Meaningful Math: News Media for Increasing Adult Statistical Literacy

作为加强非正式环境中学习的总体战略的一部分，推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）项目资助了用于各种环境的创新研究、方法和资源。熟悉统计和数据素养在现代生活的许多领域都很重要，但关于成年人如何在正规学校教育之外继续培养数学素养的研究很少。大众媒体的科学新闻报道包含了大量的数据，假设成年人能够理解其中的内容。这个为期四年的项目将首先绘制美国成人统计素养的图景，特别是与新闻消费相关的内容。第二阶段将通过纵向研究，以第一阶段的结果为基础。在第三阶段，该项目将开展一系列实验，对STEM新闻故事中嵌入的数学解释器进行操作，并对成年受众进行技术测试，目的是确定最能提高对潜在数学原理及其对新闻故事意义的信心和能力的属性和启示。除了研究之外，项目的组成部分还包括每年12个广播视频和社会媒体片段，它们将构成受众测试的基础，为专业科学记者举办为期一天的研讨会，以及总结关键发现和对从业者的影响的书面最佳实践指南。关键的研究问题是：数学能力和信心在不同的成年人群体中有何不同？STEM记者如何通过他们的报道技巧提高成人的数学能力和信心？研究的第一阶段将是对新闻中的数学内容进行综述，包括对成人统计素养的基线研究。第二阶段将是一项纵向研究，招募新闻观众参加小组研究。第三阶段将基于第一阶段和第二阶段的结果对数字内容进行迭代测试，并将使用焦点小组和在线测试。外部评价将由TERC进行，包括对专业记者研讨会的评价。这个项目的广泛影响是双重的：制作的科学视频将被播出，并免费提供给包括农村地区在内的全国观众；对科学记者的培训有可能产生多重的、长期的影响，因为它提高了他们向读者/观众传达统计数据的能力。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program funds innovative research, approaches and resources for use in a variety of settings.Familiarity with statistical and data literacy is important in many areas of modern life, but there is little research on how adults continue to build mathematical literacy beyond formal schooling. Mass media science news stories contain much data, assuming that adults will understand the content.This 4-year project will first map the landscape of adult statistical literacy in the US, particularly as it relates to news consumption. The second phase will build on results from the first phase through a longitudinal study. In the third phase, the project will develop a range of experiments to manipulate mathematical explainers embedded in STEM news stories and test techniques with adult audiences, with the goal of identifying the attributes and affordances that best improve confidence and competence in the underlying math principles and their meaning to news stories. in addition to the research, project components include 12 broadcast video and social media pieces each year that will form the basis for testing with audiences, a one-day symposium for professional science journalists, and a written best practice guide that summarizes key findings and implications for practitioners. Critical research questions are: How do mathematical competence and confidence differ among different segments of the adult population? How can STEM journalists improve adult mathematical competence and confidence through their reporting techniques? Phase 1 of the research will be a landscape review of mathematical content in the news including a baseline study of adult statistical literacy. Phase 2 will be a longitudinal study with news audiences recruited to participate in a panel study. Phase 3 will be iterative testing of the digital content based on the findings from Phases 1 and 2 and will use both focus groups and online testing. External evaluation will be conducted by TERC including an evaluation of the symposium for professional journalists.The broader impacts of this project are twofold: the science videos created will be broadcast and made available free to a national audience including those in rural areas; and the training of science journalists has the potential for multiple, long term impact by increasing their ability to communicate statistics meaningfully to their readers/viewers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.