Making It Matter: Increasing Student-Perceived Value of Microbiology through Reflective and Critical News Story Analysis

Abstract

Even before coverage and updates on COVID-19 became a daily event in mainstream news, mass media was already full of science-focused current events stories. While relevant to our everyday lives, many popular press science articles overstate conclusions, misstate details or, at worst, purposefully spread disinformation.

Developing Science Literacy in Students and Society: Theory, Research, and Practice

“…Joyner and Parks present a multicourse approach using modern pedagogical methods to promote communication and data and information literacy in STEM students ( 6 ). Similarly, Rholl et al described how they let students engage with current events in interactive, multiweek activities that increase student motivation and agency ( 7 ). Sarvary and Ruesch describe how undergraduates can be taught through a multistep framework to become critical consumers of scientific evidence in a single laboratory session.…”

“…By creating students and communities that are more scientifically literate, we can set the table for increased opportunities for these groups to learn and understand science, to translate that knowledge into making positive changes in society, and to potentially join the STEM workforce. Several articles ( 3 , 4 , 7 , 16 ) consider new approaches for using scientific literacy as a vehicle for enhancing student appreciation for specific STEM fields. Other articles focus on ways that instructors can better assess the progress that students are making toward developing both stronger levels of overall scientific literacy and mastery of particular course material ( 8 , 13 ).…”