Students’ Strategies When Dealing with Science-Based Information in Social Media—A Group Discussion Study

Abstract

As the world becomes increasingly complex, students must learn how to critically evaluate media messages and facts. Young people often obtain information from social media. Due to the ease with which information can be spread through such media, science misinformation is more prevalent. Learning how to critically evaluate information is expected to develop students’ abilities to critically evaluate science and media content. Group discussions were conducted with 33 secondary school students in northern Germany to examine (1) their experiences with social media in the (science) classroom, (2) their strategies for dealing with science-based information in the media, and (3) their perception of the role of social media in the science classroom. Qualitative coding revealed that students frequently use social media for information purposes, both in school and privately, and perceive social media as relevant to science education. In social media, they are successful at applying general media literacy and IT strategies, but struggle with science-related strategies. This study suggests that more opportunities should be provided for students to critique science information, and a greater focus should be placed on educating students about evaluation skills and scientific reasoning.