TABLE 3.

Factor analysis of perceived scientific literacy items^a

Item	1	2	3
Research process and design skills
Understanding the research process	0.89
Understanding how scientists work on real problems	0.86
Observing and collecting data	0.68
Understanding how scientists think	0.58	0.41
Designing an experiment or theoretical test of the hypothesis	0.53
Making use of primary scientific research literature in your field (e.g., journal articles)	0.49
Formulating a research hypothesis based on a specific question	0.46
Scientific application
Explaining everyday life using scientific theories		0.85
Proposing solutions to everyday problems using science		0.76
Using what I have learned in classes to have a scientific discussion with others		0.67
Synthesis skills
Orally communicating the results of research projects			0.75
Statistically analyzing data			0.68
Commenting on presentations made by my classmates		0.42	0.60
Writing a research paper for publication			0.53
Eigenvalue	6.87	1.16	1.01
% Variance accounted for	49.04	8.28	7.24

aOnly factor loadings of above 0.40 are included in the table.