Scientific Literacy

Abstract

R einforced by the dismal U.S. performame on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), deploring our lack of scientific literacy has become quite popular recently. By the broadest defition, more than 90% of Americans are scientifically illiteratean appalling statistic by anyone's standards and possibly a threat to our well-being. Yet with all this agreement we see astonishing ambiguity-and two different defitions of scientific literacy. The first emphasizes practical results and stresses short-term instrumental good, notably training immediately productive members of society with specific facts and skills. We call this science litemcy, with its focus on gaining units of scientific or technical knowledge. Second is scientific litemcy, which emphasizes scientific ways of knowing and the process of thinking critically and creatively about the natural world. Advocates of the second assume that it is good to have critical thinkers, that scientific litemcy is an inScientific tXinSic good--on m0rd and other principled grounds. literacy ptavidesBeing scientifically literate helps people to live and fulfilling, and not in the distasteful sense of eating good-for-you bran flakes). According to this view, 1 "good" lives (in the philosophers' sense of reflective a necessary but not sufficient science is beautiful, exciting, and fun. Becoming scientifically literate produces skeptical, creative habits basis for making of mind that are valuable for everyone.The two approaches are often in tension and have informed social different implications for education, testing, and public funding of science. Promoting scientific literacy decisions.requires a new way of teaching for which few teachers are prepared. It stresses long-term process over L short-term product and questions over answers. The student may possess less knowledge, but has skills for adapting to the challenges of a rapidly changing world. Political leaders and iducators resist working toward the long-term goals of scientific literacy because of pressures to generate immediate outcomes such as higher test scores or more people with B.A.' s trained for technical jobs. In contrast, we advocate integrating the short-term goals of knowing science (facts and skills) and the long-term goals of scientific literacy. We must have a society rich in both critical, creative scientific thinkers and enough knowledgeable experts to do today's work.We need both science literacy and scientific literacy for effective participation in the real world. Some people do need specific information, but informed decision-making is a social process and also requires a society of scientifically literate thinkers to make wise choices and to help combat racism, sexism, bigotry, and social injustice by allowing us to distinguish reliable scientific information fiom unsubstantiated claims and pseudoscience.Scientific literacy improves decision-making when we select a doctor or medical treatments. It teaches us to ask why we should take the entire course of an antibiotic, and why ...

A Translational Bioengineering Course Provides Substantial Gains in Civic Scientific Literacy

“…18 A recent national survey of attitudes toward an understanding of science in the UK showed that for those with little scientific knowledge, medical research is judged as far more interesting and scientific than anything else, and these citizens tend to take medical research as a model for all science. 29 Science education reforms to address civic scientific literacy should focus on what the public wants to know, for example, using randomized clinical trials to illustrate the scientific method and the difference between controlled experiments and observations.…”

La comunicación científica para el desarrollo cultural y económico: el caso de las potencialidades astronómicas de la Región de Antofagasta en Chile

“…La alfabetización científica ha estado presente en la educación sobre problemáticas relevantes de la sociedad, apoyando la participación ciudadana en la toma de decisiones que le competen y fomentando el pensamiento crítico y creativo sobre el mundo natural (Maienschein, 1998). Un ejemplo claro de materias en que la sociedad debe tener injerencia es el uso de fertilizantes químicos y pesticidas para combatir insectos, plagas, malezas y hongos.…”

“…En Chile sucede algo similar, ya que temas de salud como la píldora del día después, el aborto terapéutico o las vacunas han significado conflictos entre científicos y agrupaciones que se oponen a las acciones ligadas a ellos, lo que ha impedido que se legisle rigurosamente en estos ámbitos.que afecte la vida debería ser un proceso del que forme parte una sociedad con conocimiento científico, que le permita decidir adecuadamente y distinguir entre afirmaciones fiables y sin fundamentos y aquellas con validez comprobable (Maienschein, 1998).…”

Scientific literacy and the social constructivist perspective

“…XVIII 1 organizaciju nastave i način procene naučenog. Postoji predlog da se razlikuju dva termina (Maienschein, 1998): pismenost u nauci (science literacy) i naučna pismenost (scinetific literacy), pri čemu bi se prvi odnosio na konkretna znanja iz nauke (pojmove, teorije, zakone), a drugi na naučni pogled na svet i na sticanje naučnog znanja, razvoj kritičkog mišljenja i usvajanje naučnih vrednosti i morala. Ovaj drugi pristup traži više vremena, orijentisan je na pitanja, a ne na odgovore i teško ili nemoguće ga je meriti klasičnim testovima znanja.…”