New Perspectives in Science Education

In recent years, citizenship has gained significance in secondary education, aiming to equip students with essential knowledge and skills to navigate a changing society [1]. Well-known topics in which citizenship plays a role include freedom, migration, and the democratic legal system. While wellestablished in social studies, including history and geography, citizenship is often overlooked in STEM subjects such as biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and physics. This seems to be a missed opportunity, as these subjects also contain relevant topics related to citizenship.

One of the areas where citizenship comes into play in STEM education is dealing with false information on social media. In this presentation, we examine beliefs of supporters of the Flat Earth Society (FES) [2]. FES supporters are active on social media and expose students to beliefs about why they think the Earth is flat. This contrasts with the spherical Earth that students learn in physics class. Therefore, it is essential to consider how we can make students more resilient against such false information. Our central research question is: "How can we develop a pedagogical tool for senior pre-university physics students to systematically apply their basic knowledge and skills to refute false

information on social media?".

Prior to designing this tool, we examined the knowledge of three grade-11 students about FES. The findings revealed, among other things, deficiencies in argumentative skills and confidence in mathematical or physics knowledge. Based on these insights and a literature review, we chose an existing tool and adapted it to our context. Subsequently, in a pilot study five grade-11 students applied this tool to a specific case to counter FES supporters’ beliefs regarding a flat Earth on social media. Based on the findings, some refinements were made to the tool. Finally, three students applied this improved tool to the specific case.

Our answer to the central research question confirms the possibility of developing a pedagogical tool to counter false information on social media. This refutation occurs through adopting a reasoned stance and utilizing basic physics knowledge and skills, such as critical thinking. This reasoned stance also serves as an indicator of citizenship in students.

Additionally, we emphasize that applying basic physics knowledge to counter false information in secondary education has not been sufficiently investigated. This research serves as a foundation for further exploration. Our adapted tool, based on the work of other researchers, can serve as a starting point to refute other forms of false information on social media.