Science literacy and scientific values: implications for formal education

Abstract

This paper focuses on the role of scientific literacy and values in formal education. Education for scientific literacy cannot be divorced from a consideration of ethics and values: the value positions of pupils and teachers in the classroom; the values embedded in the formal school science curriculum through the choice of curriculum content; the values and conduct of scientists. The paper exemplifies some classroom practice of addressing values of the conduct of science, drawing on research which has focused on how the curriculum and teachers construe the nature of science. An emphasis on values in science classrooms requires teachers and students to reflect on their own values and experiences and view the purposes of lessons to be as much about examining processes (e.g. decision-making; evaluation of evidence) as about content.