How Can We Build a Scientifically Literate Society?

What does it mean to be scientifically literate in today’s world? How can we ensure that young people are not only equipped with knowledge but also with the ethical understanding needed to navigate an increasingly complex, science-driven society? Dr. Cliona Murphy, Chair of the ALLEA Working Group on Science Education and principal author of the ALLEA statement on shaping a scientifically literate society, explored with us these critical questions. In this ALLEA Digital Salon exclusive, she stresses need to integrate the Nature of Science (NoS) and research ethics into early science education, and how such an approach can empower future generations to make informed, responsible decisions in a rapidly changing world.

Q: Why did you and the Working Group decide to write this statement advocating for the inclusion of the Nature of Science and Ethics in early science education?

Cliona Murphy: Now more than ever, with increasingly challenging issues like climate change, sustainability, the energy crisis, and the ongoing Covid pandemic (and the growing likelihood of novel epidemics), there’s a growing need for society to make sure citizens have a good understanding of science, its methodologies, and its application to their everyday lives. This understanding would help citizens make sense of a range of science-related issues and enable them to make informed choices. Throughout history, scientific progress has always faced ethical dilemmas and that remains the case today; if we think about morally complex phenomena like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and genome editing, it’s even more important that our young people develop the ability to identify and navigate these ethical challenges.

Science is included in virtually all primary and post-primary curricula. However, these curricula often do not include learning outcomes to support students’ understanding about issues related to what science is, or how scientists work, nor do they typically address ethical issues related to scientific inquiry. This kind of content is more typical of programmes at the tertiary level.

As the vast majority of students worldwide are not opting to study science at the undergraduate or postgraduate level, most young people do not learn about the ‘Nature of Science’ (NoS) nor do they learn about the importance of integrity and reliability in scientific research at school. We decided to write this statement to champion for strengthening the role of formal science education in improving societal understanding of the NoS and research ethics. We believe that including NoS and research ethics into early science education can lay the foundation for equipping our young citizens with the knowledge, skills, and ethical values necessary to become discerning, critical, accountable, and ethically aware members of society.

Q: Could you explain what the ‘Nature of Science’ is in simple terms, and why it is relevant to those outside of the STEM fields?

CM: The term “Nature of Science” (NoS) relates to science as a way of knowing or the values and beliefs that are essential to the development of scientific knowledge. NoS is really an understanding about what science is and how it works. For example, when students learn about NoS in school they learn about science as a process rather than solely a collection of facts. They learn about different characteristics of science. For example, they learn about uncertainty in science. That science knowledge is tentative and subject to change in light of new evidence or more refined theories. They learn about how scientific theories and models are constantly changing as our understanding of the natural world develops. They learn that although science is grounded in evidence, scientists also use their creativity when developing hypotheses, devising experiments, when interpreting evidence and developing theories. They learn how science is influenced by cultural, economic, and political factors. When students learn about NoS they also learn about the importance of integrity, honesty and transparency in scientists’ work.

This kind of knowledge about science, about the NoS is important for all citizens, not just those in STEM fields. For our youngest citizens an understanding of the NoS helps them make better links between school science and science in the real world.  It also helps them to understand that doubt, debate and uncertainty are all essential parts of developing science knowledge. This kind of knowledge could play an important role in increasing public understanding of the challenges that are inherent for scientists and policymakers when managing a crisis.

Also, nowadays social media has hugely altered how we share information, knowledge, and ideas. Previously we relied on newspapers as trusted sources of information.  Nowadays, virtually anyone can widely share views or ideas without providing evidence to back up their ideas. While this creates many opportunities for integrating science into society it also causes challenges as we have to be more critical and must question which information sources we should trust.

For our youngest citizens an understanding of the NoS helps them make better links between school science and science in the real world.  It also helps them to understand that doubt, debate and uncertainty are all essential parts of developing science knowledge. This kind of knowledge could play an important role in increasing public understanding of the challenges that are inherent for scientists and policymakers when managing a crisis.

Developing a deeper understanding of the NOS, including for example, who qualifies as an expert, why scientists sometimes disagree or what scientists’ motivations are can help us recognise reliable sources and understand how science can be manipulated, making society less vulnerable to misinformation.

Q: What would you say are the primary benefits of expanding primary and post-primary science education to include research ethics?

CM: In my view there are many advantages to including research ethics into primary and secondary science education. Firstly, as we discussed in the Working Group statement, giving young people the opportunity to reflect on values and ethics from an early age supports them  in developing their moral character and provides guidance for their behaviour as they grow up. It can empower them to make ethical decisions by giving them a way to assess the ethical aspects of different situations, helping them to act responsibly, with compassion, and ethically throughout their lives.

When young people are given the opportunity to study research ethics, they can also learn how to evaluate the ethical implications of scientific research and critically reflect on societal impacts of science and technology. In this way they are being given a chance to develop their critical thinking skills. Adding research ethics to science curricula also has the benefit of instilling values like integrity, honesty, transparency, and responsibility in students when they conduct scientific research. This has the potential to help students build and maintain trust in scientific research, which is important for society to accept and apply scientific findings. Learning about research ethics can also promotes global citizenship in that it encourages students to consider ethical issues across cultural and geographical boundaries.  I suppose taking all these factors into consideration I think that integrating research ethics into primary and post-primary science education ultimately can contribute to the development of well-rounded and ethically minded scientists and citizens.

Q: What would you say are the main challenges to reforming or expanding early science education curricula to include these concepts? How can teachers be better supported to expand science education curricula to include the NOS and research ethics?

CM: I would say the main challenges to expanding science education curricula to include NoS and research ethics would be things like, overloaded science curricula, assessment in science, teachers not having sufficient understanding of NoS and research ethics as they relate to science education and teachers’ lack of knowledge of teaching methods to support students’ learning in these areas.

In terms of addressing these challenges I think that learning outcomes related to NoS and research ethics need to be clearly defined in science curricula. However, rather than adding and expanding content to already substantive curricula this new content should be included by focussing on learning outcomes and content in existing science education curricula.

Teaching about NoS and research ethics will be new territory for many teachers and will require slightly different skillsets and methodologies than those teachers are currently using. Instead of carrying out experiments to get the ‘right answer’, teachers would have to support students in understanding that when they are discussing ethical issues they don’t always have to come up with a conclusion or ‘the right answer’. Instead, teachers will have to give students a chance to reflect on their values and provide evidence-based arguments to back up their viewpoints.

To support teachers in using these methodologies initial teacher education (ITE) and continuous professional learning (CPL) programmes will need to be developed and rolled out to ensure that teachers feel confident and competent in supporting students’ learning about NoS and research ethics.

Other initiatives like providing teachers with opportunities to take part in National and European conferences or networking events would also be useful in helping teachers keep UpToDate on developments in science and research ethics. These events would also give teachers the chance to collaborate with each other and share their experiences which also would be very useful for teachers professional learning.

Educational resources that provide teachers with examples of pedagogies and ideas for teaching about NoS and research ethics would also be required particularly when teachers initially start teaching about NoS and research ethics

Finally, if NoS and research ethics are to be effectively integrated and taught as part of science curricula, national and European National and European education policies that that firmly embed these pedagogies within education policy frameworks need to be developed.

Q: Beyond including the NOS and research ethics into primary and post-primary science education curricula, what are some reforms to science education that you would like to see in the immediate and long-term?

CM: That’s a big question, how long have you got?  Well, I suppose one thing is in relation to STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) education. STEM education is teaching and learning the STEM disciplines in an integrated way, an approach that is becoming increasingly more common throughout Europe. There is broad agreement that providing students opportunities to learn the STEM disciplines in an integrated way can enhance students’ disciplinary knowledge, develop their scientific inquiry and problem-solving skills and can develop more general competences including digital, communication, creativity and empathy. While there are many benefits to integrated STEM there are challenges that include for example, limited definitions of what STEM education is and a lack of research-informed pedagogies and frameworks to support teachers to effectively implement integrated STEM approaches or projects in their classrooms. There’s also the challenge that when poor quality STEM approaches are used, this can have a particularly negative impact on students’ learning in science and mathematics. I think therefore that if integrated STEM approaches are to be effective it is crucial that exemplars and frameworks of good STEM projects and approaches that highlight key disciplinary and STEM processes need to be developed. Educational materials to support teachers in teaching STEM also need to be developed. But arguably the most important thing that is required is that initial teacher education and continuing professional learning modules in STEM education are developed and made available for teachers.

On a final note, it’s often common that when new national or international policies and initiatives aimed at enhancing teaching and learning in science or STEM are rolled out teachers aren’t automatically in the loop. This could because of issues like poor communication, insufficient opportunities for professional learning or heavy workloads.  I think that structures and initiatives that would allow science educators, teachers, and researchers to get more involved in shaping European and National science education policies need to be set up.  So, for example structures that would support them having input into curriculum design, teaching methodologies and the development of ITE and CPL programmes.

About Cliona Murphy

Dr. Cliona Murphy is an Chair of the ALLEA Working Group on Science Education, and Associate Professor in Science Education at Dublin City University’s School of STEM Education, Innovation and Global Studies within the Institute of Education. She is deeply committed to teacher education, focusing on empowering both student and practising teachers to enhance their confidence, skills, and passion for teaching science. Cliona has a strong research background and has contributed significantly to the fields of Nature of Science, Inquiry-Based Science Education, Education for Sustainability, and Climate Change Education.