Stopping an Epidemic of Misinformation: Leveraging the K-12 Science Education System to Respond to Ebola

探索研究K-12 （DRK-12）项目支持通过pre -12学生、教师、管理人员和家长加强科学、技术、工程和数学的学习和教学的项目。该项目将通过为教师和行政人员开发资源，为有关埃博拉病毒和其他可能出现的传染病流行病的教学提供指导，从而为这一使命作出贡献。待开发的资源将包括管理人员和教师的指导方针，这些资源将以印刷形式和通过项目合作伙伴的门户网站分发，这些合作伙伴包括国家科学教师协会（NSTA）、国家科学教育领导协会（NSELA）和国家科学监督员委员会（CSSS）。与埃博拉的教学和学习有关的政策简报将为特定组织量身定制，包括疾病控制和预防中心、国立卫生研究院和国家教育协会。教师和管理人员的信息需求将通过对学区和州的教师和科学主管的大规模调查来确定。该项目开发的资源预计将在全国范围内产生广泛影响，帮助学校教师和行政人员建设性地应对往往伴随着埃博拉等传染病爆发而传播的错误信息。为了确定教师和管理人员的信息需求，该项目将开发和管理三项调查：教师调查、学区科学监督员调查和州科学监督员调查。这些调查将探讨有关埃博拉和传染病的知识，受访者从哪里获得信息，如何将这些信息纳入教学，以及哪些因素影响他们的反应。调查项目将通过专家评审和对应答者子集的后续认知访谈来验证。该项目打算调查3000名教师和NSELA和CSSS的所有成员。调查和相关访谈的结果将用于编写信息材料和政策简报，供教师和地区用于指导与埃博拉和相关流行病教学有关的教学实践和政策。科学教师处于独特的地位，可以抵制伴随快速出现的科学相关问题而来的错误信息的传播，该项目有可能为提供理性、建设性的回应提供急需的指导。

The Discovery Research K-12 (DRK-12) program supports projects that enhance learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics by preK-12 students, teachers, administrators, and parents. This project will contribute to that mission by developing resources for teachers and administrators that will provide instructional guidance for teaching about the Ebola virus and other epidemics of infectious diseases that may arise. The resources to be developed will include guidelines for administrators and teachers, and these resources will be distributed both in print form and through the Web portals of project partners, including the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA), and the Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS). Policy briefs related to teaching and learning about Ebola and will be tailored for specific organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Education Association. The informational needs of teachers and administrators will be determined through large-scale surveys of teachers and science supervisors of school districts and states. The resources developed by the project are expected to have broad impacts nationwide in helping schoolteachers and administrators respond constructively to the spread of misinformation that often accompanies outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as Ebola.To determine the informational needs of teachers and administrators, the project will develop and administer three surveys: a teacher survey, a survey for school district science supervisors, and a survey for state science supervisors. The surveys will probe knowledge about Ebola and infectious diseases, where respondents get their information, how such information is incorporated into instruction, and what factors affect their responses. Survey items will be validated through expert review and follow-up cognitive interviews with a subset of responders. The project intends to survey 3,000 teachers and all members of NSELA and CSSS. Findings from the surveys and related interviews will be used to develop informational materials and policy briefs that can be used by teachers and districts to guide instructional practices and policies related to teaching about Ebola and related epidemics. Science teachers are uniquely positioned to counteract the spread of misinformation that often accompanies quickly emerging, science-related issues, and this project has the potential to provide much-needed guidance in providing reasoned, constructive responses.