It’s Time to Start Improving Science Literacy
“The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them.”
~ Sir William Bragg
Recently, there has been a significant amount of attention on media literacy and the need to increase media literacy for us and our children. While we are at it, we should also be paying attention to science literacy in the United States. Science literacy is having a basic knowledge of scientific principles needed for personal decision making and understanding civic and policy issues, such as climate change or the coronavirus.
There is a lot of room for growth in science literacy in this country. According to research conducted at Michigan State University, only 28 percent of adults in the United States are scientifically literate. While this is an improvement over the ten percent that were scientifically literate in the late 1980s, it is still quite low.
Why Science Literacy Matters
A direct relationship exists between low science literacy and anti-science viewpoints. Those with insufficient science literacy are more susceptible to believing false information about the transmission of COVID-19, climate change, and a host of other important issues. This can be seen in the response of many people to stay at home orders, mask mandates, and other steps to reduce the spread of the virus.
Whether you are reading something about climate change or another science related topic, it is helpful to be familiar with the basic language of science and comfortable with statistics and information presented in graphs and charts. Unfortunately, science literacy in the United States lags many other developed nations. A National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science assessment showed that only 22% of high school seniors taking the exam were proficient in science.
Even if not going on to a career in the sciences, there are many benefits to improving overall science literacy in our kids and ourselves. Basic science literacy helps provide context for a variety of problems in society and enables us to make informed decisions for our families.
How to Improve Science Literacy
There is an argument that scientific literacy rates are fine and people shouldn’t be expected to have extensive science knowledge. While this is definitely true, there are benefits to having a greater understanding and knowledge of scientific concepts. When you’re reading an article about the depletion of natural resources, energy production, or a medical topic, scientific literacy provides the context needed for understanding and interpreting the information.
Of course, most of us didn’t load up on science courses in college. It’s up to us to increase our own science literacy and pay attention to our kids’ knowledge of basic science. Although school is in the rear view mirror for most American adults, there are steps you can take to improve your own science literacy.
Easy ways to boost science literacy include:
· Reading science magazines and articles about scientific topics
· Visiting museums, nature centers, or animal sanctuaries
· Having conversations with family and friends about current science topics
· Finding science activities that are enjoyable, like nature walks, bird watching, or community based educational programs
· Watching science based documentaries
· If you want to learn even more, check out Khan Academy for free online science education
Learning is a lifelong pursuit, so it is never too late to learn more about science and become more comfortable with the language used in scientific articles and literature. Increasing overall science literacy can help counter disinformation and, hopefully, reduce the risk of developing beliefs grounded in false information.
