Topic outline

  • Example 8: How are science communication tools effective in increasing young adults' understanding of climate science?

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    What is the question asking?

    This question seeks to understand the ways in which science communication tools increase the education of young adults on the topic of climate change. This question is specific in several ways.

    Firstly, it is asking about a particular demographic: young adults. A young adult is classed as a person aged between 18 and 30 years old, so research on this topic must be relevant to this age group.

    Secondly, it is asking you to research science communication tools. What classifies as a science communication tool? How are they used? How do they work?

    Finally, it is asking you to measure the effectiveness of science communications tools in increasing young adults understanding of climate science. This means looking at the impact science communication tools have on this age group. Think “how” and “why”.

    UniSA is currently conducting research on the changing face of environment reporting. Perhaps there is someone there or something they have written that could be useful?

     

    Ethical considerations

    There are several ethical considerations to keep in mind while completing this research:

    • Ensure that participants are voluntarily participating in the research and know that they have the right to withdraw.
    • Ensure participants understand what is expected of them during this process and how their data will be used so they can make informed choices about their participation.
    • Utilise the data you collect with respect, this means paraphrasing and quoting honestly.
    • Ensure that you are storing all research data securely, such as participant questions and responses which may be sensitive and should be kept confidentially.

     

    Research Methods

    What research methods should we use to answer this question?

    Interview

    Some sources we could contact are:

    • Science journalists
    • Climate change researchers
    • Science museum curators


    Literature Review

    Some ideas for how we could do this are:

    • Reading journal articles
    • Watching documentaries or presentations by experts
    • Listening to podcasts
    • Reading books


    Surveys


    Some ideas for how we could do this are:

    • Try to have a range of questions that will provide you with both qualitative and quantitative data
    • Create questions that will help identify the effectiveness of science communication tools for this age group
    • Provide examples of science communication tools and ask your participants to rate their effectiveness

     

    Data analysis

    We've collected some data, what next?  

    As the data that we have collected is varied, there are multiple methods of analysis that we will need to do. With the qualitative data, that which is non-numerical, it's ideal that we use qualitative analysis for this. 

     


     For any numerical data that we have collected, it's ideal that we use quantitative analysis for this.



    What else should we be considering? Two important criteria in the Research Project are validity and reliability. You can ask these questions of each of your sources. 

    Validity

    In research, validity relates to how well the research measures what it is supposed to measure. Validity can be divided into two groups: internal validity and external validity. Internal validity determines if the research findings match reality, while external validity determines whether the research can be replicated in another environment.

    For example, if you develop your own survey, it should be based on established theory or findings of previous research or studies, and the questions should be targeted to your audience and be carefully worded to avoid confusion and misunderstandings.

    Questions to ask of your sources:

    Does the research measure what it claims to measure?

    • Can the findings be applied to my research question?
    • Who conducted the study / research?
    • Can these results be reproduced?
    • Is the sample size / response rate sufficient?


    Reliability

    In research, reliability refers to the degree to which research produces consistent results. There are three sorts of reliability in research: test-retest reliability (does the research produce the same or similar results every time?), internal consistency (is the research measuring what it is supposed to measure?), and inter-rater reliability (do all researchers get the same or similar results?). 

    For example, if your research has sampling bias, it will not be considered reliable. This means that if you gather participants to fill out a survey, but all of the participants are 20 years old and no other section of your target demographic is surveyed, your research will not be reliable.

    Questions to ask of your sources:

    • Where did we find this source?
    • Who conducted the study / research?
    • Who funded the study / research?
    • Is it an expert source?
    • Has it been peer reviewed?
    • Is the source biased towards someone's opinion? 


    Sample resources

    Here are some sample resources we can use for our research:



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