This RAPID study incorporates a diverse project team of scientists and communicators to investigate how people interpret representations of quantitative data regarding COVID-19. Such representations include maps, graphs, and charts, which are commonly used in media such as newspapers, television, websites, and press briefings. Research indicates that many people have difficulty interpreting the information presented in these representations. As a result, the public may have limited tools for understanding the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may limit their ability to use the data in making decisions about their risk and effective risk-mitigation actions. The project responds to this pressing issue by immediately enacting a study to investigate individuals’ understandings and decisions during the pandemic. It will use this information to develop new approaches to displaying quantitative data that can promote greater understanding. Such approaches are likely to be useful for increasing scientific and mathematical literacy, and will also be incorporated into undergraduate STEM courses.
The study includes a multi-phase design-research approach to investigating COVID-19 quantitative data representations (QDRs) through an iterative sequence of task-based clinical interviews. In Phase I, the project team will investigate a diverse population to produce differentiated models of participants’ QDR interpretations and juxtapositions of these models that reveal key conceptual categories across participants. In Phase II, the project team will apply findings from Phase I and STEM education research to create research-based, project-designed QDRs while simultaneously investigating the extent to which these QDRs better support individuals’ understanding of the pandemic. In Phase III, the project team will actively disseminate the results, to draw attention to knowledge and products generated by the project. Reflecting the societal implications of COVID-19, the dissemination plan targets both educational and public communication media communities. Collectively, the project activities and deliverables have the potential to produce a deeper understanding and tangible examples of how STEM education research can be used to improve students’ and citizens’ learning and well-being. Through working directly with members of education and media communities, the project team will improve project exposure and the QDRs made available for public use to ensure that STEM education research impacts not only students’ educational experiences, but also the general public’s ability to interpret quantitative data in ways that positively influence their lives. This RAPID award is funded by the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Program in the NSF Education and Human Resources/Division of Undergraduate Education.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
