Abstract: As the main force in socialist construction, college students’ scientific literacy level plays a decisive role in the development of our country. Looking at the scientific literacy status of our country’s college students, there are still many problems. Based on the analysis of the current situation of scientific literacy of college students in my country and its influencing factors, the article puts forward targeted response strategies.
Keywords: college students; scientific literacy; problems; influencing factors; measures
CLC number: G642.41 Document code: A Article number: 1674-9324 (2012) 04-0023-02
The China Association for Science and Technology conducted the fifth Chinese public scientific literacy survey in 2003. The results showed that the proportion of the Chinese public with basic scientific literacy reached 1.98 in 2003, while the European** * The country as a whole was 5 in 1992, and the United States reached 12 in 1995. As the backbone of national construction and development, college students' scientific literacy levels play a decisive role in the development of our country.
1. The current status of scientific literacy of college students and its existing problems
Contemporary college students have a relatively broad interest in science and technology, have certain basic knowledge of science and technology, and have a positive affirmation of the development of science and technology. Attitude and good faith in becoming a powerful country through science and technology. However, they have less knowledge about high-tech science and technology and the history of scientific and technological development, poor scientific practice ability, insufficient understanding of the scientific spirit and mastery of scientific methods, and weak ability to analyze and judge pseudoscience and feudal superstitious activities. The specific situation can be analyzed from the following aspects.
(1) Superficial understanding of scientific and technological knowledge, lack of understanding and mastery of scientific methods
A survey shows that college students do not have a deep understanding of scientific and technological knowledge. College students have a relatively good understanding of some current social hot issues, but their understanding of high and new technologies is still at a relatively low level, and they have little understanding of the applications of high and new technologies and new scientific research fields. A survey on college students' understanding of scientific research methods showed that only 2% of college students said they "understood very well", 26% said they "understood somewhat", 65% said they "didn't know much", and 7% said they "understood very well". College students said they “don’t understand.” It can be seen that college students still lack the necessary mastery and understanding of the nature of scientific methods.
(2) Lack of scientific spirit and deviation in scientific value orientation
Some scholars have conducted a survey and found that 43% of students are blindly skeptical or blindly obedient. The opinions of experts and others rarely have their own opinions on things; in the spirit of exploring and seeking knowledge, "scientific utilitarianism" has the greatest impact on students, making students have a narrow vision and short-sightedness; in the empirical spirit, 62% of students lack The spirit of experimental evidence focuses on abstract thinking and lacks the spirit and value vision of scientific experiments. In the pursuit and concern of science, college students' value choices have deviated. A survey shows that only a relatively small number of college students are willing to devote themselves to scientific careers in the future (15.5%), and most college students are relatively indifferent to agricultural science and technology information, which is the basis of people's livelihood. College students have abnormally based their learning goals on individual narrow utilitarian needs, and the intolerant consciousness of eager for quick success has replaced the rigorous academic attitude and the simple purpose of seeking knowledge.
(3) Scientific skills have not been well cultivated and exercised.
Colleges and universities lack specialized scientific research activities for college students, and college students lack ways to cultivate and exercise scientific skills. Scientific research in colleges and universities seems to be the "patent" of teachers and graduate students. College students are rarely involved, and most colleges and universities lack specialized institutions to guide and arrange scientific research activities for college students. For ordinary college students, there is a lack of places, channels, and funds to carry out scientific research activities. This institutional deficiency makes universities lack a strong atmosphere of scientific literacy, making it difficult for students to develop certain scientific skills, and thus their scientific practical abilities are also poor.
2. Factors affecting the scientific literacy of college students
The factors affecting the scientific literacy of college students are multifaceted. From the perspective of internal and external factors, they can be summarized into the following aspects.
(1) Exam-oriented education inhibits scientific spirit
Formal education in schools is an important way to cultivate public scientific literacy. However, throughout our country’s education, whether it is basic education in primary and secondary schools or professional education in colleges and technical secondary schools, they have long been stuck in the exam-oriented education model, which simply instills knowledge, requires students to memorize by rote, and despises the cultivation of students’ all-round qualities. As a result, students lack innovative spirit. In fact, creativity and imagination are the core contents of scientific quality.
(2) Defects in carrying out scientific education in colleges and universities
The scientific literacy education carried out by colleges and universities only focuses more on instilling knowledge into students. Teachers and students have become activities centered around knowledge. tools and teaching methods are still stuck in traditional teaching methods. To a certain extent, science education in colleges and universities emphasizes the teaching of scientific knowledge and neglects the training of scientific methods; the teaching methods are unscientific and the content is not advanced; there is a lack of cultivation of scientific spirit; and students lack opportunities for practical activities.
(3) There are deviations in the ideological understanding of college students
Due to the influence of traditional exam-oriented education and the deviation of social employers' orientation towards talent standards, currently, most college students have misunderstandings about scientific literacy. . They believe that the quality of college students should mainly be reflected in their professional achievements during their studies. As for scientific literacy, it is only a relatively abstract soft condition, so there is no need to spend great efforts to strengthen it. These prejudices affect college students' subjective consciousness and initiative to improve their scientific literacy.
3. Measures to strengthen the cultivation of scientific literacy of college students
(1) Pay attention to the teaching of basic knowledge of science and technology
Through scientific education, enable college students to understand and master the basic knowledge scientific facts, scientific concepts, scientific methods, scientific principles and laws, and be able to use the knowledge learned to explain relevant phenomena in life and production, solve various practical problems encountered, and understand the application of science and technology in life and its impact role of social development.
(2) Expand and enrich scientific education teaching content
Based on professional teaching, broaden the vision and background of education and teaching, make necessary adjustments to classroom teaching, and expand and enrich teaching content , introduce to students the latest developments in this subject, and integrate the scientific and technological knowledge that students need most in their daily lives into teaching, so that students can adapt to the development of a learning society. In the process of cultivating talents, colleges and universities must combine science and engineering and infiltrate liberal arts and sciences by reforming the curriculum, reducing required courses, increasing elective courses, and strengthening basic courses.
(3) Strengthen scientific method education
Scientific method education for college students should be combined with professional learning to master the philosophical methods, general methods and specific methods in scientific methods. Through scientific method education, college students can comprehensively and systematically understand commonly used scientific methods and their role in scientific development, master specific scientific methods, and conduct necessary scientific thinking training (including strict logical thinking training and irrational thinking training). , non-logical creative thinking training) to cultivate students' ability to use methods to solve scientific problems and their ability to creatively solve problems.
(4) Strengthen scientific and technological practice activities
Scientific practice activities come in various forms. First of all, as far as classroom teaching is concerned, the number of demonstration experiments can be increased as much as possible, the laboratory should be opened to students as much as possible, and students should be guaranteed a place and time for experiments. Secondly, various scientific and technological practice activities should be held outside the classroom, which can be carried out in laboratories, factories or outside the school. Various scientific and technological interest activity groups should be established in conjunction with professional learning, a series of popular science lectures should be held, and scientific and technological production competitions should be held. Third, let students participate in teachers’ scientific research projects and conduct more comprehensive scientific practical training under the guidance of teachers. By participating in various scientific and technological practice activities, college students can better understand and master scientific knowledge and scientific methods, cultivate good scientific qualities, and establish correct scientific values.
(5) Create a good scientific education environment
First of all, create a campus cultural atmosphere that is lively, diligent, advocating science and academic freedom.
Excellent academic style and school spirit can provide college students with a good scientific education environment and are conducive to the development of college students' scientific literacy. By organizing a series of popular science lectures and humanities forums, establishing active science and technology associations, launching small science and technology publications, and organizing campus science and technology festivals, sports festivals, cultural festivals and other activities to activate the scientific and cultural atmosphere on campus. Secondly, create a good social science education environment and form a good environment in the whole society that advocates science, spreads scientific knowledge, promotes scientific spirit, and criticizes pseudoscience and feudal superstition. The participation of forces from all walks of life can form a multi-level, all-round and multi-channel three-dimensional scientific education system.