Promoting students’ critical evaluation of popular scientific articles: the influence of critical discussions using contradictory scientific texts of different genres

Evaluating media reports, such as popular scientific articles, is necessary for every scientifically literate citizen. Research indicates that high-school students often struggle to interpret popular scientific articles, limiting their ability to critically evaluate such texts. We propose a strategy for promoting critical evaluation of popular scientific articles using contradictory texts as textual evidence to ground critical discussions. We use contradictory scientific texts of different genres–adapted primary literature (APL) articles or popular scientific articles–to examine their possible influence on students’ engagement in critical discussions and critical evaluation skills when reading popular scientific articles. Data from 83 tenth-grade students included pre–and post-questionnaires and recorded discussions, were analysed using Walton’s dialogue of argumentation theory. We found that exposure to scientific texts featuring opposing viewpoints and engaging in critical discussions about these articles promote students’ critical evaluation skills when assessing the information presented in a popular article. Interestingly, the students who read contradictory APL articles showed greater improvement in these skills. Our findings underscore the significance of incorporating diverse textual materials and fostering critical discourse in science education, with implications for enhancing students’ critical evaluation skills to navigate and assess media representations of scientific information.