George E. DeBoer

Scientific literacy : Another look at its historical and contemporary meanings and its relationship to science education reform

Scientific literacy is a term that has been used since the late 1950s to describe a desired familiarity with science on the part of the general public. A review of the history of science education shows that there have been at least nine separate and distinct goals of science education that are related to the larger goal of scientific literacy. It is argued in this paper that instead of defining scientific literacy in terms of specifically prescribed learning outcomes, scientific literacy should be conceptualized broadly enough for local school districts and individual classroom teachers to pursue the goals that are most suitable for their particular situations along with the content and methodologies that are most appropriate for them and their students. This would do more to enhance the publics understanding and appreciation of science than will current efforts that are too narrowly aimed at increasing scores on international tests of science knowledge. A broad and open-ended approach to scientific literacy would free teachers and students to develop a wide variety of innovative responses to the call for an increased understanding of science for all. fl 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 582 - 601, 2000

Student-Centered Teaching in a Standards-Based World: Finding a Sensible Balance.

This paper addresses a tension that existsin the present reform movement in scienceeducation. This is the tension between rigorand accountability through standards,benchmarks, and high stakes testing on theone hand and more progressive,student-centered approaches to teaching andlearning on the other.

The Direct and Indirect Contributions of a Series of Intellective and Non-Intellective Student Attributes to the Prediction of High School and College Achievement: a Path Analytic Model

A path analytic model is hypothesized and tested to explain the effect of a series of intellective and non-intellective student attributes on high school achievement and college achievement. Path coefficients were calculated to determine the extent to which these predictors directly affect college performance and the extent to which their effect is mediated by previous high school achievement. Patterns of predictability for male and female students are compared.