Scientific Literacy and Purposes for Teaching Science: A Case Study of Lebanese Private School Teachers

In the United States and around the world, calls for educational reform stress the need for
a scientifically literate population, prepared for the twenty-first century workforce. These
calls have translated into new curricula, which in isolation, are not enough? Teachers play
an essential role in the development of scientifically literate citizens. Their purposes for
teaching science act as filters for acceptable learning and teaching activities. This paper
examines the congruence of eight private school teachers’ purposes for teaching science,
and aspects of scientific literacy in the Middle Eastern country of Lebanon. Findings are
discussed in light of contextual factors that inform the operationalization of scientific
literacy in practice.