Misinformation around scientific issues is rampant on social media platforms, raising concerns among educators and science communicators. A variety of approaches have been explored to confront this growing threat to science literacy. For example, refutations have been used both proactively as warning labels and in attempts to inoculate against…

Fake news can have enduring effects on memory and beliefs. An ongoing theoretical debate has investigated whether corrections (fact-checks) should include reminders of fake news. The familiarity backfire account proposes that reminders hinder correction (increasing interference), whereas integration-based accounts argue that reminders facilitate…

Misinformation has been extensively studied as both maliciously intended propaganda and accidentally experienced incorrect assumptions. We contend that "conceptual contamination" is the process by which the learning of incorrect information interferes, pollutes, or otherwise disrupts the learning of correct information. This is similar…

As educators, we often seek to engage students' prior knowledge to help them learn new and potentially difficult science content. However, sometimes our experiences with the world lead us to create misconceptions that run counter to the scientific consensus. Refutational texts have been shown to be more effective at changing individuals'…

Scientific misinformation and disinformation, proliferating via the internet and social media, are now significant problems. Proposed solutions vary substantially. Here, I describe a set of prospective benchmarks--10 competencies--that seem essential for reorienting science education to address the challenge. They include, first, elements of…

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…

This IRB-approved, based on Glesne's traditions, and grounded in Vygotsky's socio-cultural constructivism theory qualitative case study on the topic of perceptions of the COVID-19 by college students was conducted in the northern United States. The subjects in this research were two international students in an American college. The purpose of…