Scientific Literacy, Science Centres, and PISA 2006 Assessment

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Scientific Literacy, Science Centres, and PISA
2006 Assessment

• Kari Sormunen
• Senior lecturer, PhDDepartment of Applied
  EducationUniversity of Joensuu

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Content

• Background
• OECD/PISA Assessment
• Roles of Science Centres
• Pupils as epistemologists
• PISA and Interactive Science Centres
• Conclusions

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Background of the presentation

• Scientific Literacy my own research on pupils
  epistemological thinking related to science
  education epistemic views ? nature of science ?
  scientific literacy
• Science Centres ecsite conference hosted by
  Heureka
• PISA Assessment Finnish pupils success in 2000
  2003 What about 2006?

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OECD/PISA Assessment

• In 2006 scientific literacy is the major domain
  in PISA survey (including, e.g., affective
  components)
• PISA 2000 2/3 reading literacy
• PISA 2003 2/3 mathematical literacy
• PISA 2006 2/3 scientific literacy
• Large scale international comparative studies
  have been accepted as very relevant by policy
  makers, but the studies have not been discussed
  in the science education community (e.g.
  researchers)
• Towards OECD standards on reading, mathematics
  and science ?!

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Scientific literacy

• Scientific literacy is the capacity to use
  scientific knowledge, to identify questions, and
  to draw evidence-based conclusions in order to
  understand and help make decisions about the
  natural world and the changes made to it through
  human activity. (OECD 2003)  
• scientific literacy is a concept that escapes
  any attempt of a clear and universally accepted
  definition (Olsen 2004) 

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Three dimensions of scientific literacy

• processes the mental processes that are involved
  in addressing a question or issue (e.g.,
  identifying evidence or explaining conclusions)
• content the scientific knowledge and conceptual
  understanding that are required in using these
  processes
• context situations in which the processes and
  understanding are applied

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Scientific processes

• describing, explaining and predicting scientific
  phenomena
• understanding scientific investigation
• interpreting scientific evidence and conclusions

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Major contents in PISA

• structure and properties of matter
• atmospheric change
• chemical and physical changes
• energy transformations
• forces and movement

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• form and function (cell, skeleton...)
• human biology
• physiological change
• biodiversity
• genetic control
• ecosystems
• the Earth and its place in the universe
• geographical change
• ? maybe more items in 2006

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Areas of contexts

• Science in life and health
• health, disease and nutrition
• maintenance of and sustainable use of species
• interdependence of physical/biological systems

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• Science in Earth and environment
• pollution
• production and loss of soil
• weather and climate
• Science in technology
• biotechnology
• use of materials and waste disposal
• use of energy
• transportation
• ? maybe more areas in 2006

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Behind the Finnish success?

• curriculum vs. success to understand
  scientific process is emphasised in the Finnish
  curriculum in science education (?)
• open tasks vs. success the Finns are good in
  reading writing (?)

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Roles of Science Centres

• as knowledge resources
• as places for informal learning
• as places for interaction
• as contributors on cognitive, emotional and STS
  levels

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Sources for scientific information

• school books texts, pictures, tables, graphs,
• media TV, newspapers,
• Internet
• home parents, relatives
• everyday life...
• science centres, museums...
• ...

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Features of informal learning in science

• voluntary (or not)
• often unstructured, unsequenced
• non-assessed, non-certificated
• open-ended
• learner-led, learner-centred
• outside of formal settings
• many unintended outcomes (difficult to measure)
• social aspect central, e.g. social interactions
  between visitors

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Classification of informal sources of learning
INTENTIONAL SOURCES
e.g., learning whilst browsing a book / net
e.g., visiting a science centre
DELIBERATE ENCOUNTERS
ACCIDENTAL ENCOUNTERS
e.g., learning about AIDS from watching Bold
Beautiful
e.g., a purposeful visit to a childrens
playground
UNINTENTIONAL SOURCES
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Features of interactive science centres

• 3 Is Innovation, Interaction,
• Involvement
• exploring stations
• exhibitions
• guides / pilots / explainers
• interactive, hands-on learning
• play and enjoyment
• ? affections

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Contribution of interactive science centres (ISCs)

• ISCs contribute indirectly to higher-order
  knowledge and understanding
• Affective domain development of interest,
  enthusiasm, motivation, eagerness to learn,
  awareness and general openness and alertness
• ISCs relate science and technology to everyday
  life - STS

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Pupils as epistemologists

• Pupils are facing
• everyday knowledge
• school science
• scientific knowledge
• Pupils are living with epistemic authorities
• teachers, textbooks, media, scientists,...

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Even 7th-graders are able to epistemic
considerations

• Their own knowing and knowledge
• they are aware of different sources of knowledge
• but they are uncertain of their own knowing and
  knowledge
• Pupils saw that their teachers knowledge
• is academic in its nature
• is sure in many cases (NN wouldnt teach us
  things that are not true or sure...)
• ? teachers as treasurers of knowledge (?)

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• Pupils views about scientists knowing and
  knowledge
• based on research, experiments, modelling,...
• scientists are not absolutely sure
• (there are always some doubts)

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Pupils generalised views

• Pupils themselves ? laymen / novices
• Teachers ? (absolute) epistemic authorities
• Scientists ? elaborators
• ? Pupils are able to understand the nature of
  science on quite high level

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Epistemic demands in science education

• In science education, those who present
  scientific activities and knowledge often fail to
  adequately introduce the nature of science to
  pupils.
• Instead, it is implicitly presented and
  understood, which might be one reason for this
  failure. This problem needs to be explicated and
  conceptualised.

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• The concept epistemic demand is such an
  enterprise it means the difference concerning
  the understandings of scientific activities and
  knowledge between an instructor (or recourses,
  media,) and a learner.

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Epistemic demands in formal / informal science
education
Nature of science (process knowledge)
Resources, media
Curriculum
Instructional approach
Instructor
Learner
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PISA 2006 and ISCs

• There will be the affective component
• Should ISC-visits and their meaning be studied?
• By that there would be interesting data both for
  educators and ISCs
• Could ecsite be active on triggering some
  questions or statements (to contact PISA/OECD
  authorities)?
• Situation with ISCs and their neighbour schools
  vs. rural / distant schools?
• ? towards VIRTUAL ISCs?

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ISCs epistemic role

• ISCs offer non-formal environments cf. schools
  are formal with formal epistemic authorities
• ISCs are nearer to real science than schools
  which are purely academic science environments
• ISC guides might not be seen so absolute
  authorities than teachers (?)

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• Are ISCs (organisers of exhibitions and
  activities, and guides) aware of aspects of
  scientific literacy?
• Epistemic demands related to the nature of
  science and ISCs?

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Conclusions ISCs and PISA

• ISCs action share a lot with the aims of
  scientific literacy required by PISA assessment
  ? ISCs awareness of SL (?)
• Epistemic advantages of ISCs compared with school
  science (?)
• Epistemic demands related to ISCs (?)
• PISA 2006 includes also affective components ?
  ISCs meaning (?)