ABSTRACT
A reasonable place to begin a discussion of the relationships between science and language arts is an exploration of scientific literacy. In this volume’s first chapter, Akerson and Young introduce scientific literacy and primarily rely on four accounts (Bybee, 1997; Lemke, 2004; NRC, 1996; Yore, 2004) to operationalize the construct. Bybee problematizes scientific literacy by describing the complex and multifarious nature of the term and adopts a very broad definition that subsumes multiple understandings of the “natural and defined world” (p. 86) with the intent of accommodating the widest range of students. While still broad, Yore’s account of scientific literacy focuses more specifically on cognitive activities associated with science as a way of knowing including “critical thinking, cognitive and metacognitive abilities, and habits of mind to construct understanding in the specific disciplines” (p. 83). Whereas Yore stresses cognitive processes, the National Science Education Standards (at least in the portion highlighted by Akerson and Young; NRC, 1996) emphasize cognitive products in the form of well-developed understandings of subject matter, inquiry, nature of science, and interactions between science and society. Finally, Lemke conceptualizes a form of scientific literacy that highlights literacy and the communicative and representational forms of the languages employed in science. Lemke construes literacy in science 30contexts to include not just written and verbal text but also mathematical expressions, graphs, and other diagrams.
