Scientific Literacy, Science Literacy, and Science Education

It is our contention that the limited presence of Vision II in the NRC Framework, and the subsequent (inevitable) decreased emphasis in the new standards for U.S. science education, is an example (one of several) that suggests a trend toward withdrawal of professional commitment to Vision II of scientifi c literacy at this time. Following this brief introduction, the chapter unfolds in the following way:• A restatement of the characteristics of Vision I and Vision II• Two curriculum arrangements that provide opportunities to learn (OTL) for Vision II• The significance of discourse: SSI (The Socio-Scientific Issues Project) sets an example• Reduction of Vision II in the new U.S. Framework for K-12 Science Education• Reduction of Vision II in the framework for Assessment of Science in PISA 2015• The many perspectives and broad scope of Vision II • Whither science education? Tentative explanations andimplicationsScience Literacy Is Not the Same as Scientifi c LiteracyAs the title of this chapter suggests, both scientifi c literacy and science literacy, as curriculum concepts, have close connections to school science education research andThis chapter updates and extends an earlier review and analysis of the scientifi c literacy concept as a feature of school science education literature and practice over the past half century (Roberts, 2007). Unlike the 2007 review, this one is not intended to be a comprehensive survey of what is happening globally in countries where scientifi c literacy is being advanced. Instead, the focus is on presenting a methodology for detecting indicators of change in the way scientifi c literacy is being embraced as a major goal for school science programs. To that end, we have selected examples of policy and policy-oriented documents from Australia, Canada, England, and the United States, as well as the upcoming (2015) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) science assessment.