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.

 Englands 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

+
Society
Economy

Action as person

Environment

Sustainable Development Goal

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 : Focus :

Response or multiple question from one stem. Knowledge, value and students able to do science within reasonable and appropriate personal, social and global context.

Mainly multiple choice questions 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?
Schools
Approach to nurture science

PBL

Society

Ignorant! Access to sources & lack participant

Local Authority Elections

Governme nt

Brain drain Policy 60:40, PPSMI, KPM

Content Knowledge

Habits of Mind
Metacognition and Selfdirection

Global Context

Science as human endeavor

Societal Context

Character and Values

Personal Context

5 Dimension of scientific literacy for the 21st century

Dimensions

Descriptive
- Integrated, context-based scientific understanding of

Current Scientific Literacy

- Understanding of basic ideas and vocabulary.

Content Knowledge

core science content.

Habits of Mind

Critically examine
issues, finding and using resources, apply core ideas and argue based on

- Inquiry Skills

sufficient evidence
to solve complex personal, community and global problems

Character and Values

- Respect human life and

- Attitude and Motivation

compassion for
other human beings throughout globe.

Science as Human Endeavor Metacognition and SelfDirection

-Understanding of collaborative and

- Isolation nature of science.

interdisciplinary
nature of science and relationship between science and society.

-Explicit cognitive to reflect on certain condition, seek and use knowledge wisely. -Move by their own

Not

a focus for

scientific literacy

initiatives

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.