VideT - A video-based transfer tool for pupils

In this interdisciplinary project, we develop a new video-based transfer tool for the knowledge exchange between scientists and secondary school pupils. Furthermore, we will investigate whether (and how) pupils gain a better understanding of scientific results when the videos focus primarily on the research process.

Project details

 

Traditionally, the communication of scientific knowledge to target groups outside science focuses on the research results. However, experience in knowledge exchange shows that dialogue partners often have trouble understanding, interpreting and classifying research results. This also makes it difficult to efficiently utilize these results in society. A possible solution could be to shed more light on the actual process of gaining the results and to convey that uncertainties and trade-offs are an inevitable part of the research process.

In a newly developed transfer tool, we therefore want to use videos not only to present and explain the research results – as is often the case – but also to foster detailed and differentiated insights into the scientific process of knowledge creation. In this project, we want to elucidate the influence different parameters have on the understanding of research processes and scientific findings, on attitudes and on the credibility of science and researchers.

To achieve the project goals, this joint interdisciplinary project integrates expertise from the natural and social sciences as well as educational research. The transfer tool is being tested in cooperation with schools and student laboratories. The topic of the videos will be Leibniz-IZW's research on the ecology of bats and the impact of human activities on these animals. On the one hand, we are investigating the relevance of bats in Thailand for the control of rice pests. On the other hand, we are conducting a study on the influence of light pollution on bat populations in Franconia (Germany). The IZW coordinates the collaborative project.