PISA Science Framework

INTRODUCTION:
SCIENTIFIC
LITERACY &
WHY IT MATTERS

 description and rationale for the
framework that forms the basis of the
instrument to assess scientific literacy –
the major domain for PISA
Programme for International Student
Assessment

 Scientific literacy matters at both the
national and international level as
humanity faces major challenges in
providing sufficient water and food,
controlling diseases, generating
sufficient energy and adapting to
climate change

 Becoming scientifically literate
embodies the idea that the purposes of
science education should be both
broad and applied. Thus, within this
framework, the concept of scientific
literacy refers both to a knowledge of
science and science-based
technology.

 Scientific literacy also requires not just
knowledge of the concepts and
theories of science but also a
knowledge of the common procedures
and practices associated with scientific
enquiry and how these enable science
to advance.

 Undoubtedly, many of the challenges
of the 21st century will require
innovative solutions that have a basis
in scientific thinking and scientific
discovery.

 For all of these reasons, scientific
literacy is perceived to be a key
competency and defined in terms of
the ability to use knowledge and
information interactively – that is ‘an
understanding of how it [a knowledge
of science] changes the way one can
interact with the world and how it can
be used to accomplish broader goals’

SCIENTIFIC LITERACY:
TOWARDS A DEFINITION
 Current thinking about the desired
outcomes of science education is
rooted strongly in a belief that an
understanding of science is so
important that it should be a feature of
every young person’s education.

 To understand and engage in critical
discussion about issues that involve
science and technology requires three
domain-specific competencies. The
first is the ability to provide explanatory
accounts of natural phenomena,
technical artefacts and technologies
and their implications for society.

 Such an ability requires a knowledge
of the major explanatory ideas of
science and the questions that frame
the practice and goals of science.

 The second is the competency to use
a knowledge and understanding of
scientific enquiry to: identify questions
that can be answered by scientific
enquiry; identify whether appropriate
procedures have been used; and
propose ways in which such questions
might possibly be addressed

 The third is the competency to
interpret and evaluate data and
evidence scientifically and evaluate
whether the conclusions are
warranted. Thus, scientific literacy in
PISA is defined by the three
competencies to:
 • Explain phenomena scientifically;
 • Evaluate and design scientific
enquiry; and
 • Interpret data and evidence
scientifically.

 All of these competencies require
knowledge. Explaining scientific and
technological phenomena, for instance,
demands a knowledge of the content of
science – referred to hereinafter as
content knowledge. The second and
third competencies, however, require
more than a knowledge of what we
know. Rather, they depend on an
understanding of how scientific
knowledge is established and the

 People need all three forms of
scientific knowledge to perform the
three competencies of scientific
literacy. Therefore PISA will focus on
assessing the extent to which 15-year-
olds are capable of displaying these
competencies appropriately within in a
range of personal, local, national and
global contexts. This perspective differs
from that of many school science
programmes which are often dominated
by content knowledge.

 The competency-based perspective
also recognises that there is an
affective element to a student’s display
of these competencies – that is that
their attitudes or disposition towards
science will determine their level of
interest, sustain their engagement, and
may motivate them to take action

The Definition of Scientific
Literacy
 Scientific Literacy is the ability to
engage with science-related issues,
and with the ideas of science, as a
reflective citizen.

A scientifically literate person, therefore, is
willing to engage in reasoned discourse about
sciencand technology which requires the
competencies to:
1. Explain phenomena scientifically:
• Recognise, offer and evaluate explanations
for a range of natural and technologic
phenomena.
 2. Evaluate and design scientific enquiry:
 • Describe and appraise scientific
investigations and propose ways of
addressing question scientifically.

 3. Interpret data and evidence
scientifically:
 • Analyse and evaluate data, claims
and arguments in a variety of
representations and draw appropriate
scientific conclusions.

Explanatory Notes
 The following remarks are offered to
clarify the meaning and use of this
definition of scientific literacy for the
purposes of the PISA assessment.
 a) The term “scientific literacy” rather
than “science” underscores the
importance that the PISA science
assessment places on the application
of scientific knowledge in the context
of life situations.

 b) For the purposes of the PISA
assessment, it should be noted that
these competencies will only be tested
using the knowledge that 15-year-old
students can reasonably be expected
to have of the concepts and ideas of
science (content knowledge), the
procedures and strategies used in all
forms of scientific enquiry (procedural
knowledge), and the manner in which
ideas are justified and warranted in
science (epistemic knowledge).

 c) Finally, throughout this document,
the term ‘natural world’ is used to refer
to phenomena associated with any
object or phenomenon occurring in the
living or the material world.

PISA Science Framework

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