SCIENTIFIC LITERACY ACROSS EDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS: A META-SYNTHESIS

Abstract

Scientific literacy is a central aim of contemporary science education, but qualitative studies of how it is conceptualised and enacted across educational contexts have rarely been integrated through interpretive synthesis. This review addresses that gap by syn-thesising qualitative evidence. Searches in ERIC, Scopus, and Web of Science identified 1,916 records, of which twelve qualitative studies met SPIDER-based eligibility crite-ria. The included studies span nine countries across five continents and educational stages from primary through higher education. They were analysed through thematic synthesis. The analysis produced four themes. Each theme explains a condition that shapes scientific literacy: curricular and epistemological framing, pedagogical media-tion and resource conditions, teacher knowledge and professional capacity, and learner agency and civic opportunity. Across these themes, a recurring pattern emerged. Scientific literacy was often supported in one part of the education system but limited in another. The synthesis therefore treats scientific literacy as a system dependent ca-pacity. It is more than an individual learner attribute; it is also shaped by how educa-tional conditions are aligned. Evidence of critical transformative scientific agency (Vi-sion III) was rare within formal curricular structures and appeared most clearly outside them. The synthesis identifies the conditions that educational systems need to align for scientific literacy to develop.