Investigating Responsive Pedagogical Approaches to Promote University Students’ Trust in Well-Established Science
Year: 2023
Type: dissertation
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: This exploratory mixed-methods study investigated the factors associated with post-secondary non-science major students' perceptions of the credibility of five well-established yet potentially controversial science ideas. Furthermore, this investigation determined the efficacy of responsive messaging and reconciliatory pedagogical (R&R) practices that were integrated into an introductory general science course to address the factors associated with lower perceptions of credibility. Data collected included students' perceptions of credibility throughout the semester, views on six aspects of the nature of science, and sociocultural identifiers, including political orientation and religiosity. \n\nFindings indicate that prior to the course, distinct factors, including theological beliefs and misconceptions about the nature of science (NOS), were strongly and negatively associated with perceptions of the credibility of all five scientific ideas. Conspiratorial ideation was the strongest factor associated with lower credibility perceptions concerning climate change and vaccines. In comparison, religious beliefs, including the accuracy of theological explanations, were the strongest factor associated with lower credibility perceptions of the Big Bang theory, the age of the Earth, and evolution. Students’ perceptions of the credibility of all five ideas are significantly associated with their understanding of scientific evidence and the consensus agreement of the scientific community. Following the course, the students demonstrated significantly improved NOS views and increased perceptions of the credibility of four of the five science ideas. Evidence from this study suggests that explicit NOS instruction prior to and integrated with content instruction supports student learning of controversial science topics. The findings reported in this study have implications for designing highly-effective instruction regarding potentially controversial topics in post-secondary settings.
Author: Janney, Benjamin Anthony
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7048081215