CAREER: Investigating and Supporting Undergraduate Biology Students' Abilities to Communicate about Culturally Controversial Science Topics

目前的研究表明，本科理科学生从事无效的沟通文化上有争议的科学话题。这种无效的沟通可能会加剧科学与社会之间的分歧。不幸的是，大多数学生没有得到适当的指导，就如何沟通这些主题在一个富有成效的方式，尽管科学传播的意义作为一个关键的技能，本科生获得。解决这个问题的挑战之一是缺乏全面的评价方法，教学框架和材料，以提高学生的沟通能力。该项目旨在为国家利益服务，并通过开发循证实践和教学材料来解决这一差距，这些实践和教学材料教授学习生物科学的本科生科学传播的原则以及如何在讨论文化上有争议的科学话题时应用它们。通过提高学生的沟通技能，该项目旨在提高他们作为未来科学家、科学教育者和医疗保健提供者的影响力，最终通过更有效的科学传播促进科学与社会之间的关系改善。该项目位于中田纳西州立大学，将创建推进本科生科学传播教育所需的材料，这些材料涉及文化争议科学主题（CCST）。本项目的具体目标是：（1）开发测量学生传播教育成果的调查工具;（2）建立一个基于证据的教学框架，并提供一套CCST传播教育的最佳实践;（3）建立一个基于证据的教学框架，并在此基础上建立一个基于证据的教学框架。（3）为科学教师设计以证据为基础的教学材料，以提高本科生的CCST沟通成果。为了实现这些目标，项目团队将建立，试点，并收集调查工具，可用于评估学生的信心，知识和能力CCST沟通的有效性证据。一旦工具已经开发和有效性证据收集的措施，研究人员将使用这些措施来评估目前的CCST通信教育成果的本科生谁是学习CCST在美国各地的50个生物类。为了建立一个以证据为基础的教学框架，研究人员将使用三角测量方法来确定教学CCST通信的最佳实践。研究人员将使用他们对当前教学实践的观察、对学生和教师的采访以及之前发表的科学传播教育文献中的数据来确定有效的CCST传播教育实践。使用新的框架，研究人员将设计课程，以提高学生的CCST沟通知识，信心和能力，然后使用新的调查工具来评估本科科学课的课程。此外，研究人员将为将从事与CSST研究收集的数据相关的项目的学生提供基于课程的研究体验（CRE）。该项目的成功将通过生产和出版的工具，框架和教训，显示导致更好的学生沟通成果进行评估。此外，专家咨询委员会将审查项目产品，并评估其在不同学生群体中的功效。该项目的成果将通过在同行评审的科学和科学教育期刊上发表的出版物以及在科学和科学教育会议上的介绍来传播。研究团队还将创建演讲和信息图表，描述将在媒体和社交媒体平台上发布的研究结果。该项目有可能通过专门解决学生对CCST的交流来推进科学传播教育领域，目前对此研究很少。最终，这个项目有可能通过培训更多的未来科学家来帮助缓解公众对CCST的两极分化，使他们能够更有效地进行沟通。教师早期职业发展（CAREER）计划是美国国家科学基金会（NSF）范围内的活动，支持有潜力在研究和教育中担任学术榜样的早期职业教师。该职业项目由NSF的改善本科生STEM教育（IUSE）计划支持。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Current research suggests that undergraduate science students are engaging in ineffective communication regarding culturally controversial science topics. This ineffective communication can exacerbate divides between science and society. Unfortunately, most students do not receive proper instruction on how to communicate these topics in a productive manner, despite the significance of science communication as a crucial skill for undergraduate students to acquire. One of the challenges in addressing this issue is the absence of comprehensive evaluation methods, instructional frameworks, and materials to enhance students' communication abilities. This project seeks to serve the national interest and address this gap by developing evidence-based practices and instructional materials that teach undergraduate students studying biological sciences the principles of science communication and how to apply them when discussing culturally controversial science topics. By improving students' communication skills, this project seeks to enhance their impact as future scientists, science educators, and healthcare providers, ultimately fostering improved relations between science and society through more effective science communication.This project housed at Middle Tennessee State University will create the materials needed to advance undergraduate science communication education about Culturally Controversial Science Topics (CCSTs). Using the frameworks of cultural competence and expectancy value theory as well as the guiding principles of science communication, the specific objectives of the project are to (1) develop survey instruments to measure student communication education outcomes, (2) establish an evidence-based instructional framework with a set of best practices for CCST communication education, and (3) design evidence-based instructional materials for science instructors to use to improve undergraduates' CCST communication outcomes. To accomplish the objectives, the project team will build, pilot, and gather validity evidence for survey instruments that can be used to assess student confidence, knowledge, and ability communicating about CCSTs. Once instruments have been developed and validity evidence gathered for the measures, researchers will use the measures to assess the current CCST communication education outcomes of undergraduate students who are learning about CCSTs in 50 biology classes across the United States. To build an evidence based instructional framework, researchers will use triangulation methodology to identify best practices for teaching CCST communication. Researchers will use data from their observations of current instructional practices, interviews with students and instructors, and prior published science communication education literature to identify effective CCST communication education practices. Using the new framework, researchers will then design lessons to enhance students' CCST communication knowledge, confidence, and abilities and then use the new survey instruments to evaluate the lessons in undergraduate science classes. Further, researchers will facilitate a Course-based Research Experience (CRE) for students who will work on projects related to the data gathered for the CSST research. The success of the project will be assessed by the production and publication of the instruments, framework, and lessons that are shown to lead to better student communication outcomes. Additionally, an expert advisory board will review the project products and evaluate the evidence for their efficacy across different student groups. The results of the project will be disseminated through publications in peer reviewed science and science education journals as well as presentations at science and science education conferences. The research team will also create talks and infographics that describe the results of the study to be posted on media and social media platforms. This project has the potential to advance the field of science communication education by specifically addressing student communication about CCSTs, for which there is currently very little research. Ultimately, this project has the potential to help mitigate public polarization about CCSTs by training more of our future scientists to communicate more productively. The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a National Science Foundation (NSF)-wide activity that supports early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education. This CAREER project is supported by NSF's Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) program.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.