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RESEARCH PAPER
Assessment of scientific literacy levels among secondary school students in Lebanon: Exploring gender-based differences
1
School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, FINLAND
Online publication date: 2024-02-26
Publication date: 2024-03-01
EURASIA J. Math., Sci Tech. Ed 2024;20(3):em2407
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
In recent years, educational reforms have made scientific literacy a major priority because of its
increasing importance in today’s dynamic world. Program for international student assessment
2015 evaluated scientific literacy from 72 countries, and Lebanon ranked 65th. Scientific literacy
levels among Lebanese secondary school students and gender differences are unknown. This
study fills this research gap. A total of 130 students from Lebanon’s private secondary schools
were involved in this research. Scientific literacy levels were assessed using an instrument
developed by Gormally et al. (2012), who conceptualized nine science competencies contributing
to scientific literacy including understanding research designs, creating and interpreting graphs,
and solving quantitative problems. Welch’s ANOVA and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to
analyze the data. Lebanese secondary school students have very low scientific literacy levels, and
no significant difference was observed between genders. We present recommendations for
adding desired skills to the curriculum based on a review of the underlying factors.
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