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Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 19, Issue 2, Article 10 (Dec., 2018) |
Rapid development of science and technology, which calls for the 21st century skills, challenges various fields of life. Therefore, a good learning process needs to equip students with scientific literacy, which enhances their capabilities of science and technology in comprehensively solving the real-life problems (Inzanah, et al., 2014). Scientific literacy is very important for reflecting many national conditions. If the number of qualified people is increased, the national quality also enhances. In other words, the better people have scientific literacy levels, the better science and technology determine the societal issues or quality of a society (Fensham, 2008).
The results of the 2015 PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) indicated that 40 out of 70 countries gained lower scores in science achievement than international average ones (493) (OECD, 2016). The 2011 TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) revealed that the Indonesian students' scientific literacy levels was on the 40th of 42 countries. That is, Indonesia’s average score was 406, which was lower than the international avarege score (500) (IEA, 2012). This means that Indonesia has failed in the International Assessments even though many national efforts have been carried out so far (Suprapto, 2016). Phrased differently, the results of the PISA and TIMMS have pointed that the Indonesian students' abilities of science learning have still been very low. This discrepancy seems to have stemmed from instructional materials and the depth of science topic (Rahayuni, 2016).
Although the TIMMS and PISA require high-order thinking skills and scientific literacy, the Indonesian science education or science learning process has still included conventional learning processes. That is, teachers have grinnovative learning strategies and integrating scientific literacy in science classes. As a matter of fact, Sumarti et al. (2015), who studied with 10 Indonesian teachers at a Junior High School in Lampung, reported that most of the teachers lacked of innovative teaching ways to develop scientific literacy levels in the school. They also addressed why many Indonesian students were very good at memorizing science content/ knowledge and possessed very limited skills in transferring their knowledge to novel issues (Sumarti, et al., 2015). Indeed, it is not suprising that teachers tend to apply conventional learning process or teacher-centered instruction (Lau, 2013) rather than inquiry-based learning and conceptual understanding (Cheung, 2000). Because achieving scientific literacy emphasizes science content knowledge (Chiappetta & Koballa, 2006), teachers need to look for effective learning approaches in teaching science.
Teaching materials can be classified under four categories: printing materials (i.e., handouts, books, modules, student worksheets, brochures, leaflets, wallcharts, photos or pictures, and models), listening (audio) materials (e.g., cassettes, radio, phonograph recordings, and compact discs), audio visual teaching materials (i.e., video compact discs, and movies) and interactive multimedia teaching materials (e.g., computer Assisted Instruction (CAI), interactive multimedia compact disks, web-based materials) (Prastowo, 2015).
Prastowo (2015) explains that worksheet, as a learning activity, has at least four functions: (1) minimizing the role of an educator; (2) enabling students to understand the provided instructional material; (3) engaging students in rich practical duties; and (4) facilitating the instructional implementation. Nyamupangedengu and Lelliot (2012) reveals that the worksheet, which focuses on the topic, learning objectives, contains learning tasks/activities.Science, Technology and Society (STS) Approach
The goal of STS approach is to give students with the opportunity to compare science, technology and society with each other and to appreciate how science and technology contribute to the latest knowledge/information construction (Yager, 1996). The National Science Teachers Association (2003) reveals that teachers and educators are responsible for their educational outcomes. The STS approach has emerged as a major movement in science education since the 1970s and remained as a worldwide science education reform (Pedretti & Nazir, 2011). The STS generally refers to discuss the relationships and cycles among science, technology, society and the environment (Yager & Akcay, 2008). In contrast to the traditional curriculum emphasizing mastery knowledge, the STS approach has a major role in developing social responsibility for decision making procedure on socio-scientific issues or science and technology-related issues (Lau, 2013).
The STS approach has recently been used for technology-centered and problem-based instructional designs. Yet, conventional learning process or traditional science employs teaching, demonstration and direct experimentation. In contrast, the STS approach includes such various interactive learning activities as role playing, discussion, simulation, game, decision making, debate and problem solving (Lau, 2013). In view of Yager (1996), the STS approach has five domains: concept, process, application, creativity and attitude (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. Five domains of the STS approach
Scientific Literacy, which is the ultimate goal of science education (Lau, 2013), is defined by the PISA. Namely, each student should acquire four domains of scientific literacy: scientific knowledge (identifying and acquiring new knowledge, explaining scientific phenomena, and drawing evidence-based conclusions), understanding science as a form of human knowledge and investigation, awaring of how science and technology shape materials, intellectual, and cultural environments; and willingness to engage science-related issues and integrate science in daily-life issues.
Knowledge domain of scientific literacy reflects three indicators: the processes of knowledge, attitudes toward science and awareness of the science-technology-society cycle. This means that the PISA assessing scientific literacy focuses on three competencies of science: content, process, and context.
Science literacy defined by the PISA emphasizes the real-life issues (OECD, 2013). This current research raises environmental pollution, which plays an important role in increasing scientific literacy. Because environmental pollution has become a natural phenomenon that we faced, students with good scientific literacy skills may reduce any environmental pollution. Therefore, there is a need for measuring the effect of the STS approach-based worksheets on improving the Indonesian students' scientific literacy levels of ‘environmental pollution’ topic.
