The influence of conceptions of scientific literacy in developing citizenship

Abstract

The issues related to scientific literacy are focus of much attention from leaders of many countries and give rise to the organization of various initiatives. Several studies have identified worrying problems in scientific literacy. The planetary emergency call alerts us to serious risks and to global problems that humanity faces. At the same time, the data on school-age youth who are able to identify, explain and apply scientific knowledge on known and unknown situations, along with the lack of interest of these young people in the study of science and, therefore, in pursuing a career within the scientific area may jeopardize the quality of research and the ability to innovate. Furthermore, the characteristics of contemporary society demand a growing concern with scientific education in order to prepare critical active and responsible citizens. In this paper, we intend to discuss some of the results of a study on education in Geosciences, diagnosing the importance given by high school students (16-17 years old) to scientific literacy. We started with the question: "How does education in Geosciences can contribute to a broadening and deepening of scientific culture and of the responsibility of the citizen promoting sustainable development, in a Science / Technology / Society approach?". A mixed methodological approach was chosen, guided by socio-critical paradigm and applied a questionnaire to a 1604 high school students in the North and Centre of Portugal (the error margin was 3.21%, with a 99% confidence level). The principal-components analysis of the information collected highlighted three aspects: awareness of environmental issues; the perspective on environmental issues (environmental optimism); and the motivation for engagement with science. The results of the study performed show that students consider having a full knowledge concerning the environmental problems presented to them. The results also indicate that the awareness of environmental issues is influenced by the discipline of Biology and Geology and the highest academic qualification of their mothers. The expectations of the possibility of environmental problems being solved in the next twenty years are higher in females and in 10th grade students without the discipline of Biology and Geology. Regarding the motivation for the involvement with science, the results show that the interest in scientific areas and processes is higher in females, the students with the subjects of Biology and Geology and the children of parents with higher academic qualifications. It is also noticed that the importance attributed to sciences is higher in female students, in the students who attended more Biology and Geology classes and in the children of parents with higher academic qualifications. The Knowledge of students' conceptions about the importance of scientific literacy can, thus, support a school's performance and society to contribute favorably to the development and enhancement of citizenship.