Factors Associated With Undergraduate Students’ Engagement With Socioscientific Issues Mis/Disinformation (Poster 17)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Friday 8:00 a.m.
  In Poster Session: Science Teaching and Learning

Abstract

The rapidly growing presence of unchallenged and inaccurate beliefs amongst the public regarding SSI threatens civic engagement, poses serious environmental and public health risks, and disproportionately impacts across sociocultural groups (e.g., race, socioeconomic status). The purpose of this investigation was to examine how undergraduate students’ navigation of mis/disinformation associates with cognitive, emotive, and sociocultural factors. The findings from this study indicate that unless science instruction attends to sociocultural and emotive factors within different SSI contexts, many students will be unlikely to recognize and judiciously respond to mis/disinformation. Results from this investigation have important implications for future research and educational approaches to teaching SSI and mis/disinformation resistance.

Authors

• Sarah V Poor, University of Missouri

• Benjamin C. Herman, Texas A&M University