ABSTRACT

In the current experiment, U.S. parents (N = 141) of children between the ages of 3 and 6 watched one of three versions of a popular educational science television show. Each version varied how science information was portrayed. Afterward, parents generated science explanations in response to hypothetical questions from their children. Results indicated that parents exposed to science television generated explanations that contained more scientific facts and fewer scientific misconceptions than parents in a no-exposure control group. These improvements were consistent across all three versions of the show. Mediation analyses indicated that these effects occurred because parents exposed to science television scored higher on tests of their science knowledge, and they were less likely to perceive misconceptions as pedagogically valuable for children. These findings have implications for the design of children’s programming and for future research on parent–child science interactions.

摘要

在目前的实验中，美国父母（N = 141) 的 3 至 6 岁儿童观看了三个版本的科普教育电视节目之一。每个版本都改变了科学信息的描绘方式。之后，父母针对孩子提出的假设性问题做出科学解释。结果表明，与未接触科学电视的父母相比，接触科学电视的父母产生的解释包含更多的科学事实和更少的科学误解。这些改进在节目的所有三个版本中都是一致的。中介分析表明，这些影响的发生是因为接触科学电视的父母在他们的科学知识测试中得分更高，而且他们不太可能认为错误观念对儿童具有教学价值。