Chemistry Research in the News: The Effect of Described Limitations on Public Understanding

• In Event: 72.066 - Poster Session 16
  In Poster Session: 72.066-9 - Surrounded by Science: Informal Learning in Museums, Media, and After-School and Everyday Contexts

Abstract

Despite numerous calls for improving scientific literacy, many American adults show a lack of understanding of experiments, scientific study, and scientific inquiry. News media is one important avenue for science learning, but are inconsistent in their presentation of scientific research limitations, potentially impacting reader understanding. In this study, members of the public (n=232) read a randomly assigned news article either presenting or omitting the study limitations. Participants reading articles presenting limitations were able to evaluate the reasonableness of claims based on the article better than those who read the article omitting limitations when accounting for their views of the nature of science (NoS). Presenting limitations was important in identifying unreasonable claims, while NoS views predicted ability to identify reasonable claims.

Authors

• Mike Hands, Michigan State University

• Gabriela C. Weaver, Purdue University