DEVELOPMENT OF A POOL OF SCIENTIFIC LITERACY TEST-ITEMS BASED ON SELECTED AAAS LITERACY GOALS

We describe the development of a pool of paper-acid-pencil test-items of scientific literacy that are based on selected chapters of the 1989 American Association for the Advancement of Science overview report o n literacy goals in science, mathematics, and technology, entitled Sci ence for All Americans. Separate pools of test-items were developed fo r each of Miller's ''three constitutive dimensions'' of scientific lit eracy. Through carefully structured panel reviews using Fellows of the Royal Society of South Africa and university lecturers, we have devel oped 472 true-false test-items with high content and item validity, as well as wide applicability and use, that test 240 key ideas in, and a ttitudes toward, science. These items cover the earth, physical/chemic al, life and health sciences, as well as the nature of science and the impact of science and technology on society. We have taken an essenti ally complementary approach to Miller's research methodology, and beli eve that these test-items represent a refinement of previous attempts to measure the three dimensions of scientific literacy. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.