Science literacy

Child studying flowers with a magnifying glass

How is the USA doing?

As an American, I look back with pride on my country's scientific and technological achievements. I worry that the US may be falling behind other countries. It's fine for other countries to rise, and it's inevitable. But the US should strive for excellence. How is it doing now? A 2019 study by the Pew Research Center reports that the percentage of Americans correctly answering questions about science is in the 65% range. A 2022 Pew study reported that the US ranks 12th out of 37 OECD countries in science, and 28th out of 37 in math. It's not a disaster for the USA, but we can and should do better.

What is science literacy?

But what does it really mean to be scientifcally literate? The above surveys tempt us to equate science literacy with encyclopedic knowledge of science facts. This is the wrong approach for two reasons. First, this is not possible. The body of scientific knowledge has become so vast that even an experienced scientist can't claim to know more than a small fraction of it. Second, science literacy is less about rote learning and more about being on a lifelong quest for understanding. Here's my proposed list of the qualities of the scientifically literate person.

Engaged learners

1. Genuine curiosity about how the world works. A scientifically literate person asks questions and experiences the joy of learning. Inspiring such curiosity in students should be the supreme goal of every science teacher.

2. Understanding that science is a process of inquiry, not a static body of knowledge. New ideas challenge and supersede old ideas. Ideas are constantly tested by doing careful quantitative measurements, so that bad ideas are weeded out.
   

   

   Davidhanson471, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons Plot from a scientific paper comparing theory with experiment

   
   

3. Understanding the vital role of mathematics, which enables science to express ideas precisely, make predictions quantitatively, and check measurement data for trends or for errors. The plot above has a theoretical curve being compared to experimental data, a frequent use of math in science.

4. Appreciation of the accelerating science and technology progress over the past 300 years. One study shows graphs of the number of scientific publications growing from roughly 100 in the year 1700 to hundreds of millions by the early 2000's.

5. Awareness that this growth has created many kinds of highly specialized expertise. Take just my own profession, electrical engineering, as an example. My professional society, the IEEE, publishes more than 150 journals, transactions, and letters on a wide range of technologies.  The topics are so diverse that there are electrical engineers that don't understand each other's technical jargon!
   

   

   Pharmacist

6. Willingness to listen to experts. Experts exist for good reasons. Being scientifically literate means using them as learning resources. We don't become experts on a subject by watching a few YouTube videos!

7. Readiness to question our own "common sense." Science delves into realms far beyond the reach of direct human experience, from subatomic to cosmic scales. Quantum mechanics, for example, has enabled us to understand the atom and its many properties. But its ideas are wildly counterintuitive.
   

   

   The inventors of the transistor

8. Awareness that today's science experiment may lead to tomorrow's technology. And the experimenters don't know ahead of time whether this will happen or how fast. In the 1940s, some scientists at Bell Labs demonstrated the first transistor, which amplifies electrical signals. Little did they know that this would lead to integrated circuit chips with up to hundreds of billions of transistors, comprising the "brains" of our laptops, smartphones, and watches.
   

   

   Centaurus A looks different at wavelengths the eye does not see

9. Understanding that scientific measurement instruments can go far, far beyond the reach of human senses. Technology, which is the fruit of science, then beomes the tool of science. Electron microscopes enable us to make out individual atoms comprising a material. Telescopes reveal distant regions of the cosmos. As shown above, special cameras allow us "see" things at wavelengths invisible to the eye, such as x-rays, ultraviolet, infrared, and radio waves.

Science literacy is less about expertise and more about attitude. It requires a combination of curiosity, open-mindedness, and humility.

Why is science literacy important?

Becoming scientifically literate trains the mind in critical thinking. It develops the habit of evaluating evidence in order to form opinions and come to logical conclusions. This helps the individual make better decisions. It promotes the development of knowledge and skills, which in turn enables a person to contribute productively to the economy.

We live in a technology-intensive world economy. Science and technology create new jobs and industries, and not just in science and high tech. A nation whose workforce is scientifically illiterate will be at a disadvantage in the global labor market.

Science literacy also potentially benefits civic life and the healthy functioning of a democratic society. As citizens, we too often cherry pick the facts that support our opinions. We are influenced by misinformation and biased reporting. These ills could be addressed by developing the habit of basing opinions on evidence rather than the other way around, and having respectful discussions rather than partisan bickering. Science literacy is particularly relevant to citizen input on issues, such as climate change and vaccinations, where there is a substantial body of scientific knowledge.

Finally, we all should recognize the great value of science and good science education. Science literacy equips us to participate in the discussions about support for these things.