Getting Science
87% of online users have at one time used the internet to carry out research on a scientific topic or concept. That's a lot, but I'm not very surprised.
I am surprised that 40 million adults (that's 20%) use the internet as their primary source of news and information about science. Television is the top source with 41%. Magazines and newspapers are well behind at 14%.
I find myself reading a lot of the reports from the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Great source of information and inspiration.
This time it's the "Internet as a Resource for News and Information About Science". You can read/download the report and even look at the questionnaire they used. (You might conduct a survey with your students or have your students conduct a survey before you share the Pew results with them.) In case you don't read the report (42 pages), here are some interesting points.
- Those who seek out science news or information on the Internet are more likely than others to believe that scientific pursuits have a positive impact on society.
- 67% of those receiving questions about stem cell research said they would turn to the internet first for information on this topic; 11% said the library.
- 62% of those who get science information online use other online information to check the reliability of scientific information.
- 70% have used the Internet to look up the meaning of scientific terms.
- 68% have gone online to look up an answer to a question.
- 65% have used the Internet to learn more about a science story
- 52% have used the Internet to check the accuracy of a scientific fact
- 37% have used the Internet to compare different or opposing scientific theories.
They are talking about "average Americans" in this report. Not necessarily your students. But are your students so different?
I have questions.
- What is happening to the practice of getting science information from newspapers, magazines, journals and books?
- Are schools the only opportunity for Americans to get science information that's not from the internet or television?
- If #2 is true, what about the increase in schools of science information from the internet and television/video?
- Are schools teaching that those are the two most reliable sources of information?
- How would this differ for a student in 6th grade as compared to a high school senior or a college junior?
It's not all gloom & doom for traditional learning. For example, fully 79% of those who have gone to a website that specializes in science content have gone to a science museum in the past year. Only 59% of the general population have made such visits. The study isn't so much about judging these results, as it is about reporting them. We get the harder job(s).
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