Beyond assessment: Exploring science literacy among Indonesian elementary students through contextual educational analysis
Woro Sri Hastuti 1 * , Agnesi Sekarsari Putri 1 , Sandy Abdi Kusumah 1
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1 Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, INDONESIA* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Science literacy is a key competency in 21st century education; however, empirical evidence capturing its domain-specific distribution in Indonesian elementary education remains limited. Adopting a beyond assessment perspective, this study aims to (1) quantify students’ science literacy levels, (2) compare these levels across regions, and (3) analyze performance across core competency domains. A descriptive quantitative survey was conducted with 600 grade IV to grade VI students selected through stratified multistage random sampling. A program for international student assessment-based instrument was used to assess three domains: explaining scientific phenomena, designing and evaluating investigations, and interpreting scientific data and evidence. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance. The results indicate that students’ science literacy is at a moderate level, with no statistically significant differences across regions. However, domain-specific analysis reveals notable disparities: students perform relatively well in explaining scientific phenomena but demonstrate weaker competencies in designing investigations, interpreting data, and applying scientific concepts in real-life contexts. These findings suggest that science literacy challenges are systemic rather than region-specific, reflecting limitations in higher-order reasoning and inquiry-related skills. Moving beyond descriptive measurement, this study provides a domain-specific and context-sensitive profile of science literacy, offering evidence to inform instructional practices, assessment reform, and policy development.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 22, Issue 6, June 2026, Article No: em2849

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/18711

Publication date: 04 Jun 2026

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