Science, misinformation, and the role of education

Osborne, Jonathan; Pimentel, Daniel R.

doi:10.1126/science.abq8093

Cited by 44 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…However, for most individuals in society, these are unfamiliar concepts, and it is essential that educators and scientific experts acknowledge this. As Osborne and Pimentel note in a recent publication, educating students about science is critical, but it is even more important to equip students with the knowledge to critically evaluate claims so they can become the “competent outsiders” who can make informed decisions about themselves, their families, and the public at large ( 18 ). This is especially important for a rapidly evolving field like immunology, in which scientific uncertainty can be profound, and science can take time to provide explanations.…”

Section: Challenge #1: Problems With Immune Literacy Parallel Those W...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These critical thinking skills are indispensable for the ability of individuals to navigate misinformation on social media and effectively refute claims that represent politicized immunological perspectives. Here, we propose that Osborne and Pimentel’s three-step heuristic to evaluate scientific information can be especially important for nonscientists and beginner learners of immunology ( 18 ). This three-step heuristic is explained below, with examples from immunology.…”

Section: Recommendation #1: Adopt An Inclusive Socio-scientific Appro...mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Immune Literacy: a Call to Action for a System-Level Change

Mixter

Kleinschmit

Lal

et al. 2023

J Microbiol Biol Educ.

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Section: Challenge #1: Problems With Immune Literacy Parallel Those W...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Recommendation #1: Adopt An Inclusive Socio-scientific Appro...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Immune Literacy: a Call to Action for a System-Level Change

Mixter

Kleinschmit

Lal

et al. 2023

J Microbiol Biol Educ.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…At the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic, many governments enacted stringent regulations implying limitations on freedom of movement, freedom of trade, freedom of association, and the right to education, often at the expense of the legislative branch. In addition to regulations, many governments and international organizations step up their capacity to provide information in the context of large misinformation (Osborne & Pimentel, 2022). Some countries further used (dis)‐incentives to increase the rate of vaccination (Campos‐Mercade et al, 2021).…”

Section: The Importance Of Governance Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding and governing global systemic crises in the 21st century: A complexity perspective

et al. 2023

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Contemporary globalization has fostered human development but growing interconnectivity between societies has increased systemic risks (Goldin & Mariathasan, 2014;Goldin & Vogel, 2010). Systemic risks are risks associated with large-scale failures or changes of a system (Helbing, 2013). Disruptions originating in one country can quickly spread beyond national borders and affect large parts of the human population. Addressing such threats is considered a global public good, i.e., goods with benefits that extend to all countries (Kaul et al., 1999). In the study of risks with large-scale impacts, research has often focused on wars, natural disasters, and existential risks (Ord, 2020). However, crises affecting human societies are also related to economic and social issues, or the cooccurrence of social and ecological phenomena (Folke et al., 2021). In the early 21st century, the world has experienced several systemic events with global repercussions, including jihadist terrorism and the war on terror (2001), the global financial and economic crisis ( 2008), the COVID-19 pandemic (2020), and the current broader impact of the Russian aggression against Ukraine on energy, food, and security (2022).These events have provided an empirical basis to study systemic crises. This article aims at providing a broader understanding of the nature, causes, mechanisms, and impact of global systemic crises and their implications for global policymaking and governance. Such understanding is essential for the provision of global public goods to prevent, react to, and recover from shocks. The article

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“…Some early research suggests we may not. Osborne and Pimentel (2022) offer arguments similar to Rudolph regarding the need for science education to address how the social practices of the scientific community underlie the reliability of scientific knowledge and to help learners develop as “competent outsiders” able to evaluate the credibility of science‐based claims. They highlight current efforts towards these ends that can be implemented within existing structures, offering medium and long‐term goals for enduring change.…”

Section: Noticings and Wonderingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of John Rudolph's Why We Teach Science (And Why We Should) By John L. Rudolph, UK: Oxford University Press.2023. 224 pages. (Hardcover). ISBN: 978‐0192867193

Sircar

2023

Science Education

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As the global COVID-19 pandemic and accelerating climate change effects illustrate, distrust in science carries dangerous, even lethal consequences. Moreover, these consequences are not evenly distributed, with marginalized groups within and across nations experiencing disproportionate harmsoften as a result of the actions and inactions of others. Distrust, denial, and confusion about settled scientific knowledge produces both increased suffering and widened disparities.Impacts from the growing crisis of trust in science have ignited the attention of scholars across the fields of science, public health, history of science, and science education. For example, historian of science Naomi Oreskes (Why Trust Science?), educational psychologists Gale Sinatra and Barbara Hofer (Science Denial: Why It Happens and What to Do About It), and most recently the National Academies of Science, Medicine, and Engineering (2023 Nobel Prize Summit: Trust, Truth, and Hope) have argued that the erosion of trust in scientific knowledge and institutions is a matter of urgent societal importance (Oreskes, 2019;Sinatra & Hofer, 2021). They offer multifaceted suggestions for how society might strengthen public understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge and bolster trust in scientific institutions. These scholars argue that the changing information landscape demands a coordinated approach from policymakers, journalists, science communicators, and other members of the public, adopting purposeful strategies to inoculate the public against misinformation and disinformation and to rebuild our collective trust in scientific knowledge. Science education, they argue, is positioned to play a key role in this effort.Reforms to education and additions to school curricula are frequently offered as panaceas for broader societal challenges. However, meaningful action requires a reflective evaluation of what is currently practiced and where change might be possibleand justified. We need to examine our current system of science education to explore what, why, and how current science education practices would need to change if countering science denial and misinformation were a central goal. How might science education be tailored towards repairing trust in science? How would a focus on building trust interact with other stated aims of science education? What is currently happening in science classrooms? Whatif anythingshould change?

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Science, misinformation, and the role of education

Abstract: “Competent outsiders” must be able to evaluate the credibility of science-based arguments

Cited by 44 publications

References 12 publications

Immune Literacy: a Call to Action for a System-Level Change

Immune Literacy: a Call to Action for a System-Level Change

Understanding and governing global systemic crises in the 21st century: A complexity perspective

A review of John Rudolph's Why We Teach Science (And Why We Should) By John L. Rudolph, UK: Oxford University Press.2023. 224 pages. (Hardcover). ISBN: 978‐0192867193

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