SCIENTIFIC LITERACY: A LOOK AT ITS DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS

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Abstract
The study aimed to perform a critical and historical approach to the concept of scientific literacy, the definition of the words that compose the term, their translations and the existence of instruments developed to assess it, through a narrative literature review. It was observed that one of the reasons for the different conceptual perspectives is the meaning of the word literate, which, in the English language, can mean to hold knowledge and also to be able to read and write. Another reason is the translation of the word literacy, which can originate, in the Portuguese language, the words alfabetização, literacia or letramento, assuming different meanings according to their interpretation. Meanwhile, there are factors related to the theoretical approach adopted by the authors and to the field of language studies and language teaching. The concept of scientific literacy also reveals itself as one of the causes generating inaccuracies. The fact that there is a plurality of concepts means that scientific literacy is often confused and limited to the understanding of science. Finally, the assessment of scientific literacy is a source of debate among researchers in the area, since there are few instruments available in the literature, most of them assess isolated aspects and dimensions of scientific literacy, and a minority demonstrate the processes of validity in their elaboration. In summary, the study highlights the major controversies in the literature concerning scientific literacy, presents the main reasons for such controversies and demonstrates that, despite these aspects, scientific literacy is the subject of international research and is widely presented as the main objective of science education.
Funding Information
  • Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (UI/BD/151034/2021)

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