Will cooperating with scientists increase high school students’ scientific literacy?

Aims
1. Engaging high school students.
2. Empowering student’s scientific literacy level.
3. Register progressions in scientific literacy.
The University Library of Southern Denmark (SDUB) and SDU Citizen Science Knowledge Center is partner in “A Healthier Southern Denmark” project. A high school panel is established in collaboration and co-creation with high schools in the region.

Methods
Students from 9 classes and 6 high-schools (ap. 300) participated 2022. An online guide was part of curriculum, and contained documents and videos on health subjects, designs for user-involved studies and participatory democracy. Students interviewed researchers and produced a conference poster. The evaluation on the student’s scientific literacy, was a mixed-methods study, containing an online multiple-choice test conducted twice, observations and interviews.

Results
A minor progression in scientific literacy level was found and presented in a report in august 2022. In seven out of ten of the questions the average score for all classes were 5,2/10 first time and 5,8/10 in the second. Questions on source criticism had a higher score, as questions with mathematics had a lower score. Observations and interviews showed some progression in students’ scientific literacy. Students were engaged in the project, particularly in interviewing scientists, mainly physicians. Students were well prepared and learned critically reading scientific information, and communicating scientific topics, thus became more literate.
Projects like this is a core task for SDUB, as it may increase high school students’ scientific literacy level.