The science literacy board game: a new tool for improving science literacy with informal youth education (SCIBORG)

In this age of fast-paced digital media, it is easy for scientific misinformation to propagate. The understanding of how scientific knowledge is created and evolves, a skill called civic science literacy, is critically important for the public. It gives people the tools to better understand how scientific knowledge changes over time and be better able to critically assess what is presented in the media (media literacy). This is especially important in the context of climate change science. However, many of the critical concepts of science literacy (i.e. peer review process, dynamic nature of scientific knowledge) are difficult to communicate. So many learning objectives need to be accomplished by traditional schooling that complex, interdisciplinary topics like scientific literacy have fallen to the wayside. Recognizing the need for innovative approaches, our SCIBORG project aims to develop science literacy skills through a fun and educational board game. Games are becoming a popular way to tackle complex topics as they can put the user in a first-person scenario, allowing them to engage fully in a situation. Additionally, games are fun and interactive and are an excellent way to engage youth and adults for informal educational purposes.

As part of the SCIBORG project, we will create a youth-oriented board game to convey selected concepts of scientific work and foster some of the skills required for science literacy in a fun, interactive, and inclusive way. The board game will specifically address these topics from the perspective of environmental science; however the science literacy skills gained can be used in any field. The board game will be co-created with youth and youth educators in several partner countries in Europe through a variety of workshops and play-testing events. It will be disseminated as a print and play board game and an online application.