2025/07/10 by Martin, Caitlin, Branham, Sandy, Hejnar, Jenna +2
paper · doi:10.7940/m330.1.topoi.martin
The webtext presents a study on student attitudes toward public-facing science communication. Drawing upon a set of short 5-7 minute 'bite-sized' interviews with 21 students at a STEM-focused institution, the researchers reveal the students' thoughts about how to determine the accuracy of scientific media, the role it played in their educational journey, and their thoughts about the public's ability to assess information. They discovered that students are perhaps too trusting of scientific and governmental sources, while simultaneously being quite cynical about the public's ability to analyze the media. Students also consumed a variety of science communication before coming to the university, which seemed to play a significant role in their decision to pursue STEM degrees. The main contribution is the space the webtext grants to student voices, which is difficult to capture in qualitative research in other mediums. You get the opportunity to both see and listen to students talk at length about their experiences.