Using Different Types of Text to Change Beliefs About Environmental Science and Scientific Evidence

• In Event: 46.086 - Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: 46.086-6 - Issues in Environmental Education

Abstract

While scientific evidence exists to help solve many environmental issues, this scientific evidence is often either ignored or misunderstood. The purpose of this project was to investigate how and why scientific evidence is either ignored or misunderstood by examining how readers comprehend messages about scientific evidence with different types of text (informational, persuasive, and narrative). Additionally, this project investigated how beliefs about the nature of science, related activities, and interest in the topic may affect an individual’s ability to understand the scientific evidence presented. While analysis is ongoing as more data are collected, beliefs about science and topic-relevant activities were negatively related to the structure of participants’ articulations of the effects of GMOs.

Authors

• Daniel Dinsmore, University of North Florida

• Meghan Margaret Parkinson, University of North Florida

• Brian P. Zoellner, University of North Florida

• Anthony Rossi, University of North Florida

• Mary Jo Monk, University of North Florida

• Jenelle Vinachi, University of North Florida