Why Teach Science?: Scientific Literacy in Teacher Education from a Comparative Perspective

Your thesis explores how scientific literacy is shaped and understood in science teacher education for elementary schools in Sweden and Türkiye. What are the most important conclusions you have reached?

The most important conclusion is that scientific literacy is not a universal concept that means exactly the same thing everywhere. It is shaped by educational traditions, curricula, and broader social and political contexts. More specifically my research focuses on how scientific literacy is constituted in science teacher education.

I found both interesting contrasts and similarities between Sweden and Türkiye. For instance, speaking in terms of teacher education policy documents, in Türkiye, scientific literacy is more explicitly framed as disciplinary knowledge related to scientific facts and daily life encounters that future teachers need to master. In Sweden, it is more often embedded in an integrative approach, connecting science with democracy and participation in society.

However, there was also an important similarity: in both countries, pre-service teachers tended to emphasize having the correct scientific explanations or facts and being able to apply science in everyday life. Socio-scientific issues and broader scientific engagement in the society were much less prominent in their talks and plans for future teaching.

Results from both policy documents and pre-service teachers’ perspectives indicate a gap between what curricula say and what future teachers actually perceive as important in science. What is officially emphasized in teacher education does not always become what students perceive or want to learn.

Another conclusion I can draw is that I don't think we necessarily need to find one unified definition of scientific literacy. What seems more useful is to understand how it is shaped in a particular context, and what that means for teacher education and future teaching. So, we need to think not only about what future teachers learn, but also about how and why they learn and perceive it. It also suggests that science teacher education needs to find a better balance between strong subject knowledge and the broader purposes of science education.

What can Sweden and Türkiye learn from each other when it comes to teaching science to students?

I would be careful about saying that one country should simply learn from the other, because educational practices are strongly shaped by their context. But comparative research can still help us notice different possibilities.

For example, Türkiye might draw some ideas on connecting science with sustainability, democracy, everyday life, and socio-scientific issues in a more integrative way so that pre-service science teachers might have opportunities to practice teaching. At the same time, Sweden might reflect on the role of subject knowledge, particularly in the early stages of teacher education. In my study, some Swedish pre-service teachers expressed a need for more science content because they did not always feel confident in teaching science, which sometimes makes them avoid teaching certain subjects or topics.

So, rather than saying that one approach is better, I think there is something to learn from both depending on the context.

Why did you choose to attend PhD studies in Sweden and Uppsala University?

I chose Sweden and Uppsala University because I was looking for an environment where I could develop as an independent researcher and work within a strong tradition of educational research. My academic background is in chemistry education and research on teaching and learning. I wanted to combine my scientific knowledge and research skills.

I was also interested in experiencing a different educational system from the ones I had previously been educated and worked in. Living and working within different countries with different educational contexts allowed me to look at educational research from different angles.

What are you going to do after you have completed your dissertation?

After completing my dissertation, I would like to continue working in the intersection of education, science, and research. I am particularly interested in opportunities where I can use my experience in science education, teacher education, curriculum, and research in both academic and more applied settings.

At the same time, I am realistic about the transition from a PhD to the next career stage. The academic job market is quite limited, particularly for people who are trying to establish themselves in a new professional environment, and there are relatively few positions available in my particular area of expertise. For that reason, I am keeping my options open and looking beyond my immediate academic environment as well.

Erik Åstrand