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Learning Theory and Concepts

Scientific Literacy

Foundational and Developmental Learning Concepts

Scientific literacy, or science literacy, encompasses written, numerical and digital literacy as they apply to understanding science, its methodology, its observations and its theories. It emphasizes competency across several dimensions at once: a grasp of the scientific method, measurement standards and empirical approaches, statistical concepts such as correlation, and the distinction between qualitative and quantitative data. It also draws on foundational knowledge spanning disciplines including physics, chemistry, biology, ecology, geology and computation.

Facts
Core Claim
the ability to engage with science-related issues, and with the ideas of science, as a reflective citizen 1
Origin Year
1958 1
Sources
1. Scientific literacy (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Definition section, OECD PISA 2015 Framework
    the ability to engage with science-related issues, and with the ideas of science, as a reflective citizen
  • History section, Paul Hurd 1958 paragraph
    The phrase science literacy was popularized by Paul Hurd in 1958, when he charged that the immediate problem in education was "one of closing the gap between the wealth of scientific achievement and the poverty of scientific literacy in America"
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