Abstract
This article describes a project focused on identifying science instructors’ conceptions of science literacy and using these conceptions to develop a brief science literacy student self-assessment (SCILIT). We present the rationale and process we used to elicit instructors’ conceptions of science literacy, crafted in a meaningful way with input by faculty and graduate student science experts. Next, we explain how we developed a novel student SCILIT self-assessment based on those expert conceptions. We describe our initial efforts using SCILIT in undergraduate general education science courses to explore students’ self-perceived science literacy. We discuss the use of SCILIT self-assessment to assess potential progression of students’ self-rated science literacy over the course of an academic term, and how this student self-assessment relates to instructor ratings of academic proficiency and science literacy. Finally, we reflect on the use of SCILIT self-assessment to guide instruction and assessment in general education science courses for non-science majors.
Highlights
There is an extensive literature about science literacy and consensus on the importance of building a scientifically literate populace, it is difficult to identify a single, adequate definition and an instrument to measure undergraduate student science literacy across disciplines (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2016)
To drive general education reform focused on improving student science literacy within one program at our university, we turned to our affiliated faculty experts to develop a locally agreed upon concept of science literacy that could be used as a guide for setting course learning goals and for student self-assessment, and for comparisons with faculty assessment of student learning
For part 1, to explore whether students gained in self-reported science literacy through the term, 162 students enrolled in three science courses in winter 2013 taught by graduate student and faculty teaching teams completed pre- and post-SCILIT self-assessments
Summary
There is an extensive literature about science literacy and consensus on the importance of building a scientifically literate populace, it is difficult to identify a single, adequate definition and an instrument to measure undergraduate student science literacy across disciplines (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2016). Given that affiliated faculty had a variety of discipline-specific ideas about elements contributing to science literacy, a key aim of our project was to establish an agreed upon conception of science literacy that could be used in program courses across disciplines to guide instruction and assess student learning. To attain our first goal, we elicited behavioral characteristics of science literacy from a group of 13 affiliated faculty and senior graduate students – our identified experts Members of this initial group represented biology, chemistry, geology, and physics departments and each had prior engagement with relevant science education literature through a weekly science education journal club and workshops Characteristics where quite varied – ranging from “understands science as presented in popular media (e.g., at level of New York Times)” to “confident in ability to challenge the ideas of an expert source.”
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