This study investigates the pseudo-scientific and superstitious ideas Swedish upper-secondary students articulate and if there is a relationship between their ideas and their knowledge of the human body and health. The study is based on a questionnaire among 300 students in which the students were asked to consider statements related to different treatments that may influence the human body and health, and questions about physiology, health and nutrition. The analysis reveals that a relatively large group of students give credance to statements such as that some people can transfer thoughts or that the phases of the moon can affect a person’s health. The analysis also shows that there is no apparent relationship between the students’ pseudo-scientific beliefs and their scientific knowledge about the human body. Furthermore, although the results do not indicate a gender difference with regards to the power of faith in pseudo-scientific ideas, they do indicate that male and females consider these questions differently. The results imply a need for discussion and critical investigation in school science concerning the relationship between science and pseudo-scientific ideas in order to enhance critical thinking and development of the understanding of the nature of science.

I den här artikeln beskrivs och diskuteras en empirisk studie där gymnasieelever diskuterar olika förklaringsmodeller kring ämnesområdet kropp och hälsa. Syftet har varit att utvärdera och analysera elevernas användning av begreppen tillförlitlighet och trovärdighet i förhåll-ande till såväl vetenskapliga som icke-vetenskapliga förklaringsmodeller. Vi har analyserat elevernas användning av olika epistemologiska resurser i argumentativa situationer. Analysen ledde fram till att eleverna använde fyra olika typer av epistemologiska resurser; relativistiska, normativa, auktoritativa och vetenskapliga. Resultaten visar att samma elev kan använda olika epistemologiska resurser vid olika tillfällen. Vi anser att vårt teoretiska ramverk som utgår från epistemologiska resurser kan bidra till att förstå hur individer använder olika förklaringsmodeller i olika sammanhang.

This article reports on a study of how teenagers made their decision on whether or not to vaccinate themselves against the new influenza. Its purpose was to identify connections between how teenagers talk about themselves and the decision they made. How do the teenagers construct their identities while talking about a specific socio-scientific issue? Seven teenagers between 17 to 19 years of age participated in the study. The informants were requested to document in video diary situations in which their decisions about the vaccination were discussed. All the teenagers recorded their diaries during the weeks of the vaccination programme. The students were also interviewed 1-4 weeks after completing their diaries. A discourse psychology framework (Potter and Wetherell, 1987) was used to analyse the video diaries and the interviews. In this context, decision-making on a socio-scientific issue must be understood as an appropriation and use of discursive repertoires, and also as meaning-making in relation to other fields, such as society and identity. It must also be understood in relation to the use of science repertoire - or actually, the school science repertoire – how available is this discourse in different contexts outside school? The repertoires were categorised into two main types; experienced emphases and important actors. The first included the categories of risk, solidarity and knowledge. The second included family and friends, media, school and society. The school repertoire was seldom used by the students, indicating that school and science education seem not to be an interpretative repertoire available to them. Instead, the risk, solidarity, family and friends and the media repertoires were available in their talk about vaccination. These results indicate the need to use media reports in dealing with scientific literacy and also in risk assessment discussions in school. It also indicates the importance of relating school science closely to the students’ daily life.

In this article the possibilities to use video diaries as data collection tool in studies about scientific literacy are discussed. The starting point is a need for students to develop scientific knowledge which they can use as citizens in different situations. I argue that with this definition the students’ scientific literacy (SL) must be investigated outside school in everyday life. It is also argued that studies investigating SL in an out-of-the-school context cannot be performed in the same way as studies in a school context, since situations outside school often are more complex. The use of video diaries is reviewed and then described as a research tool in investigating individuals´ scientific literacy. The methodology of investigating scientific literacy outside school is problematised, for instance which type of data that that can be collected. It is also emphasised that this way of data collecting differs from researcher controlled video filming. The control is in the hands of the video-diary maker, even if the instructions from the researcher affect how the participation from the video diarist will be expressed. This perspective will lead to use of theoretical frameworks that are built on views where the social world is seen as constructed and dependent on context. Discourse psychology analysis (Potter and Wetherell 1987) is presented as a suitable framework. This is in line with Sadler (2009) who emphasizes the importance of that students get the ability to learn science in a community where they can be central participants and express their identities.