The influence of exposure to educational science television on U.S. parents’ science explanations to their children

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the current experiment, U.S. parents (N = 141) of children between the ages of 3 and 6 watched one of three versions of a popular educational science television show. Each version varied how science information was portrayed. Afterward, parents generated science explanations in response to hypothetical questions from their children. Results indicated that parents exposed to science television generated explanations that contained more scientific facts and fewer scientific misconceptions than parents in a no-exposure control group. These improvements were consistent across all three versions of the show. Mediation analyses indicated that these effects occurred because parents exposed to science television scored higher on tests of their science knowledge, and they were less likely to perceive misconceptions as pedagogically valuable for children. These findings have implications for the design of children’s programming and for future research on parent–child science interactions.