Depicting Science in ESPN's SportScience
Class
Article
Department
Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences
Faculty Mentor
Victor Lee
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
While portraying scientific content through television programs and internet videos seems valuable as a means for communicating science to the public, there has been very little examination of how this content has been represented. A brief television program shared on air and subsequently online - ESPN's SportScience - was analyzed to better understand how scientific content was being depicted and communicated. Transcription and detailed video analysis of three minute video clips available online were used to identify patterns in the presentation of the scientific content. In particular, quantified annotations and comparisons between a secondary referent were heavily used to communicate information to the viewer. Quantified annotations were expressed most frequently of all kinds of digital annotations, and were often used in roughly derived calculations. The comparisons were used as a tool to familiarize the audience with less familiar science concepts. Since mass media is one of the main ways that the public encounters science, understanding how science is depicted in a purportedly educational program like SportScience is important for media professionals, educators, and scientists interested in science communication.
Start Date
4-9-2015 10:30 AM
Depicting Science in ESPN's SportScience
While portraying scientific content through television programs and internet videos seems valuable as a means for communicating science to the public, there has been very little examination of how this content has been represented. A brief television program shared on air and subsequently online - ESPN's SportScience - was analyzed to better understand how scientific content was being depicted and communicated. Transcription and detailed video analysis of three minute video clips available online were used to identify patterns in the presentation of the scientific content. In particular, quantified annotations and comparisons between a secondary referent were heavily used to communicate information to the viewer. Quantified annotations were expressed most frequently of all kinds of digital annotations, and were often used in roughly derived calculations. The comparisons were used as a tool to familiarize the audience with less familiar science concepts. Since mass media is one of the main ways that the public encounters science, understanding how science is depicted in a purportedly educational program like SportScience is important for media professionals, educators, and scientists interested in science communication.