Science
and Society
Prepared by
SABARISH-P
M.Sc., M.Ed., JRF & NET
Assistant Professor in Physical Science, Arafa Institute for Teacher Education
Attur, Thrissur.
Science as a social Endeavor
Science is a social endeavor like all other
human activity. Science as a social endeavor means the application of science to figuring out how the world works/exists/originated
etc. Another dimension of Science as
a social endeavor is to solve various problems, satisfy various needs and
sustainable development of society with the help of scientific knowledge.
The study
of science as a social
endeavor
has a prominent place in any curriculum that
has ‘science literacy’ as one of its aims. Development
of Scientific literacy is considered to be the major aim of studying science as
a social endeavor.
Scientific
literacy
Scientific literacy is
defined as "the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and processes
required for personal decision-making, participation in civic and cultural
affairs, and economic productivity”. (National Academy of Sciences).
Scientific
literacy is also defined as: "the capacity to use scientific
knowledge, to identify questions and to draw evidence-based conclusions in
order to understand and help make decisions about the natural world and the
changes made to it through human activity." (Programe for
International Student Assessment (PISA))
Daily
we read and hear stories about global warming, cloning, genetically modified
foods, space exploration, the collection and use of DNA evidence and new drugs
that will improve the quality of life and make us look years younger. As a
consumer, and as a citizen, we need to critically evaluate the claims made in the name of science and make
informed decisions and choices about these and other science based
issues. In short, we need to be scientifically literate and more
importantly we need to develop scientifically literate students.
A
scientifically literate student is able to apply their knowledge of scientific
concepts and processes to the evaluation of issues and problems that may arise and
to the decisions that they make in their daily life, about the natural world
and changes made to it through human activity.
Characteristics
of scientifically literate students
Students who are
scientifically literate:
·
Know and understand the scientific
concepts and processes required for participation in society
·
Ask, find, or determine answers to
questions derived from curiosity about their world
·
Describe, explain, and predict natural
phenomena
·
Read with understanding science articles
in the popular press and engage in social conversation about the validity of
the conclusions
·
Identify scientific issues underlying
national and local decisions
·
Express positions that are
scientifically and technologically informed
·
Evaluate the quality of scientific information
on the basis of its source and the methods used to generate it
·
Pose and evaluate arguments based on
evidence and apply conclusions from such arguments appropriately
