Better News About Math: A Research Agenda

January 1st, 2021 | RESEARCH

Numeracy is not a luxury: numbers constantly factor into our daily lives. Yet adults in the United States have lower numeracy than adults in most other developed nations. While formal statistical training is effective, few adults receive it – and schools are a major contributor to the inequity we see among U.S. adults. That leaves news well-poised as a source of informal learning, given that news is a domain where adults regularly encounter quantitative content. Our transdisciplinary team of journalists and social scientists propose a research agenda for thinking about math and the news. We engage here in a dialogue about two recent news articles, contrasting journalist and researcher perspectives on each. We close by talking about the particular opportunities and challenges that the global COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare for both of our professions.

Document

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Team Members

Jena Barchas-Lichtenstein, Author, Knology
John Voiklis, Author, Knology
Laura Santhanam, Author, PBS NewsHour
Nsikan Akpan, Author, PBS NewsHour
Shivani Ishwar, Author, Knology
Elizabeth Attaway, Author, Knology
Patti Parson, Author, PBS NewsHour
John Fraser, Author, Knology

Citation

Identifier Type: DOI
Identifier: https://doi.org/10.5038/1936-4660.14.1.1377

Publication: Numeracy
Volume: 14
Number: 1
Page(s): Article 4

Funders

Funding Source: NSF
Funding Program: Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL)
Award Number: 1906802

Related URLs

Full Text
Meaningful Math: News Media for Increasing Adult Statistical Literacy

Tags

Audience: Administration | Leadership | Policymakers | Evaluators | General Public | Learning Researchers | Museum | ISE Professionals
Discipline: General STEM | Mathematics | Social science and psychology
Resource Type: Peer-reviewed article | Research Agenda | Research Products
Environment Type: Broadcast Media | Media and Technology | Websites | Mobile Apps | Online Media