Assessing Scientific Literacy Levels among Secondary School Science Students of District Lahore

The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess the scientific literacy levels among the government secondary school science students of district Lahore. Proportionate stratified random sampling and purposive sampling were used for selection of 16 government secondary schools comprised of seven boys’ and nine girls’ schools of district Lahore. The selected schools were taken by five percent of proportion of total population. By using Bybee Scale, the test was designed contained two to ten contextual situations and questions of four scientific literacy levels. Analysis of the study was based on percentage, mean, t-test, and ANOVA. The results revealed that secondary school science students attained the nominal and functional level of scientific literacy which was at the lowest levels. Findings also showed that girls performed better than boys in all levels of scientific literacy. There was no difference in the scores of students related to their mothers’ education and mothers’ skill level. There was a difference in the scores of students related to their fathers’ education, fathers’ skill level and students’ dedicated time for learning of science (hours per day, at school as well as at home). The curriculum developers should plan a course of scientific literacy or merge scientific literacy concepts and activities in science textbooks for secondary schools to increase scientific literacy. The time period for science subjects should be increased in government schools. All teachers from any subject should use such teaching methods especially for boys to make them critical thinkers.