Science Literacy: Key Concepts and Findings

Definition and Importance of Science Literacy

Science is both a process and a product, essential for constructing new knowledge.
Science literacy: Familiarity with scientific processes and practices, understanding how science and scientists work, evaluating scientific products, and engaging in civic decisions about science.
Science literacy is crucial for individuals and society's health and well-being.

Purpose: Examine the role of science literacy in public support for science.
Questions Addressed:
- Metrics and changes over time in U.S. science literacy.
- Comparison to other nations.
- Impact on support and perception of science, and health literacy.
- Relationship between science literacy and behaviors related to health.

Aspects of Science Literacy:
- Content knowledge.
- Understanding of scientific practices and processes.
- Science as a social process.
- Foundational literacy, epistemic knowledge, judgment of scientific expertise.
Conclusion 1: Different aspects of science literacy are important in different contexts.
Conclusion 2: Historically focused on individual competence.
Conclusion 3: Foundational literacy is necessary for science literacy.
Conclusion 4: Health literacy involves individual and system properties.

Four rationales: personal, economic, democratic, and cultural.
Research perspectives:
- Aggregate Perspective: Empirical aggregation of individual data.
- Structural Perspective: Examines social structures like policies, institutions, norms.
Conclusion 5: U.S. adults perform comparably to other developed countries in science knowledge.
Conclusion 6: Populations worldwide have positive attitudes toward science.
Conclusion 7: Disparities in foundational and health literacy suggest similar disparities in science literacy.

Expression of collective science literacy through community capabilities.
Conclusion 8: Communities leverage collective knowledge and skills for well-being.
Conclusion 9: Communities contribute to scientific knowledge through collaboration.

Individual knowledge assessed through surveys on science and health literacy.
Conclusion 10: Science literacy studies focus on attitudes and support for science, health literacy on behaviors.
Conclusion 11: Increasing science literacy does not necessarily increase support for science.
Conclusion 12: General attitudes toward science do not predict attitudes toward specific issues.
Conclusion 13: Science and health literacy measures have weak correlations with behavior.

New conceptualization of science literacy at multiple social levels.
Recommendations:
- Expand understanding of social structures in science literacy.
- Investigate new lines of inquiry in science literacy research.
- Explore relationships between science literacy, attitudes, and decision-making roles.

The study emphasizes the complexity of science literacy and the need for research that considers broader social influences on science literacy.