Critical appraisal of health claims: an exploratory study of lower secondary science education

Project summary

An understanding and recognition of scientific methods and the nature of science are prerequisites to appraise health claims in the popular media and other sources critically and scientifically. The purpose of the project is to explore lower secondary school students' skills in critical and scientific appraisal of health claims, and how science teachers prepare for students to acquire such skills. The project comprises two sub-projects: A qualitative interview study of science teachers in lower secondary schools in Norway and a cross-sectional study based on data from the National Science survey 2013 of 10th grade students and their respective science teachers. The Norwegian Centre for Science Education is responsible for the survey design and recruitment. The Directorate for Education and Training administers the survey. The project is funded under the Strategic Research Programme in Evidence-Based Practice administered by the Centre for Evidence-Based Practice at Bergen University College.