August 16th, 2016 | RESEARCH
Science is a way of knowing about the world. At once a process, a product, and an institution, science enables people to both engage in the construction of new knowledge as well as use information to achieve desired ends. Access to science—whether using knowledge or creating it—necessitates some level of familiarity with the enterprise and practice of science: we refer to this as science literacy.
Science literacy is desirable not only for individuals, but also for the health and well- being of communities and society. More than just basic knowledge of science facts, contemporary definitions of science literacy have expanded to include understandings of scientific processes and practices, familiarity with how science and scientists work, a capacity to weigh and evaluate the products of science, and an ability to engage in civic decisions about the value of science. Although science literacy has traditionally been seen as the responsibility of individuals, individuals are nested within communities that are nested within societies—and, as a result, individual science literacy is limited or enhanced by the circumstances of that nesting.
Science Literacy studies the role of science literacy in public support of science. This report synthesizes the available research literature on science literacy, makes recommendations on the need to improve the understanding of science and scientific research in the United States, and considers the relationship between scientific literacy and support for and use of science and research.
Document
(no document provided)
Team Members
Catherine Snow, Editor, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and MedicineKenne Dibner, Editor, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Citation
Identifier Type: ISBN
Identifier: 978-0-309-44756-0
Identifier Type: DOI
Identifier: 10.17226/23595
Funders
Funding Source: NIH
Related URLs
Tags
Audience: Administration | Leadership | Policymakers | Evaluators | General Public | Learning Researchers | Scientists
Discipline: Literacy | Nature of science
Resource Type: Book | Reference Materials
Environment Type: Community Outreach Programs | Exhibitions | Informal | Formal Connections | Media and Technology | Professional Development | Conferences | Networks | Public Programs