Science education against misinformation: an educational intervention in upper-secondary schools

This study investigates the efficacy of a targeted educational intervention to support upper secondary students’ critical thinking and scientific literacy to counteract misinformation. We used a mixed-methods approach with a pre-test, instructional sessions, and a post-test, engaging 235 students across diverse study programmes in seven upper-secondary Swedish schools. Findings indicate significant improvements in students’ ability to identify the importance of scientific consensus, credible sources, trust in scientific methodologies, and peer review. The intervention improved students’ source evaluation and understanding of scientific consensus, but gains in engaging with scientific uncertainty and epistemic trust were more modest. Our findings align with the call for science education to promote informed trust and the competent outsider emphasising the critical evaluation of sources and understanding of the scientific process to support students’ abilities to evaluate misinformation. We also identify a need for future research with updated materials and students from other levels of schooling. The study contributes to the growing body of literature on science education’s role in combating misinformation, highlighting the necessity for ongoing research into effective teaching and learning strategies in relation to the evolving digital information landscape.