ERIC Number: EJ1427322
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Jun
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0141-1926
EISSN: EISSN-1469-3518
Available Date: N/A
Combatting Conspiracies in the Classroom: Teacher Strategies and Perceived Outcomes
British Educational Research Journal, v50 n3 p1106-1126 2024
This article draws on data from a specially commissioned representative survey, which elicited responses from 7691 teachers in primary and secondary schools in England, to examine how teachers perceive young people's engagement with a variety of different conspiracy theories in school settings and how they respond to them. Approximately 40% of teachers report encountering students who supported conspiracy theories. In response, teachers use a wide range of contradictory strategies, including opening up discussion, closing it down, challenging students in class and reporting individuals as safeguarding concerns. The research evidence suggests that several of these strategies are likely to be ineffective or even backfire to reinforce conspiracy thinking. Unsurprisingly then, few teachers report successful responses. The article concludes that the evidence of possible negative impacts of unprepared teachers confronting conspiracy theories at school means that teachers need to be better equipped through training, support and further research.
Descriptors: Misconceptions, Beliefs, Elementary School Teachers, Secondary School Teachers, Teacher Response, Student Behavior, Educational Strategies, Foreign Countries, Teacher Attitudes
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.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (England)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A