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People Who Have More Science Education Rely Less on Misinformation--Even if They Do Not Necessarily Follow the Health Recommendations

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Title: People Who Have More Science Education Rely Less on Misinformation--Even if They Do Not Necessarily Follow the Health Recommendations
Language: English
Authors: Yael Rozenblum (ORCID 0000-0002-1634-9413), Keren Dalyot (ORCID 0000-0003-3599-0342), Ayelet Baram-Tsabari (ORCID 0000-0002-8123-5519)
Source: Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 2025 62(3):825-868.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 44
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Science Education, Misconceptions, Beliefs, Decision Making, Information Literacy, Health Behavior, COVID-19, Pandemics, Attitudes, Intention, Motivation, Relevance (Education), Ability, Educational Attainment, Scientific and Technical Information
DOI: 10.1002/tea.21975
ISSN: 0022-4308
1098-2736
Abstract: Recent research has highlighted the role of science education in reducing beliefs in science-related misinformation and stressed its potential positive impact on decision-making and behavior. This study implemented the Elaboration Likelihood Model to explore how individuals' abilities and motivation interact with the type of processing of scientific information in the peripheral vs. central persuasion routes. A representative sample of adults (N = 500) completed an online questionnaire during the second wave of COVID-19 (November 2020) focused on two COVID-19-related dilemmas involving social distancing recommendations. First, we examined whether relying on misinformation was associated with participants' stances and the complexity of their arguments and found that relying on misinformation was associated with the intention to reject social distancing recommendations and with the use of simple arguments. Second, we explored how motivation, operationalized as personal relevance, and abilities, operationalized as the highest level of science education, science knowledge, and strategies to identify misinformation, were associated with viewpoints and justifications. We found that personal relevance was associated with the intention to reject the recommendations but also with more complex arguments, suggesting that people did not intend to reject scientific knowledge but rather tended to contextualize it. Abilities were not associated with stance but were positively correlated with argument complexity. Finally, we examined whether motivation and abilities are associated with relying on scientific misinformation when making science-related decisions. Respondents with higher levels of science education and motivation relied less on misinformation, even if they did not necessarily intend to follow the health recommendations. This implies that motivation directs people to greater usage of the central processing route, resulting in more deliberative use of information. Science education, it appears, impacts the information evaluation decision-making process more than its outcome.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1460626
Database: ERIC
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  Data: People Who Have More Science Education Rely Less on Misinformation--Even if They Do Not Necessarily Follow the Health Recommendations
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  Data: English
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yael+Rozenblum%22">Yael Rozenblum</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1634-9413">0000-0002-1634-9413</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Keren+Dalyot%22">Keren Dalyot</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3599-0342">0000-0003-3599-0342</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ayelet+Baram-Tsabari%22">Ayelet Baram-Tsabari</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8123-5519">0000-0002-8123-5519</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Journal+of+Research+in+Science+Teaching%22"><i>Journal of Research in Science Teaching</i></searchLink>. 2025 62(3):825-868.
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: 44
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Science+Education%22">Science Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Misconceptions%22">Misconceptions</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Beliefs%22">Beliefs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Decision+Making%22">Decision Making</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Information+Literacy%22">Information Literacy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Health+Behavior%22">Health Behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22COVID-19%22">COVID-19</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pandemics%22">Pandemics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attitudes%22">Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Intention%22">Intention</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Motivation%22">Motivation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Relevance+%28Education%29%22">Relevance (Education)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ability%22">Ability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Attainment%22">Educational Attainment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Scientific+and+Technical+Information%22">Scientific and Technical Information</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1002/tea.21975
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  Data: 0022-4308<br />1098-2736
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Recent research has highlighted the role of science education in reducing beliefs in science-related misinformation and stressed its potential positive impact on decision-making and behavior. This study implemented the Elaboration Likelihood Model to explore how individuals' abilities and motivation interact with the type of processing of scientific information in the peripheral vs. central persuasion routes. A representative sample of adults (N = 500) completed an online questionnaire during the second wave of COVID-19 (November 2020) focused on two COVID-19-related dilemmas involving social distancing recommendations. First, we examined whether relying on misinformation was associated with participants' stances and the complexity of their arguments and found that relying on misinformation was associated with the intention to reject social distancing recommendations and with the use of simple arguments. Second, we explored how motivation, operationalized as personal relevance, and abilities, operationalized as the highest level of science education, science knowledge, and strategies to identify misinformation, were associated with viewpoints and justifications. We found that personal relevance was associated with the intention to reject the recommendations but also with more complex arguments, suggesting that people did not intend to reject scientific knowledge but rather tended to contextualize it. Abilities were not associated with stance but were positively correlated with argument complexity. Finally, we examined whether motivation and abilities are associated with relying on scientific misinformation when making science-related decisions. Respondents with higher levels of science education and motivation relied less on misinformation, even if they did not necessarily intend to follow the health recommendations. This implies that motivation directs people to greater usage of the central processing route, resulting in more deliberative use of information. Science education, it appears, impacts the information evaluation decision-making process more than its outcome.
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  Data: 2025
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  Data: EJ1460626
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      – Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Science Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Misconceptions
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      – SubjectFull: Beliefs
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      – SubjectFull: Decision Making
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      – SubjectFull: Information Literacy
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      – SubjectFull: Attitudes
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      – SubjectFull: Scientific and Technical Information
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      – TitleFull: People Who Have More Science Education Rely Less on Misinformation--Even if They Do Not Necessarily Follow the Health Recommendations
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