“A ton of faith in science!” Nature and role of assumptions in, and ideas about, science and epistemology generated upon watching a sci-fi film

Abstract

This study (i) explicates the sorts of ideas about science and the nature of knowing that were generated among participant graduate students who viewed the sci-fi film, Contact, and (ii) examines the interactions between these ideas and ontic stances with which participants approached viewing the film. Eleven doctoral students of various disciplinary backgrounds viewed Contact, wrote a film review in response to a prompt, and were interviewed to clarify and further explore ideas mentioned in their review. Participants' most prevalent ideas generated upon viewing Contact were that scientific assumptions, and trust in scientific knowledge and authority, are "faith-based"; theory-choice in science can be faith-based; science requires empirical evidence; and females in science are severely misrepresented. Further, more participants experienced such ideas as realistic rather than unrealistic representations of science, and some identified with particular scenes from the film. These results do not empirically support pedagogical techniques recommended by prior literature suggesting that science teachers who expose students to sci-fi film in the classroom should focus specifically on what teachers deem scientifically inaccurate or misinformation. This approach is rather limited and fails to consider ideas generated by students upon viewing films, which teachers might not expect (e.g., relating science with faith). Rather, we recommend an open-ended, reflective pedagogical approach to using sci-fi film where teachers, first, openly engage students with writing about and discussing thoughts they generate upon watching a given film, and then move to address student ideas. Our findings also indicate a critical need to expand the current consensus model for NOS in K-12 science education-in particular, including and explicating the nature and role of assumptions in science as an additional core dimension of currently accepted NOS models. Toward this end, we delineate the nature and role of scientific assumptions by reference to the epistemological theory of coherentism. # 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 9999: XX-XX, 2016

Building an Argument for the Use of Science Fiction in HCI Education

“…For example, Lin et al [15] and Barnett et al [2] found that science fiction movies do have an impact on the understanding and perception of students on scientific mechanisms and concepts -positively or negatively. In addition, Myers and Abd-El-Khalick [22] provide a classroom example, where the assumptions in a science fiction film eventually lead students towards detrimental learning outcomes.…”

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“…Also, science fiction (sci-fi) is a genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, extrasensory perception, alien worlds, and time travel, along with futuristic elements such as spacecraft, cyborgs, robots, interstellar travel or other technologies [9]. "Ready Player One" is a 2018 dystopian sci-fi film written by Ernest Cline and directed by Steven Spielberg, showing both positive and negative aspects of the metaverse in the future [10].…”

Powerful learning tool or ‘cool factor’? Instructors’ perceptions of using film and video within teaching and learning

“…At the same time, this educational capacity has also been recognized by educators who consciously deploy film and television as pedagogical tools within their classrooms and courses (Luccasen & Thomas, 2010;Sealey, 2008). As Myers and Abd-El-Khalick (2016) note, there has been long-standing attention to the ways in which film and television can be used as 'teaching aids' in science instruction, for example, although research on the effectiveness of such tools is relatively scant. At the same time, recent studies suggest that the increasing availability and accessibility of media (Andrist, Chepp, Dean, & Miller, 2014;Holland, 2014) and growing student interest in learning environments that employ popular culture (Peacock et al, 2018) support the use of film and television in teaching within the contemporary moment.…”