, questioning is not widely utilized, and the majority of teacher questions tend to be of a low quality (Mat Noor, 2021). Thus, students tend to lack opportunities to apply their critical thinking skills (Yin Peen & Yusof Arshad, 2014).…”

“…This study was conducted in a Malaysian secondary school science education context, where the science curriculum was aimed at cultivating students' science literacy, critical thinking skills, and ability to apply scientific knowledge in solving real-life problems (Mat Noor, 2021;MOE, 2016). The Standard Science Curriculum covered three key areas: knowledge, skills, and values.…”