Inventory of scientific literacy ability of junior high school students based on the evaluation of PISA framework competency criteria

Abstract

This study aims to interpret the inventory of students’ scientific literacy ability. It used systematic review method of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). Descriptive technique based on the percentage of students’ scientific literacy abilities was used to analyse the data. Based on the results of PISA in 2012 and 2015 students’ scientific literacy abilities were in very low level, that is, 41.53%. Specifically, based on the results of the competency aspects of 2012 PISA, the students’ abilities to identify scientific problems and to use scientific evidence were in moderate category, while the students’ abilities to explain the phenomena scientifically were in low category. On the other hand, based on the results of the competency aspects of 2015 and 2018 PISA, the students’ abilities to explain phenomena scientific, to evaluate and design scientifically, and to interpret data and scientific evidence obtained a percentage value of 34.24%, 34.70%, and 40.15% respectively, and all of them were in very low category. The implication of this study is that the students’ overall scientific literacy abilities are still very low. Accordingly, there must be effective measures to improve students’ scientific literacy through a set of learning innovations and strategies.