Connecting People with Science: A Proof-of-Concept Study to Evaluate Action-Based Storytelling for Science Communication

Abstract

Many of the major environmental problems facing society remain intractable because members of the public neither perceive the relevance to them nor how their individual actions might help the situation. Post-consumer textile waste is one such disregarded problem, whereby disposal of waste from the fashion industry, especially the discarding of functional but out-of-fashion garments, releases significant greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Here, we used action-based storytelling as proof-of-concept of an innovative way to promote agency for climate action by showcasing pro-environmental behaviour through social modelling within stories. We evaluated the effectiveness of action-based storytelling in evoking agency, self-efficacy, and intention to increase second-hand clothing consumption. This research sought to identify if the choices faced by the story’s hero impacted these variables. The research is innovative in its use of a mixed-methods research methodology and community-based social marketing approach. Two focus groups identified consumer barriers to, and motivations for, second-hand clothing consumption in order to inform the development of three action-based storytelling videos (each with a different hero character: (i) a scientist, (ii) an influencer and (iii) students). A quasi-experimental survey evaluated how action-based storytelling and the different story heroes impacted participants’ levels of agency, self-efficacy, and intention. Results showed that participants’ levels of agency, self-efficacy, and intention significantly increased after watching the videos. Furthermore, the influencer hero was found to have the greatest effect on these variables. This research concludes that action-based storytelling can be an effective communication approach which demonstrates promising results in evoking agency and self-efficacy and increasing the likelihood that consumers will adopt pro-environmental behaviours.

Science stories through a cultural lens: The effects of cultural framing of storytelling in the natural and social sciences

“…Evidence is accumulating that storytelling can be one of the most effective means for communicating sciences (Joubert et al, 2019), be they traditional natural sciences (Collins et al, 2023) or social sciences (Smith et al, 2023). Given that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a dramatic shift by many tertiary institutions to online teaching (Adedoyin & Soykan, 2020) using online videos (Lamsal, 2022;Praveena Daya et al, 2022), the type of storytelling used in such online videos for teaching sciences could potentially enhance students' engagement and the effectiveness of teaching (Davis & León, 2018;García-Avilés & de Lara, 2018;Sherer & Shea, 2011).…”

Sustainability Science Communication: Case Study of a True Cost Campaign in Germany

“…As Fischhoff and Scheufele [27] highlighted, realizing the potential of science requires effective two-way communication with the public, ensuring that information is relevant, credible, and comprehensible. This importance of science communication is particularly pronounced in the interdisciplinary field of sustainability science [28], where interactions between diverse stakeholder groups necessitate clear communication strategies [29].…”