Scientific literacy, PISA, and socioscientific discourse: Assessment for progressive aims of science education

2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 909-921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Troy D. Sadler ◽  
Dana L. Zeidler
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Aims Of Science

scholarly journals Tiedeopetuksen muuttuvat tavoitteet

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-38
Author(s):  
Tommi Kokkonen ◽  
Antti Laherto
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Content Knowledge ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Important Goal ◽  
Scientific Content ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
Core Curricula ◽  
Aims Of Science

Luonnontieteiden kouluopetuksen tavoitteita on jo pitkään laajennettu tieteellisen sisältötiedon ulkopuolelle. Perinteisen sisältötietopainotuksen sijaan on alettu korostaa luonnontieteellistä lukutaitoa (engl. scientific literacy), jonka tavoitteena on antaa oppilaille valmiuksia osallistua tieteeseen ja teknologiaan liittyvään keskusteluun ja päätöksentekoon henkilökohtaisissa, yhteiskunnallisissa ja globaaleissa kysymyksissä. Suomen tuoreen opetussuunnitelmauudistuksen painotukset ja ilmiöpohjaisuus ovat osa tätä maailmanlaajuista kehitystä. Tässä artikkelissa esitämme, että luonnontieteellisen lukutaidon opettamiseen ja ilmiöoppimiseen liittyy ratkaisemattomia jännitteitä. Vaikka nykyisissä tavoitteissa korostuu opetuksen relevanssi oppijan ja yhteiskunnan kannalta, sisältötieto määritellään edelleen pitkälti oppiainelähtöisen autenttisuuden näkökulmasta. Me argumentoimme, että opetusmenetelmien ja kontekstien lisäksi myös sisältötieto on uudelleenmääriteltävä muuttuneiden tavoitteiden mukaiseksi. The goals of science education expand beyond traditional scientific content knowledge. Scientific literacy has become an important goal, offering students knowledge and skills to engage in public discussion and decision making in personal, societal and global issues related to science and technology. The recent changes in Finnish Core Curricula towards phenomenon-based learning represent these global trends in science education. In this paper, we argue that there are unresolved tensions in the the pursuit for scientific literacy and phenomenon-based learning. While the current aims of science education emphasize relevance for the student and the society, content knowledge is still defined on the basis of disciplinary authenticity. We argue that in addition to the teaching methods and contexts also content knowledge needs to be redefined to reflect the changing goals of science education.

scholarly journals Integrating engineering in K-12 science education: spelling out the pedagogical, epistemological, and methodological arguments

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Senay Purzer ◽  
Jenny Patricia Quintana-Cifuentes
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
School Science ◽  
School Resources ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Teaching Models ◽  
Engineering Design Process ◽  
Stem Literacy ◽  
K 12

AbstractThis position paper is motivated by recent educational reform efforts that urge the integration of engineering in science education. We argue that it is plausible and beneficial to integrate engineering into formal K-12 science education. We illustrate how current literature, though often implicitly, discusses this integration from a pedagogical, epistemological, or methodological argumentative stance. From a pedagogical perspective, a historically dominant argument emphasizes how engineering helps make abstract science concepts more concrete. The epistemological argument is centered on how engineering is inherently interdisciplinary and hence its integrative role in support of scientific literacy and more broadly STEM literacy is natural. From a methodological perspective, arguments focus on the engineering design process, which is compatible with scientific inquiry and adaptable to answering different types of engineering questions. We call for the necessity of spelling out these arguments and call for common language as science and engineering educators form a research-base on the integration of science and engineering. We specifically provide and discuss specific terminology associated with four different models, each effectively used to integrate engineering into school science. We caution educators against a possible direction towards a convergence approach for a specific type of integrating engineering and science. Diversity in teaching models, more accurately represents the nature of engineering but also allows adaptations based on available school resources. Future synthesis can then examine student learning outcomes associated with different teaching models.

scholarly journals Bibliometric analysis of scientific literacy using VOS viewer: Analysis of science education

2021 ◽  
Vol 1796 (1) ◽  
pp. 012096
Author(s):  
Denti Nanda Effendi ◽  
Irwandani ◽  
Welly Anggraini ◽  
Agus Jatmiko ◽  
Henita Rahmayanti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Bibliometric Analysis ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Vos Viewer

Exploring Pre-service Science Teachers’ Perspectives on the Nature of Science: A Comparative Study Between China and Canada

2021 ◽  
pp. 209653112096678
Author(s):  
Guihua Zhang ◽  
Yuanrong Li ◽  
George Zhou ◽  
Sonia Wai-Ying Ho
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Science Education ◽  
Science Teacher ◽  
Nature Of Science ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Science Teacher Education ◽  
Teaching Behaviors ◽  
Preservice Science Teachers

Purpose: The Nature of Science (NOS) is an important component of scientific literacy. Science teachers’ Views of the Nature of Science (VNOS) directly affect their teaching behaviors. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore science teachers’ VNOS and find ways of improvement. This study was designed to comparatively investigate preservice science teachers’ VNOS between China and Canada. Design/Approach/Methods: The study employed a survey design to explore how Chinese and Canadian preservice science teachers understood the seven different aspects of NOS. Findings: Data showed that preservice science teachers in China and Canada both hold a modern view about science education. The level of Chinese and Canadian participants’ understanding of NOS was above the relatively naive level. Chinese teachers had better macro-understanding toward science education but their micro-mastery was insufficient. While the Canadian participants had a better understanding of the NOS than their Chinese counterparts. Originality/Value: Based on the research results and the experience of science education and teacher education in Canada, we suggested that there is a need to reconstruct the preservice science teacher education curriculum in China and promote the transformation in the science teacher educational system.

scholarly journals Teaching traditions in science education in Switzerland, Sweden and France: A comparative analysis of three curricula

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-70
Author(s):  
Laurence Marty ◽  
Patrice Venturini ◽  
Jonas Almqvist
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Science And Society ◽  
The Core ◽  
Moral Tradition ◽  
Science Curricula ◽  
Expected Outcomes ◽  
Academic Tradition

Classroom actions rely, among other things, on teaching habits and traditions. Previous research has clarified three different teaching traditions in science education: the academic tradition builds on the idea that simply the products and methods of science are worth teaching; the applied tradition focuses on students’ ability to use scientific knowledge and skills in their everyday life; and the moral tradition opens up a relationship between science and society, focusing on students’ decision making concerning socio scientific issues. The aim of this paper is to identify and discuss similarities and differences between the science curricula in Sweden, France and Western Switzerland in terms of teaching traditions. The study considers the following dimensions in the analysis: (1) the goals of science education as presented in the initial recommendations of the curricula; (2) the organization and division of the core contents; and (3) the learning outcomes expected from the students in terms of concepts, skills and/or scientific literacy requirements. Although the three traditions are taken into account within the various initial recommendations, the place they occupy in the content to be taught is different in each case. In the Swedish curriculum, our analyses show that the three traditions are embedded in the initial recommendations and in the expected outcomes. On the other hand, in the Western-Swiss and French curricula, the three traditions are embedded in the initial recommendations but only academic tradition can be found in the expected outcomes. Therefore, the Swedish curriculum seems to be more consistent regarding teaching traditions. This may have some consequences on teaching and learning practices, which will be discussed in the article. Moreover, our analyses enable us to put forward definitions of teaching tradition.

Science education: too much of too little.

1990 ◽  
Vol 258 (6) ◽  
pp. S3 ◽  
Author(s):  
R L Malvin
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
School Children ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Scientific Productivity ◽  
College And University ◽  
The Subject ◽  
University Scientists ◽  
Read Number

By all measures attempted, scientific literacy of the American public is sadly wanting. The vast majority of our secondary school children and adults have no knowledge of most of the basic terms or concepts of science. The reasons for this shortcoming are many but prominent among them are sadly deficient texts, teachers untrained in the subject matter they teach, and college and university scientists who divorce themselves from the problem, although probably deploring it. Our institutions are no aid. They reward scientific productivity (read: number of papers published per year and research dollars), not teaching. Some suggested cures are production of better texts, training of science teachers in the field in which they teach, and, most importantly, involvement of scientists in the process. We must be willing to spend some of our time with secondary school pupils and their teachers. All will gain from the experience.

The Role of Technology in Interdisciplinary Language Teaching

2021 ◽  
pp. 197-218
Author(s):  
Azlin Zaiti Zainal
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Science Literacy ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Interdisciplinary Learning ◽  
Interdisciplinary Teaching ◽  
Use Of Technology

In discourses of 21st century learning, there is an increasing emphasis on interdisciplinary learning. In this chapter, the author first looks at previous research on interdisciplinary teaching and learning. Next, the concept of scientific literacy and how this is related to language will be discussed. The intersections between the teaching of science literacy and language teaching and learning will also be explored. This is followed by research on the use of technology in science education and how technology can enhance science literacy.

Why Engaging in the Practices of Science Is Not Enough to Achieve Scientific Literacy

2016 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
pp. 370-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy R. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Next Generation Science Standards ◽  
Habits Of Mind ◽  
Science Standards ◽  
Effective Science ◽  
Culture Of Science ◽  
K 12

The National Research Council's Framework for K–12 Science Education and the resulting Next Generation Science Standards call for engaging students in the practices of science to develop scientific literacy. While these documents make the connections between scientific knowledge and practices explicit, very little attention is given to the shared values and commitments of the scientific community that underlie these practices and give them meaning. I argue that effective science education should engage students in the practices of science while also reflecting on the values, commitments, and habits of mind that have led to the practices of modern science and that give them meaning. The concept of methodological naturalism demonstrates the connection between the values and commitments of the culture of science and its practices and provides a useful lens for understanding the benefits and limitations of scientific knowledge.

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