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The research discussed in this paper is exploratory and describes a two-part study designed to investigate one type of scientific literacy—the ability to read, understand and evaluate media reports on scientific themes.
Important policy-informing documents have called for a reform in science education suggesting that science curricula include popular media reports of science because it is media reports on the subject of science, not science textbooks, to which people will generally be exposed after completing formal schooling.
To enable lifelong learning of science, students need to be taught how to read such reports. Furthermore, because media reports on the subject of science are often incomplete (due to space limitations), and often written by a reporter who is biased or a non-expert, students must be taught to read such reports critically; knowledge gained from these reports can affect both personal decisions (e.g., whether to try a new medical treatment described in a magazine) and public decisions (e.g., whether to support the building of a local nuclear power plant).