The 2015 Definition of Scientific Literacy Scientific Literacy is the ability to engage with science-related issues, and with the ideas of
science, as a reflective citizen.
A scientifically literate person, therefore, is willing to engage in reasoned discourse about science
and technology which requires the competencies to:
1. Explain phenomena scientifically:
Recognise, offer and evaluate explanations for a range of natural and technological
phenomena.
2. Evaluate and design scientific enquiry:
Describe and appraise scientific investigations and propose ways of addressing questions
scientifically.
3. Interpret data and evidence scientifically:
Analyse and evaluate data, claims and arguments in a variety of representations and draw
appropriate scientific conclusions.
Explanatory Notes 16. The following remarks are offered to clarify the meaning and use of this definition of scientific
literacy for the purposes of the PISA 2015 assessment.
a) The term “scientific literacy” rather than “science” underscores the importance that the PISA
science assessment places on the application of scientific knowledge in the context of life
situations.
b) For the purposes of the PISA assessment, it should be noted that these competencies will only
be tested using the knowledge that 15-year-old students can reasonably be expected to have of
the concepts and ideas of science (content knowledge), the procedures and strategies used in all
forms of scientific enquiry (procedural knowledge), and the manner in which ideas are justified and
warranted in science (epistemic knowledge).
c) Finally, throughout this document, the term ‘natural world’ is used to refer to phenomena
associated with any object or phenomenon occurring in the living or the material world.
