Science stories through a cultural lens: The effects of cultural framing of storytelling in the natural and social sciences

Abstract

Storytelling is a critical element for the effective communication of science in online videos. However, its effect is not consistent across different cultures. Here, we review and examine cultural framing of storytelling used to communicate science, including social science, in online teaching videos. We found that students from high-context cultures engage more with online videos than do students from low-context cultures but, nevertheless, do more poorly in tests that measure knowledge obtained. Our findings highlight the need to consider the cultural framing of storytelling – cultural science communication – when communicating science to audiences from different cultures.