As stated previously, this investigation proposes that for students to become scientifically literate, they need scientific knowledge to participate intelligently in science-based social issues, adapt to a rapidly changing world, function as
responsible and informed citizens and have societal usefulness (DeBoer, 2000; Dillon, 2009; Holbrook, 2010; Holbrook & Rannikmae, 2009; Norris & Phillips, 2003). Therefore, the science these students learn should be relevant to the socio-
scientific issues they are likely to face (or that are relevant to their lives at this present time).
As shown in Section 4.2.3, evidence of the social relevance of science can be seen in the discourse of science learning throughout the document. The opening
paragraphs and aims link the importance of learning science to our personal, social and economic lives, and this relationship between science and society can be concluded as being placed ‘above’ the learning of scientific content and knowledge in the curriculums aims. In addition, the Science as a Human Endeavour strand incorporates socio-scientific issues, and aims to ensure students develop as responsible and informed citizens. Furthermore, this proposed key element for developing scientific literacy links clearly with Key Element One: Scientific
knowledge in its multiple representations, and so if the Content Descriptions in the
Australian Curriculum: Science are evaluated against the societal context of the
students (as is recommended), to determine the specific content students may need to ensure they can intelligently participate in the society around them, then students can also develop as informed students who have societal usefulness.
Therefore, this investigation recommends that for this key element for developing scientific literacy to be embraced, teachers should place a high value on the Science as a Human Endeavour Content Description statements provided in the document. For this to occur, Science teachers may need to relinquish their traditional valuing of scientific content and knowledge (Goodrum, et al., 2000). Moreover, future versions of the Australian Curriculum: Science document could demonstrate a high valuing scientific literacy and the Science as a Human Endeavour strand by providing this strand with equal space value in the document (Fairclough, 2003) to that of the Science Understanding strand.
In the school environment, this valuing of the Science as a Human Endeavour strand could occur through the following three ways. Firstly, as curriculum planners and
the Content Descriptors against the current societal climate of their students (as recommended for the development of Key Element One), they can also align the appropriate Science as a Human Endeavour Content Descriptors at the same time. The Science as a Human Endeavour Content Descriptors can be embedded into the curriculum plan. This is demonstrated in the graphic representation proposed by this investigation showing how the three strand of science learning contribute equally to teaching for scientific literacy. In practice, an example of this, using the same Science Understanding Content Descriptor as detailed in Key Element One above, “Ecosystems consist of communities of interdependent organisms and abiotic
components of the environment; matter and energy flow through these systems
(Australian Curriculum, 2011, p. 58)”, teachers could incorporate the Science as a Human Endeavour descriptor “People can use scientific knowledge to evaluate
whether they should accept claims, explanations of predictions (Australian
Curriculum, 2011, p. 61).” These two descriptors can be investigated in the context of wide-scale environmental change and global warming. Such incorporation of the Science as a Human Endeavour strand into the initial stages of planning for
curriculum planners and teachers shows it receiving the same value as scientific content, and these actions could demonstrate to students the cultural and contextual relevance of the science they are learning (which also encourages the development of Key Element Three for developing scientific literacy).
Secondly, if the above example is used, teachers could also incorporate societal opinions and ideas into their teaching, by utilising media releases, news articles and other mass-media on the context of environmental change and global warming. These additional resources can be used to facilitate discussions about how the scientific content that is being taught relates to society around them, and what influence science knowledge and scientific developments are having on society. Incorporation of these non-traditional science text types can also encourage student exposure to multimodal texts (as desired by Key Element One), and
encourage the explicit teaching of comprehension and composition strategies in the Science classroom (a suggested strategy for this is described in section 4.4.4 below).
Finally, this combination of Science as a Human Endeavour and Science
Understanding Content Descriptors could be further valued by their incorporation into assessment items. Teachers have traditionally highly valued assessment to demonstrate what students have achieved (Goodrum, et al., 2000), and so a strategy that promotes the value of the Science as a Human Endeavour strand to both teachers and students could be to have items that include open-ended scenarios requiring students to relate their scientific content and knowledge to society. One way this could be achieved in the example cited above, is by providing students with an excerpt from a text (for example, news article or editorial piece) on global warming, and asking them to provide a scientific response that addresses the issue. If this type of scientific response to a socio-scientific issue is required on an assessment item, teachers would need to ensure their students have the content knowledge required to address scientifically the scenario (using enough scientific content to satisfy Key Element One), as well as guaranteeing their students understand how the science knowledge they have learnt relates to the particular socio-scientific issue, satisfying Key Element Two. Again, professional development strategies can be used to assist teachers with how to ensure their assessment items value Science as a Human Endeavour, promote scientific literacy as a learning outcome (Goodrum, et al., 2000).
Therefore, to assist in the progress of Key Element Two for developing scientific literacy, and cultivate students who are able to responsibly and intelligently
participate in the world around them, teachers should be encouraged to value and incorporate the Science as a Human Endeavour strand into their teaching practice.
guidance to plan the Science as a Human Endeavour Content Descriptors with the same importance as the Science Understanding Content Descriptors, and embed them into both their teaching and assessment practices.