By Aeon Bustillo |
Graphics by Elliot Dimasuhid
“Can you be Br without the bro?”
“You’re a 10? Maybe on the PH Scale because you’re basic.”
“I love gold without the a.”
These jokes and lines are commonly found circulating the internet, with many Filipino netizens asserting dominance on their knowledge about science through these jokes or classifying it as how “smart” people spend their pastimes. Considering their unparalleled potential for knowledge creation, the sciences need to be more valued and understood; the multitude of complex ideas and obscure terminology has caused those outside the scientific community to believe these topics are incomprehensible. But, aside from what Filipinos say on social media, what is the actual situation of science literacy in the Philippines?
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) created and managed the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)—an assessment for 15-year-old learners in 79 countries in which the Philippines participated. Based on the PISA 2018 results, Filipino students scored 357 in scientific literacy, which is significantly lower than the 489 points the OECD established as the average score. This puts the nation in an alarming second-to-the-last position globally in terms of scientific literacy.
This low score on scientific literacy cannot be seen only in the PISA result alone. The National Education Testing and Research Centre of the Department of Education (NETRC-DepEd) reported that while Filipino high school students improved their performance in the National Achievement Test (NAT), their score in science is the lowest among all the other subjects with an average score of 40.53 during the school year 2011-2012, which is relatively low compared to the mean score of all subjects in that year which is 48.90. Given that the scores of Filipino students reflect the education system that produced the majority of Filipino citizens in our nation, they reveal a lot about the level of scientific illiteracy among Filipinos.
Achieving science literacy is easier said than done. This goal necessitates not just a comprehension of scientific lessons but also the development of critical thinking skills and participation in rational, evidence-based discourse in Science.
Shifting paradigms
Due to the abundance of information, it is easy to be deceived by rumors, overstatements, and even assertions that appear to be well-written but are actually unsupported by facts. In the worst-case scenario, this could lead to possibly dangerous behaviors such as the dismissal of climate change, vaccine hesitancy and refusal, or using untested drugs to treat viral infections. At the very least, this could lead to misunderstandings and leave them with ill-informed opinions (e.g., thinking the Earth is flat).
There is also a pervasive disdain and mistrust of science due to public dissent regarding the credibility of scientific results. Purdue University researchers also discovered in a 2018 study that when a particular demographic is presented with scientific facts that clash with a firmly held religious belief, they are more inclined toward the explanations given by the latter.
Knowledge without barriers
The internet is both a friend and a foe. With average daily usage of 4 hours on social media, the Philippines has been at the top globally for the past six years. In contrast to other conventional and online media sources, the Ateneo School of Government study in 2021 revealed that 78.8% of the respondents frequently acquire their news through unintentional or random news exposure on their Facebook feed.
News on Facebook and other social media platforms may reach a vast reach quickly by amassing likes and shares. Social media's ease has made misinformation and deception more prevalent than they already are, especially in light of recent occurrences like the outbreak of COVID-19. People rely on the authenticity of news to keep them safe and informed during the crisis; thus, it can be detrimental to propagate false information at this crucial moment, intentionally or unintentionally. This shows how misinformation may polarize and engulf individuals as a result of social media's profound effect and control over our perceptions of the truth.
Popular clickbait postings, for instance, include titles or featured images designed to catch readers' attention but are not always aligned with the article's real contents. Unreliable sources harm the message's integrity and may produce imprecise or downright wrong concepts. One common conspiracy theory surrounding the epidemic is that COVID-19 was brought on by 5G technology. A Belgian publication that interviewed a doctor who connected 5G to the virus was one of the first to promote the theory. However, the interrogated physician stated that he had not done any fact-checking on his claims. He was neither an expert on 5G nor a specialist in epidemiology (the study of how illnesses spread).
Beyond the headlines
With all of this in mind, how can one properly navigate through different information without being a victim of misinformation and fake news? The answer is simple: knowing the importance of science reportage.
Journalists and scientists have a part to play in promoting science journalism and battling disinformation. Data integrity must be upheld, and concepts must be communicated in a way that non-expert readers may understand. For instance, a writer might want to convey the enticing potential of a new drug or vaccine for a particular illness. Still, it is essential also to mention the technical details, such as the drug's present state of development—the in vitro stage, where testing is still done in a lab, or the clinical trial phase with human participants. It is important to lay out and clarify such facts in detail so that readers are not misled to believe that a cure has been discovered when research is still ongoing.
Nevertheless, readers are also responsible for reading news critically and with knowledge while these experts carry out their duties. Readers should attempt to dig further into a story's allegations rather than accepting them at face value. In checking and gathering news and information, one must also ensure that it is from “an authority or expert on the issue” or “reports from a reputable news outlet” since these sources have higher credibility.
Even though science illiteracy is commonly found among Filipinos, fake news and misinformation can still be countered with science reportage, as well as trusting and believing information from credible sources. Through science reportage in this era of misinformation, one can say ‘nitrogen(n) oxygen(o)’ to false information and fake news.
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