Critical STEM Literacy and the Covid-19 Pandemic

Bibliographic Data

ID15401466
AuthorsMartin Braund (0000-0002-1943-0698, Nelson Mandela University, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume21
Issue2
Pages339-356
Publication date2021-05-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCanadian Journal of Science Mathematics and Technology Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1492-6156 • E-ISSN: 1942-4051
PublisherSpringer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1007/s42330-021-00150-w
PMID38624713
OpenAlexW3161129532
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited29

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented amounts of information communicated to the public relating to STEM. The pandemic can be seen as a 'wicked problem' defined by high complexity, uncertainty and contested social values requiring a transdisciplinary approach formulating social policy. This article argues that a 'Critical STEM Literacy' is required to engage sufficiently with STEM knowledge and how science operates and informs personal health decisions. STEM literacy is necessary to critique government social policy decisions that set rules for behaviour to limit the spread of COVID-19. Ideas of scientific, mathematical and critical literacy are discussed before reviewing some current knowledge of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to aid interpretation of the examples provided. The article draws on experience of the pandemic in the United Kingdom (UK), particularly mathematical modelling used to calculate the reproductive rate (R) of COVID-19, communication of mortality and case data using graphs and the mitigation strategies of social distancing and mask wearing. In all these examples, there is an interaction of STEM with a political milieu that often misrepresents science as activity to generate one dependable truth, rather than through careful empirical validation of new knowledge. Critical STEM literacy thus requires appreciation of the social practices of science such as peer review and assessment of bias. Implications of the pandemic for STEM education in schools requiring critical thinking and in understanding disease epidemiology in a global context are discussed

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Literacy · Pandemic · Pedagogy · Political science · Science education · Scientific Literacy · Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 · Sociology · Digital Education and Society · Education and Critical Thinking Development · Innovative Teaching Methods · Medicine · Virology

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