Teaching for scientific literacy: Bangladeshi teachers’ perspectives, practices and challenges

No universally accepted consensus exists for the conceptions of scientific literacy (DeBoer, 2000), and this may be due to the dependence of scientific literacy on context. Roberts (2007) attempts to track the different meanings attached to scientific literacy and categorize the various definitions into two main extremes, which he calls Vision I and Vision II. At the one extreme, Vision I starts with the products and processes of science for science teaching and learning. These products and processes are then exemplified by situations or contexts in which science may have a role. In this manner, contexts are used as add-ons to traditional academic content that is often abstract and is not connected to immediate applications. The other extreme, Vision II starts with situations or contexts, and then reaches into science to find the relevant content. In this manner, Vision II focuses on the context in which science is embedded rather than considering the science content in isolation. This Vision II aims “to enculturate students into their local, national, and global communities” (Aikenhead, 2008, p. 1). Table 1 illustrates the practices of these two Visions in relation with scientific literacy.

Table 1. Vision I and Vision II – in Practice

Vision I	Vision II
Curriculum is aimed to educate future scientific community (pre-professional training)	Curriculum is aimed to make most of the learners as scientifically literate at some level
Content is often abstract and is not connected to immediate applications	Content has obvious need to function effectively in society
Learning science occurs through direct transfer of science content to students from teachers or prescribed curriculum materials	Learning science occurs as a result of placing learners at the heart of instructional exchanges
Students find difficulty in relating science with their personal and social life	Students find the relevance of science with their personal and social life

As Table 1 shows, in Vision I, science curriculum is designed for the students who wish to take a science-related career; content mostly comes from pure academic sciences, and is often irrelevant to the students’ lives and abstract in nature; and learning is more teacher-centred. On the contrary, in Vision II, curriculum is designed to give access to basic scientific literacy for the majority of students; content is mostly applied in students’ life context and thus, functional in nature; and learning is student-centred. Providing students with everyday context for learning science, the Vision II helps students continue and sustain this learning along their entire life (Roth & Barton, 2004) and has a strong influence on the use of their science knowledge (Layton, Davey, & Jenkins, 1986).

In discussing the implications of these two visions, Aikenhead (2008) points out that a Vision I approach results in decreased enrolments in science along with little or no scientific literacy, while a Vision II approach can promote scientific literacy to a reasonable degree. However, Vision II is an extreme curricular orientation that could be challenged by the power politics (Roberts, 2007) in the case when a single curriculum is intended to satisfy the need for both a future science study group and scientific literacy for all. In such a context, a combination of Vision I and Vision II orientations (i.e., Vision I-II) could satisfy both of these major purposes of school science education. This Vision I-II orientation could provide a life-oriented and relevant science education to all students that would encourage more students to study further in science and engage in a science related career. Providing such life-oriented and relevant science education could help students become informed users and consumers of science knowledge.

Science content knowledge is important for both intrinsic and instrumental justifications as suggested by Millar (1996). Intrinsic justification refers to cultural aspects, that is, scientific knowledge can help people satisfy their curiosity about the natural world, which is also very important in learning (Howes, 2001). On the other hand, the instrumental justification refers to the utilitarian aspects, that is, scientific knowledge is necessary as a foundation for making informed practical decisions about everyday matters, participating in decision-making on science-related issues; and working in science and technology related jobs (Millar, 1996).

whilst both of these justifications suggest promoting science knowledge that has relevance to, and importance in students’ everyday decision-making as well as helping to satisfy their curiosity about the natural world around them (i.e., aims consistent with Vision II scientific literacy), a case may still be made for academic science knowledge (e.g., structure of atom). This academic science knowledge may not have immediate application in students’ everyday lives but may have importance in accommodating some students wishing to study further in science and to take a science related career. Thus it is argued that in a common curriculum for all students, for example, in Bangladesh (NCTB, 1995), the curriculum orientation could adopt a Vision I-II approach. In a Vision I-II curriculum orientation, it is not intended that the pure content disappears, but is argued that the curriculum needs to have more emphasis on science knowledge that has relevance to, and importance in students’ everyday lives (Aikenhead, 2008). Such an emphasis may help students to become informed users and consumers of science knowledge who would be able to:

ask, find, or determine answers to questions derived from curiosity about everyday experiences;
read with understanding articles about science in the popular press and to engage in social conversation about the validity of the conclusions;
to pose and evaluate arguments based on evidence and to apply conclusions from such arguments appropriately; and
make informed decisions about the environment and their own health and well being.

(Summarised from Goodrum, et al., 2001; National Research Council [NRC], 1996)

However, people’s choice of action is formed by the values they pose (Tan, 1997) and therefore, their decision-making is often guided by their values (Rennie, 2007). Values have therefore, been considered as an important facet of scientific literacy (Koballa, Kemp, & Evans, 1997; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2006) and are discussed below.