From Academia to Action: Rethinking Science Literacy

By: Destiny Redner

Perhaps now more than ever, there is widespread concern about scientific misinformation, miscommunication, and mistrust. It is logical to expect that improving general science literacy will help educators, policymakers, and leaders address these concerns, yet it often remains unclear what science literacy means in a non-scientific context or how it impacts those not professionally associated with academic or scientific institutions ¹. The question we should be asking is not how can we convince people to become scientifically literate, but why should anyone want to develop science literacy skills at all. 

Many people don’t realize how broadly science literacy can be applied in daily life – even scientists themselves ^2,3. As a result, how we have historically measured science literacy has become one of the most persistent barriers to achieving it. Traditional definitions emphasized a rigorous understanding of scientific methodologies and the skills to organize, analyze, and interpret statistical data ⁴. From where I stand, this seems to suggest that someone who is scientifically literate must be a scientist themselves. This understanding of science literacy has reinforced that these skills are reserved for the classroom. However, with the rise of COVID-19 and scientific misinformation, these perspectives have shifted. Improving science literacy in digital spaces has been an ongoing battle, and this may also stem from how we’ve defined science literacy. To better understand how science literacy can be developed among the general public and how it’s applied beyond academic settings, it’s useful to think of science literacy as three interconnected phases: civic science literacy, digital media science literacy, and cognitive science literacy ¹. 

Civic science literacy forms the foundation and encompasses crucial yet understated applications of science literacy. Science is not as black and white as we often believe it to be; it is produced by people, for the people, and within specific social contexts. Public values, needs, and concerns all shape which research questions are prioritized, whose voices are amplified, and how findings are applied ¹. Civic science literacy can be thought of as the sociology of science ¹, or the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of science production. 

Let’s look at a recent example of where civic science literacy should have been utilized. In September 2025, Ontario’s Ministry of Education implemented a new kindergarten curriculum to address an increasing failure of Ontario students to meet provincial literacy standards ⁵. However, the curriculum wasn’t “new” at all, as the “Back to Basics”curriculum has actually pushed a return to teaching kindergarten students phonics, or associating sounds with letters ⁵. In other words, teaching students to read by simply sounding out words. The original shift away from this curriculum seemed to be based on scientific evidence, but reports explain that the curriculum overlooked the foundations of literacy skills largely due to policymakers lacking academic training in traditional science literacy ⁵. Civic science literacy emphasizes that all citizens, and not just those working in science, ought to have a basic understanding of how science is produced and how it is used ¹. In this example, civic science literacy skills could have looked like questioning if new research indicated necessary changes to the curriculum, recognizing that the foundational science had been removed, or even questioning what an expert looks like in that context and seeking diverse opinions. As citizens who are impacted by science everyday, it’s important to develop these skills and to start using them to ask questions of those we deem experts, understanding their answers, participating in social activities, and engaging in meaningful dialogues where we can learn more about science outside of academia ³. 

Now comes in digital media science literacy, which is the stage most often discussed today. Digital literacy refers to the ability to use online tools, while media literacy focuses on how we perceive online content ¹. Combined with science literacy, this means being able to find scientific information online, understanding how science is shared and spread across online platforms, and evaluating media messages. However, without a strong foundation in civic science literacy, many people can struggle with assessing credibility or context. By focusing our efforts on developing digital media science literacy over civic science literacy in response to COVID-19 misinformation, we’ve prioritized fact-checking over understanding how science works in our society, and how our society engages with science. Furthermore, when we fail to adequately develop digital media science literacy, we also fail to set ourselves up for success in developing cognitive science literacy. This final phase encompasses analyzing and controlling our own ways of processing scientific information, including our emotions, experiences, and biases ¹. 

Science literacy is not about turning everyone into a scientist, sociologist, or communications expert. It is about equipping people with tools to navigate the world we live in – a world constantly changing and being shaped by science. Science bleeds into our schools, our workplaces, our homes, and even our grocery stores. As we shift our understanding of science literacy we should also change how we seek to improve it. In this way, science literacy goes from being an abstract educational goal to a practical skill that gives everyone the confidence to ask questions, evaluate experts and evidence, and participate thoughtfully in society.

Reference List

1. Howell EL, Brossard D. (Mis)informed about what? What it means to be a science-literate citizen in a digital world. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2021 Apr 13;118(15):e1912436117. 

2. Meslin EM. If Science Literacy is the Answer: What’s the Question? [Internet]. The Council of Canadian Academies. 2018 [cited 2026 Jan 11]. Available from: https://cca-reports.ca/if-science-literacy-is-the-answer-whats-the-question/

3. Kennedy E. Increasing Science Literacy – and Trust and Value Fluency [Internet]. Canadian Science Policy Centre. 2020 [cited 2026 Jan 11]. Available from: https://sciencepolicy.ca/posts/increasing-science-literacy-and-trust-and-value-fluency/

4. Raza A, Min S, Marchetti S. An Immersive Dive into the Definition of Science Literacy [Internet]. Science for Everyone. [cited 2026 Jan 11]. Available from: https://www.scienceforeveryone.ca/report-1

5. Pencier F de. Ontario brings science into literacy education [Internet]. Canadian Affairs. 2024 [cited 2026 Jan 11]. Available from: https://www.canadianaffairs.news/2024/02/14/ontario-brings-science-into-literacy-education/