This report from the Board on Science Education considers how the definition of science literacy has expanded and shifted over time in order to accommodate changing ideas about science. Science knowledge is only one component of science literacy, which can also encompass understanding scientific practices, such as forming and testing hypotheses, and understanding science as a social process, such as the role of peer review. The report outlines that science literacy can be more than just an individual accomplishment and that communities and societies can meaningfully demonstrate science literacy in ways that go well beyond the aggregated science literacy of the people in them.
The report presents a research agenda with questions about creating new measures of science literacy and expanding the information available to clarify: (1) the relationship between science knowledge and attitudes toward science; (2) how science literacy is used and measured in different contexts; (3) the relationship of science literacy to other literacy skills; and (4) the role of science literacy for citizens as decision-makers.
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Press Release