ABSTRACT

There is a crescendo of calls from schools, industry, and government for academic researchers to upgrade students’ scientific, mathematical, and technical literacies. Advances in these fields make tremendous demands on all citizens, who are daily confronted with discussions of genetic engineering to improve the quality and quantity of food, statistical reports on the risks and benefits of pharmaceuticals, probabilistic statements about the outcome of economic policies, and so on. Jobs that require technical and scientific skills remain unfilled, owing to lack of preparation of the workforce, while jobs that do not have such requirements disappear. For these reasons, identifying ways to improve scientific and technological literacy is a critical research issue.