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Science knowledge is based on data derived from direct, or indirect observations of the natural physical world and often includes measuring something. An inference is a conclusion you draw from observations – the meaning you make from observations. Understanding the difference is an important step towards being scientifically literate.
This capability illustrates well the point that capabilities are more than skills. In order to evaluate the trustworthiness of data, students need to know quite a lot about the qualities of scientific tests. They need both methodological knowledge and statistical knowledge to know what sorts of questions to ask. Students should be encouraged to ask and answer questions such as:
Knowing something about interpreting data is important for the scientifically literate citizen . In addition to the questions above, scientifically literate citizens need to think about who benefits from any particular findings, and the level of the researchers’ impartiality. They also need to be clear about the limits of science. Not all questions can be answered by science.
What opportunities to develop this capability look like at different curriculum levels