Abstract:
Scientific literacy is the ability to explain phenomena and solve problems using scientific
knowledge. Despite being an important factor in the scientific and technological
advancement of society, students worldwide struggle to attain the skills necessary to
demonstrate competency in scientific literacy. This study examines the capacity for a
cognitive style-based learning strategy (CSBLS) to improve students’ environmental
knowledge and scientific literacy. 55 students from two Indonesian state junior high
schools (SMPN) participated in the research; 30 students from SMPN 6, Banjarmasin and
25 students from SMPN 21, Banjarmasin. The CSBLS was applied during six classroom
meetings over a three week period using a group pre-test and post-test on the topic of
environmental pollution. The study concluded that the CSBLS was able to improve
students' environmental knowledge and scientific literacy. In addition, the learning
strategy supported students different cognitive styles (Field Independent/FI and Field
Dependent/FD, although scaffolding was still needed for tasks that required more
complex thinking such as scientific literacy, particularly for FD. This research indicates
that a CSBLS has the potential to improve students’ environmental knowledge and
scientific literacy throughout the learning process.
Keywords: cognitive style, learning strategy, scientific literacy, environmental pollution,
field independent, field dependent
