Science education in an age of misinformation

Abstract

In this paper, we argue that the current science curricula are failing to educate students to be competent outsiders to science. Historically, science education has rested on two premises. The first is that it is possible for students to acquire sufficient scientific knowledge from K‐12 education to become intellectually independent. That is that science education can produce individuals capable of evaluating scientific evidence and arguments critically for themselves. This belief is what underlies many of the conceptions of scientific literacy and is the basis of the rationale that is used to sustain and justify what is offered in nearly all countries across the globe. The second is the belief that the science that students will encounter will have been filtered such that it can be trusted. Nothing today could be further from the truth. Today, misinformation abounds and much of it purports to be scientific. Very few conceptions of scientific literacy have considered how students can be prepared to evaluate the claims that abound on social media. Current conceptions of “scientific literacy,” we argue, are failing to articulate the competencies and knowledge required in today's changed context. In what follows, we lay out our arguments for why it is time to rethink the conception of scientific literacy by considering what it requires to be a competent outsider to science. Then drawing on our recent report, we lay out what might be done within science education to address the specific phenomenon of misinformation.

Are We on the Way to Successfully Educating Future Citizens?—A Spotlight on Critical Thinking Skills and Beliefs about the Nature of Science among Pre-Service Biology Teachers in Germany

“…Thus, for science education in general and biology education in particular, SSI raise important questions about the best way to enable learners to acquire knowledge in a reflective and self-directed way, to understand and explain their environment, and to elaborate rationally and critically on (current and future) SSI [ 4 ]. However, in view of a rapidly changing world, constantly expanding knowledge, and the limited time available for formal education, it is necessary to identify priorities to be set in any curriculum [ 5 ]. In this regard, the international discourse on science education has increasingly claimed that school and university education should no longer primarily focus on the acquisition of subject-matter knowledge but should place more emphasis on the teaching of rather generic skills (for an overview, see [ 6 ]).…”

“…Such a deeper understanding of scientific concepts is associated with improved knowledge transfer and generalization [ 7 , 12 , 13 ], which is important for constructive engagement with SSI. Moreover, considering the exponentially increasing body of scientific knowledge and, at the same time, the general availability of any kind of (mis-)information via the internet, it enables students to critically evaluate scientific information in order to make evidence-based decisions [ 5 ]. Such critical judgement addresses learners’ CT, which is defined as the ability “to carefully evaluate and judge statements, ideas and theories relative to alternative explanations” [ 14 ] (p. 23).…”

“…However, especially in the case of scientific subjects, there are also very practical reasons to make greater use of them as a framework for promoting CT skills. First, many of our current societal problems have a large scientific component, and second, because of the close relationship between (higher-order) CT and (more domain-specific) SR, scientific subjects can be seen as an optimal framework for fostering both skills simultaneously [ 5 , 8 , 15 , 41 , 42 , 43 ]. Accordingly, aspects of CT are nowadays mentioned in many science education standards (e.g., [ 21 , 22 , 44 ]), but also, for example, in the PISA Science framework of the 2024 survey [ 7 ].…”

“…For example, in the context of his “Whole Science” idea, Allchin argued that aspects such as public communication about scientific views, developments, and findings should be explicitly included as part of NOS [ 66 , 67 ], whereas other researchers have applied the Wittgensteinian concept of family resemblance to NOS to reach a more comprehensive classification of its aspects [ 68 , 69 , 70 ]. However, even within these conceptual controversies, there is no disagreement about the fact that a sound understanding of what science and scientific inquiry are and on which principles they rely enables individuals to better understand and interpret scientific findings and to distinguish scientific claims from evidence as well as information from misinformation [ 5 , 71 ].…”

Translating contemporary scientists’ knowledge and practice into classrooms: Scalable design supporting identity work

“…Further to this, the ready access to knowledge through the internet, including social media, challenges traditional conceptions of science education focused mainly on content and procedural knowledge and has led to increasing emphasis on wider conceptions of science literacy. Given the increased concern with the phenomenon of 'fake news' and the rise of misrepresentations of scientific findings driven by vested interests (Osborne et al, 2022) there is a burden on education, including science education, to educate students in the nature of scientific evidence and the rigor with which scientific research is carried out as a community enterprise.…”