A Comparative Study between Greek Pre-service Teachers and Primary School Students’ Scientific Literacy Levels

Abstract

In recent decades, enhancing scientific literacy has been the ultimate goal of science education worldwide. This effort aims to develop the skills by individuals to cope with the challenges of the modern world, which requires scientific knowledge and thinking. This research study aimed to investigate and compare the scientific literacy level of Greek pre-service teachers and primary school students. The total number of participants was 787, of which 362 were pre-service teachers and 425 primary school students. Scientific literacy was assessed with the selected response measure of demonstrated scientific literacy (SLA-D). According to descriptive analyses and statistical hypothesis tests, pre-service teachers’ scientific literacy level was considered significantly higher than students, as was expected. However, the scientific literacy level of both pre-service teachers and students in the sample remained low. This work provides recommendations for actions that can help improve the scientific literacy level of both students and teachers so that schools become a source of scientifically literate future citizens.