Scientific Memes: Using the Language of Social Media to Improve Scientific Literacy and Communication in Lifespan Development

Autor/inn/en	Riser, Diana K.; Clarke, Stephanie D.; Stallworth, Allison N.
Titel	Scientific Memes: Using the Language of Social Media to Improve Scientific Literacy and Communication in Lifespan Development
Quelle	In: Psychology Learning and Teaching, 19 (2020) 3, S.275-289 (15 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Riser, Diana K.)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1475-7257
DOI	10.1177/1475725720929277
Schlagwörter	Social Media; Visual Aids; Teaching Methods; Scientific Literacy; Writing Assignments; Critical Thinking; Individual Development; Content Area Writing; College Students; Psychology + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Soziale Medien; Anschauungsmaterial; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Kritisches Denken; Individuelle Entwicklung; Schriftliche Übung; Collegestudent; Psychologie
Abstract	Social media is riddled with memes (i.e., captioned images intended to convey cultural ideas or beliefs) that often promote maladaptive and unsupported beliefs about human development and parenting. This paper presents a scientific writing assignment designed to help spread accurate information on human development beyond the classroom through creation and sharing of original material on social media. Students were tasked with identifying applicable themes of the course, transforming these themes into scientific memes with supporting research articles, posting these materials to social media, and reflecting on their experiences. This assignment helps students develop critical thinking and scientific literacy, as well as their ability to apply course concepts to everyday life and share those applications with others. Student outcomes from several sections of Lifespan Development--those with the scientific meme assignment versus those with a traditional writing assignment--were analyzed for differences in quantitative measures of student success (i.e., grades). Students' written reflections were also assessed for common themes. Findings suggest advantages of social media assignments with regard to students' sense of purpose, experience with scholarly discourse, and student growth, and may inspire creation of additional innovative assignments that promote student learning and application. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01