Beyond assessment: Exploring science literacy among Indonesian elementary students through contextual educational analysis

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.