From Scientific Misinformation to Epistemic Trust: The Social Practice of Science in the Classroom

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The circulation of scientific information in digital environments heightens the need for students to develop criteria for assessing its reliability. Although Science Media Literacy (SML) has been proposed as a way to address scientific misinformation, empirical studies are still needed to investigate how such criteria are mobilized and negotiated in everyday school contexts. Against this background, this study analyzes how 6th-grade students mobilize criteria to assess the reliability of science-related information and the extent to which these criteria align with those associated with the Social Practice of Science (SPS). The study was guided by Ethnography in Education. The analysis focused on Interactional Units in which students discussed the reliability of science-related posts published on the internet. The results show that students mobilized different criteria, some close to SPS—especially Expertise, Credentials, and Credibility—and others related to their everyday experiences and to the characteristics of the platforms through which information circulates.