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Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS)

Purpose

Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS) measures undergraduates’ ability to evaluate scientific information and arguments through 28 multiple-choice questions on data interpretation, research design, and source credibility.

Population

Designed for undergraduate general education and introductory biology courses for science and non-science majors.

Typical Performance

Student outcomes typically show 5–10% pre/post gains, with higher gains in project-based courses (Gormally et al., 2012).

Example question

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Validity

The TOSLS was originally developed in 2012. The development is detailed in

Gormally, C., Brickman, P., & Lutz, M. (2012). Developing a test of scientific literacy skills (TOSLS): Measuring undergraduates’ evaluation of scientific information and arguments. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 11(4), 364-377. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.12-03-0026

Research

The research conducted with the TOSLS is extensive. We recommend reviewing the citations listed under validation to find articles of interest.

Shaffer, J. F., Ferguson, J., & Denaro, K. (2019). Use of the test of scientific literacy skills reveals that fundamental literacy is an important contributor to scientific literacy. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 18(3), ar31. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.18-12-0238

Example LASSO Report

Please follow this link to our example report for concept inventories.

Similar Instruments

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