Scientific literacy: the role of specific knowledge in the Natural Sciences

Abstract:

This article examines the relationship between general and specific knowledge in science education by using the Brazilian National Secondary School Examination, or ENEM. We used natural language processing techniques as well as information from other studies to analyze 1,050 questions from six editions of the exam. The findings suggest that specific knowledge is more important in natural science testing. However, this does not imply that specific knowledge is always required for scientific literacy or that it suffices. To address the delicate balance between the importance and irrelevance of specific scientific knowledge, the article outlines some principles from existing literature. Furthermore, the study provides evidence of ENEM's content validity, particularly in terms of confirming the accuracy of the mathematics and language tests.

Keywords:
Science teaching; Knowledge evaluation; ENEM; Scientific literacy