Informed scientific thinking is a vital component of engaging all socioscientific issues (SSI) such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, socioscientific engagement may be influenced by sociocultural factors and mis/disinformation efforts to the widespread detriment of human and environmental well-being. The purpose of this…

Human history is replete with pandemics caused by virulent diseases that have produced overwhelming suffering and death. Our future will require swift, sensible, and near-universal vaccine response as viruses evolve and thrive. When viruses like COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 emerge and mutate, vaccine researchers must be nimble and responsive to quickly…

The aim of this study was to explore: 1) how religious education (RE) contributed to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Christian students in Nigeria; and 2) how RE could be used to counter vaccine hesitancy among students in Nigeria. Although progress has been made in examining different aspects of the coronavirus vaccine hesitancy in Nigeria,…

This study aimed to investigate how pre-service teachers' intentions to vaccinate against COVID-19 were related to their perceptions of the causes of COVID-19, which are conspiracy thoughts, perceptions of environmental and faith factors, trust in scientists, and risk perceptions toward COVID-19 vaccines. In this study, a cross-sectional survey…

Objective: To investigate influenza vaccination rates and perceptions underlying vaccine noncompliance. Participants: Participants included undergraduate students (N = 365) at a rural, medium-sized university in Texas. Methods: Students were anonymously surveyed in the spring of 2018 on demographics, insurance status, perceived barriers of…