Promoting Science Literacy in Adults Through Television. Final Report.

Gagne, Robert; Burkman, Ernest

This study was originally designed to investigate the effectiveness of using specially adapted, existing programs from the NOVA Television series for helping older citizens to understand the scientific issues that underlie public policy; in particular, to promote understanding of the interdependence of technology development and basic science knowledge and the dependence of critical social decisions on what may appear to be abstract science knowledge. However, in the context of doing the original study, considerable insight into the problems of conducting original research with older citizens was gained. Consequently, this report summarizes this experience as well as presenting results of the television study. Procedures (including selecting NOVA programs, defining scientific literacy objectives, developing revised NOVA scripts/programs, formative evaluation/revision, and conducting the study) are discussed in an introduction. Results are reported as three separate studies: (1) The Port Charlotte Study: Science Understanding from TV Programs by Mature Results (Ernest Burkman and Robert M. Gagne); (2) The Elder Hostel Study: Adult Reactions to TV Science Programs (Ernest Burkman and Robert M. Gagne); and (3) The Tallahassee Study: Adult Retention of Ideas from a TV Science Program (Robert M. Gagne, Ernest Burkman, and Brent A. Hewlett). (JN)