The PARSEL project was initiated to disseminate teaching modules, based on a philosophical model, which was in line with a need to promote scientific literacy, in a manner considered to be both popular and relevant for students. The project was based on the belief that this approach would allow students to better realize that science was for all, would attract more students towards science as a subject worthy of learning, and would encourage students to give greater consideration to careers in science and technology areas. Modules developed by different partners, based on the PARSEL philosophy, were tried out in five Estonian schools, after providing the teachers with in-service guidance. In an effort to determine whether popularity could be conceived separately from relevance, a student questionnaire was developed, discussed with teachers, and tried out in schools. However, there was little evidence that students distinguished between interest and enjoyment (as surrogates of popularity), and importance and meaningfulness (as surrogates of relevance). It was thus unclear whether students based their responses on the novelty factor, on the greater attention to student involvement, or on whether students welcomed the effort to initiate the teaching of conceptual science from a societal issue. (Contains 4 tables.)