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ERIC Number: EJ1469466
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2154-8455
EISSN: EISSN-2154-8463
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Interest and Effort: Exploring the Relationship between Students COVID-19 Interest and Information-Seeking Behavior
Eric A. Kirk1; William. L. Romine2; Troy D. Sadler1; Jamie N. Elsner1; Laura A. Zangori3; Li Ke4
International Journal of Science Education, Part B: Communication and Public Engagement, v15 n1 p1-20 2025
Although much is known about how students evaluate scientific information about contentious issues in classroom or laboratory contexts, less is known about how students do so in their daily life. This study hopes to address that gap, using survey data to study how high school students from the Midwest United States obtained and evaluated information about the COVID-19 pandemic as it first emerged. Students reported how often they obtained information from various sources, what information formats they tended to use, and how they evaluated new information. Students also reported their level of interest in various aspects of the pandemic. We identified several profiles of how students obtain information, like through personal connections, social media, or traditional news sources. Students interests varied, with topics related to personal wellbeing is most likely to be endorsed by students with more abstract topics like the structure of a virus being less appealing. Interest predicted the likelihood of engaging in effortful information-seeking behavior. There were also significant relationships between how students obtained information and the strategies used to evaluate it. This paper contributes new insights into what interests students, and how they seek and evaluate information in the midst of crisis.
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 2023088
Author Affiliations: 1Learning Sciences and Psychological Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; 2Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Fairborn, OH, USA; 3Department of Learning, Teaching, & Curriculum, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA; 4Elementary Education, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA