The role of entertainment in engagement with climate change

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Author(s)
Topp, Kieren
Thai, Michael
Hryciw, Deanne H
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2019
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The blending of entertainment and education is often used as a mechanism for communicating science to the general public. Key to dissemination of scientific information is cognitive engagement of the audience with the content. The authors describe a study investigating the relationship between entertaining videos and cognitive engagement of the viewer on a topic associated with climate change. Two identical videos discussing the science of climate change were created, with one video containing additional content that was entertaining and based on popular cultural references. Viewers completed an online survey (n = 472) and ...
View more >The blending of entertainment and education is often used as a mechanism for communicating science to the general public. Key to dissemination of scientific information is cognitive engagement of the audience with the content. The authors describe a study investigating the relationship between entertaining videos and cognitive engagement of the viewer on a topic associated with climate change. Two identical videos discussing the science of climate change were created, with one video containing additional content that was entertaining and based on popular cultural references. Viewers completed an online survey (n = 472) and the data demonstrated that there was no direct link between presentation of the climate change information in an entertaining video and an individual’s level of cognitive engagement with the content. Further, that an indirect link was identified so that perceived entertainment increased cognitive engagement. These findings may be useful for communicators of environmental issues, especially with consideration of the development of the field of edutainment.
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View more >The blending of entertainment and education is often used as a mechanism for communicating science to the general public. Key to dissemination of scientific information is cognitive engagement of the audience with the content. The authors describe a study investigating the relationship between entertaining videos and cognitive engagement of the viewer on a topic associated with climate change. Two identical videos discussing the science of climate change were created, with one video containing additional content that was entertaining and based on popular cultural references. Viewers completed an online survey (n = 472) and the data demonstrated that there was no direct link between presentation of the climate change information in an entertaining video and an individual’s level of cognitive engagement with the content. Further, that an indirect link was identified so that perceived entertainment increased cognitive engagement. These findings may be useful for communicators of environmental issues, especially with consideration of the development of the field of edutainment.
View less >
Journal Title
Environmental Education Research
Copyright Statement
© 2019 Taylor & Francis (Routledge). This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Environmental Education Research on 12 Mar 2019, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2019.1572072
Subject
Environmental Science and Management
Curriculum and Pedagogy
Specialist Studies in Education