I will make the case that we often stick to a flawed model of communication when we disseminate the results of physics education research (PER) to teachers. We have a similar problem to those who study climate change or tobacco epidemiology; we have data that we think should effect behavior change (i.e., instruction). Why doesn’t it? While many instructors are aware of the instructional techniques that PER has demonstrated to be effective, research is showing that many instructors may miss the point of these methods, or quit using them after just one semester. Just as climate scientists have needed to become versed in public communication, so do we need to become versed in communication with our audience (physicists). I will outline some of the lessons we can learn from the research and practice of public science communication, and discuss the power and limits of communication in effecting behavior change. This is a shorter version of an hour talk given at FFPERPS.

1. Getting the word out
Effective Communication of PER
What’s working, what we ought to
know, and what we need to do better
Stephanie Chasteen
PER, University of Colorado @ Boulder
+
science journalist + podcaster
Illustration: Tom Tomorrow
This is not based on my own research, but rather a synthesis of the message of some of the current
research. I bring a somewhat unique perspective since I work on PER, work with faculty on
incorporating new instructional techniques, and I have a background in science journalism and
communication. So, the purpose of this talk is to briefly describe some parallels I see between
science communication and PER communication, and what we might learn from the communication
field. This is a 1 hour talk condensed to 10 minutes, so hold on to your hats.

2. My points for today

3. My points for today
Good communication is important

4. My points for today
Good communication is important
We can learn best-practices from the
science communication field

5. My points for today
Good communication is important
We can learn best-practices from the
science communication field
But our message is incomplete, and
communication isn’t a panacea

6. The earth is warming
Americans who believe
that there is solid
evidence of climate
change: 57%
Those who believe that
it’s caused by human
activity
36%
Denver commuters
who carpool
only 31%
Data: IPCC, Opinion Research Corporation

7. Student-centered instruction
helps students learn
traditional lecture! interactive engagement!
Physicists who are
0.6
aware of 3 or more
RBIS’s
0.5
68%
Fraction of Courses
fraction of
courses ! 0.4
0.3
0.2
Those who use at least
one RBIS
0.1
49%
0
0.08 0.14 0.20 0.26 0.32 0.38 0.44 0.50 0.56 0.62 0.68
normalized learning gain! Users of “peer
less learning more learning!
instruction” who
Hake, “A 6,000 student study....”, AJP 66, 1998 include peer discussion
Dancy & Henderson, “Pedagogical Practices and instructional change of
faculty,” AJP 78(10), 2010.
Henderson & Dancy, “Impact of PER on the teaching of introductory only 27%
qualitative physics in the US,” PRST-PER, 5, 020107, 2009.
We have a similar problem to climate change scientists -- we have data that we think should effect
behavior change, but that doesn’t happen.

8. How can we get our message across
traditional lecture! interactive engagement!
0.6
0.5
Fraction of Courses
fraction of
courses ! 0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0.08 0.14 0.20 0.26 0.32 0.38 0.44 0.50 0.56 0.62 0.68
normalized learning gain!
less learning more learning!
Some parts of our message are getting across, but some aren’t.
We have a lot in common with climate change in this, plus cultural and scientific.
There is a vast literature that we can take advantage of in this area, on persuasion and how people
make decisions
Climate change
-we want people to act based on this information. We want to persuade people.
- Both issues are both cultural and scientific. So, apt analogy.
- But unlike climate science, we don’t have an active skeptic campaign
- The ways to communicate well, and how this can lead to action, are all part of the science
communication literature. Why do Americans keep buying SUV’s when they know about climate
change? They are struggling with many of the same things that we are. We can take
advantage of this literature to create persuasive messages.

9. How can we get our message across
and enable behavior change?
traditional lecture! interactive engagement!
0.6
0.5
Fraction of Courses
fraction of
courses ! 0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0.08 0.14 0.20 0.26 0.32 0.38 0.44 0.50 0.56 0.62 0.68
normalized learning gain!
less learning more learning!
Some parts of our message are getting across, but some aren’t.
We have a lot in common with climate change in this, plus cultural and scientific.
There is a vast literature that we can take advantage of in this area, on persuasion and how people
make decisions
Climate change
-we want people to act based on this information. We want to persuade people.
- Both issues are both cultural and scientific. So, apt analogy.
- But unlike climate science, we don’t have an active skeptic campaign
- The ways to communicate well, and how this can lead to action, are all part of the science
communication literature. Why do Americans keep buying SUV’s when they know about climate
change? They are struggling with many of the same things that we are. We can take
advantage of this literature to create persuasive messages.

10. How can we get our message across
and enable behavior change?
traditional lecture! interactive engagement!
0.6
0.5
Fraction of Courses
fraction of
courses ! 0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0.08 0.14 0.20 0.26 0.32 0.38 0.44 0.50 0.56 0.62 0.68
normalized learning gain!
less learning more learning!
Can we learn from science communication?
Some parts of our message are getting across, but some aren’t.
We have a lot in common with climate change in this, plus cultural and scientific.
There is a vast literature that we can take advantage of in this area, on persuasion and how people
make decisions
Climate change
-we want people to act based on this information. We want to persuade people.
- Both issues are both cultural and scientific. So, apt analogy.
- But unlike climate science, we don’t have an active skeptic campaign
- The ways to communicate well, and how this can lead to action, are all part of the science
communication literature. Why do Americans keep buying SUV’s when they know about climate
change? They are struggling with many of the same things that we are. We can take
advantage of this literature to create persuasive messages.

11. a success story
Wong & McMurray, Framing communication: Communicating the antismoking
Image by Tomasz Sienicki message effectively to all smokers. J. of Community Psychology, 30(4) (2002).
But it’s not all struggle.
Successful mass media campaigns about the health risks of smoking have resulted in fewer smokers
starting and more quit.
Lots of research on health behavior in smoking and other areas, including the use of positive or
negative frames to persuade smokers to quit smoking.
Interesting to see how relates to PER

12. old model of science communication
Henderson, Beach & Finkelstein, “Four Categories of
Change Strategies...” Transitions and Transgressions in
Learning & Education, accepted.
We know model = transmissionist.
Usually use when talk about why lecture ineffective
Sci-com = “deficit model”
We do this in PER, this is the “develop-and-disseminate” model.
We know that people make choices for irrational reasons, but we keep trying to convince people
with rational data. We expect the data to speak for themselves.
But (a) people aren’t blank slates
(b) people’s decisions aren’t rational. Information doesn’t necessarily lead to action.
Yet we do this in PER.

13. old model of science communication
science
Henderson, Beach & Finkelstein, “Four Categories of
Change Strategies...” Transitions and Transgressions in
Learning & Education, accepted.
We know model = transmissionist.
Usually use when talk about why lecture ineffective
Sci-com = “deficit model”
We do this in PER, this is the “develop-and-disseminate” model.
We know that people make choices for irrational reasons, but we keep trying to convince people
with rational data. We expect the data to speak for themselves.
But (a) people aren’t blank slates
(b) people’s decisions aren’t rational. Information doesn’t necessarily lead to action.
Yet we do this in PER.

14. old model of science communication
= the deficit model
science
Henderson, Beach & Finkelstein, “Four Categories of
Change Strategies...” Transitions and Transgressions in
Learning & Education, accepted.
We know model = transmissionist.
Usually use when talk about why lecture ineffective
Sci-com = “deficit model”
We do this in PER, this is the “develop-and-disseminate” model.
We know that people make choices for irrational reasons, but we keep trying to convince people
with rational data. We expect the data to speak for themselves.
But (a) people aren’t blank slates
(b) people’s decisions aren’t rational. Information doesn’t necessarily lead to action.
Yet we do this in PER.

15. old model of science communication
= the deficit model
RBIS & pedagogy
science
Henderson, Beach & Finkelstein, “Four Categories of
Change Strategies...” Transitions and Transgressions in
Learning & Education, accepted.
We know model = transmissionist.
Usually use when talk about why lecture ineffective
Sci-com = “deficit model”
We do this in PER, this is the “develop-and-disseminate” model.
We know that people make choices for irrational reasons, but we keep trying to convince people
with rational data. We expect the data to speak for themselves.
But (a) people aren’t blank slates
(b) people’s decisions aren’t rational. Information doesn’t necessarily lead to action.
Yet we do this in PER.

16. old model of science communication
= the deficit model
RBIS & pedagogy
“The deficit model assumes that
the public are empty vessels
waiting to be filled with useful
information upon which they
will rationally act.”
Nerlich, Koteyko, and Brown, “Theory and language of climate Henderson, Beach & Finkelstein, “Four Categories of
change communication,” Wiley Interdisciplinary reviews, 1, 2010. Change Strategies...” Transitions and Transgressions in
Learning & Education, accepted.
We know model = transmissionist.
Usually use when talk about why lecture ineffective
Sci-com = “deficit model”
We do this in PER, this is the “develop-and-disseminate” model.
We know that people make choices for irrational reasons, but we keep trying to convince people
with rational data. We expect the data to speak for themselves.
But (a) people aren’t blank slates
(b) people’s decisions aren’t rational. Information doesn’t necessarily lead to action.
Yet we do this in PER.

17. but why bother?
conceptual change is hard
We know how hard conceptual change is. We need sustained workshops to help instructors use
these strategies. So why bother to give a good talk or article?
Well, I went to what I consider the Carl Sagan of PER. He’s been tremendously successful in
getting He said that the talk is motivational.
And if we want to movitate someone to use something, we have to use good communication
strategies, like stories, lack of jargon, and think carefully about the role of presenting data in our
talks. Henderson, Dancy, and Turpen are starting to find that data may not be motivational, but
rather used to justify the choice of an instructional technique. So the game is to find out how our
audience thinks about good teaching, and fit our message into their existing beliefs, if we want to
have a chance of affecting practice.

18. but why bother?
conceptual change is hard
what can an article or a talk do?
We know how hard conceptual change is. We need sustained workshops to help instructors use
these strategies. So why bother to give a good talk or article?
Well, I went to what I consider the Carl Sagan of PER. He’s been tremendously successful in
getting He said that the talk is motivational.
And if we want to movitate someone to use something, we have to use good communication
strategies, like stories, lack of jargon, and think carefully about the role of presenting data in our
talks. Henderson, Dancy, and Turpen are starting to find that data may not be motivational, but
rather used to justify the choice of an instructional technique. So the game is to find out how our
audience thinks about good teaching, and fit our message into their existing beliefs, if we want to
have a chance of affecting practice.

19. but why bother?
conceptual change is hard
what can an article or a talk do?
We know how hard conceptual change is. We need sustained workshops to help instructors use
these strategies. So why bother to give a good talk or article?
Well, I went to what I consider the Carl Sagan of PER. He’s been tremendously successful in
getting He said that the talk is motivational.
And if we want to movitate someone to use something, we have to use good communication
strategies, like stories, lack of jargon, and think carefully about the role of presenting data in our
talks. Henderson, Dancy, and Turpen are starting to find that data may not be motivational, but
rather used to justify the choice of an instructional technique. So the game is to find out how our
audience thinks about good teaching, and fit our message into their existing beliefs, if we want to
have a chance of affecting practice.

20. but why bother?
conceptual change is hard
what can an article or a talk do?
create awareness
expose to new ideas
plant a seed
inspire
We know how hard conceptual change is. We need sustained workshops to help instructors use
these strategies. So why bother to give a good talk or article?
Well, I went to what I consider the Carl Sagan of PER. He’s been tremendously successful in
getting He said that the talk is motivational.
And if we want to movitate someone to use something, we have to use good communication
strategies, like stories, lack of jargon, and think carefully about the role of presenting data in our
talks. Henderson, Dancy, and Turpen are starting to find that data may not be motivational, but
rather used to justify the choice of an instructional technique. So the game is to find out how our
audience thinks about good teaching, and fit our message into their existing beliefs, if we want to
have a chance of affecting practice.

21. So....We can create
messages to get faculty
excited about using PER
techniques
And data indicates that this type of communication has been relatively successful in getting the
word out.
People get fired up when they hear Mazur talk, and they want to go out and try his ideas.
BUT . Faculty report knowing about RBIS’s but most don’t use them, or stop using them. Almost
half stop using an RBIS after one semester. 30% of users stop using peer instruction. 50% stop
using cooperative group problem solving.
Faculty get fired up when they hear Mazur talk, but then they go out and try to implement it
and it all goes to hell.
Getting a faculty to use your technique isn’t the end of the story.

22. So....We can create
messages to get faculty
excited about using PER
techniques
BUT
And data indicates that this type of communication has been relatively successful in getting the
word out.
People get fired up when they hear Mazur talk, and they want to go out and try his ideas.
BUT . Faculty report knowing about RBIS’s but most don’t use them, or stop using them. Almost
half stop using an RBIS after one semester. 30% of users stop using peer instruction. 50% stop
using cooperative group problem solving.
Faculty get fired up when they hear Mazur talk, but then they go out and try to implement it
and it all goes to hell.
Getting a faculty to use your technique isn’t the end of the story.

23. So....We can create
messages to get faculty
excited about using PER
techniques
BUT
Almost half of faculty use an RBIS for only semester
And data indicates that this type of communication has been relatively successful in getting the
word out.
People get fired up when they hear Mazur talk, and they want to go out and try his ideas.
BUT . Faculty report knowing about RBIS’s but most don’t use them, or stop using them. Almost
half stop using an RBIS after one semester. 30% of users stop using peer instruction. 50% stop
using cooperative group problem solving.
Faculty get fired up when they hear Mazur talk, but then they go out and try to implement it
and it all goes to hell.
Getting a faculty to use your technique isn’t the end of the story.

24. what goes wrong?
image from http://www.pandemiclabs.com/blog/viral-marketing/does-your-advertising-agency-get-it/
Faculty decide to use something, it doesn’t work, and they blame themselves or blame the
method.
But run into difficulties and challenges
We need more information about how to implement something in a local context
We need to study secondary implementations to know what faculty come up against
We need more informaation about what challenges people face in implementation
And then we need to communicate about those challenges as part of our message
Maybe we’re afraid that they won’t try the technique if we tell them there might be challenges. But
getting someone to try something doesn’t seem to be the big hurdle. It’s getting them to keep
using it.

25. what goes wrong?
we need to know & communicate about
the challenges of implementation
image from http://www.pandemiclabs.com/blog/viral-marketing/does-your-advertising-agency-get-it/
Faculty decide to use something, it doesn’t work, and they blame themselves or blame the
method.
But run into difficulties and challenges
We need more information about how to implement something in a local context
We need to study secondary implementations to know what faculty come up against
We need more informaation about what challenges people face in implementation
And then we need to communicate about those challenges as part of our message
Maybe we’re afraid that they won’t try the technique if we tell them there might be challenges. But
getting someone to try something doesn’t seem to be the big hurdle. It’s getting them to keep
using it.

26. we don’t need to speak louder.
we need to speak better.
1. health campaigns, climate change, and other science communication has information that we
need. Why not consult with experts in those fields to write white papers for our practitioners?
2. We need more audience research and more development of effective messages and talking
points for our community. What works? What speaks to people? What can we glean from the
communication literature to more effectively hone our messages and become excellent
communicators?
3. People have gotten the message that PER exists, and that interactive engagement is good, and
we need to now focus our message on implementation. How can others get the gains that
developers have? We need research to inform this message, and we also need to form structures -
like modeling or CAE - that give teachers a safe “home” where they can work on their practice.
We don’t just need to speak louder. We need to speak better.
PER is a leader in science education research. If we begin to do research-based

27. we don’t need to speak louder.
we need to speak better.
1.We should consult the research in
science communication and behavior
economics to find how it relates to PER.
1. health campaigns, climate change, and other science communication has information that we
need. Why not consult with experts in those fields to write white papers for our practitioners?
2. We need more audience research and more development of effective messages and talking
points for our community. What works? What speaks to people? What can we glean from the
communication literature to more effectively hone our messages and become excellent
communicators?
3. People have gotten the message that PER exists, and that interactive engagement is good, and
we need to now focus our message on implementation. How can others get the gains that
developers have? We need research to inform this message, and we also need to form structures -
like modeling or CAE - that give teachers a safe “home” where they can work on their practice.
We don’t just need to speak louder. We need to speak better.
PER is a leader in science education research. If we begin to do research-based

28. we don’t need to speak louder.
we need to speak better.
1.We should consult the research in
science communication and behavior
economics to find how it relates to PER.
2.We need to develop effective
communication strategies for specific
audiences, based on their prior beliefs.
1. health campaigns, climate change, and other science communication has information that we
need. Why not consult with experts in those fields to write white papers for our practitioners?
2. We need more audience research and more development of effective messages and talking
points for our community. What works? What speaks to people? What can we glean from the
communication literature to more effectively hone our messages and become excellent
communicators?
3. People have gotten the message that PER exists, and that interactive engagement is good, and
we need to now focus our message on implementation. How can others get the gains that
developers have? We need research to inform this message, and we also need to form structures -
like modeling or CAE - that give teachers a safe “home” where they can work on their practice.
We don’t just need to speak louder. We need to speak better.
PER is a leader in science education research. If we begin to do research-based

29. we don’t need to speak louder.
we need to speak better.
1.We should consult the research in
science communication and behavior
economics to find how it relates to PER.
2.We need to develop effective
communication strategies for specific
audiences, based on their prior beliefs.
3.We need to broaden our messages to
include implementation challenges.
1. health campaigns, climate change, and other science communication has information that we
need. Why not consult with experts in those fields to write white papers for our practitioners?
2. We need more audience research and more development of effective messages and talking
points for our community. What works? What speaks to people? What can we glean from the
communication literature to more effectively hone our messages and become excellent
communicators?
3. People have gotten the message that PER exists, and that interactive engagement is good, and
we need to now focus our message on implementation. How can others get the gains that
developers have? We need research to inform this message, and we also need to form structures -
like modeling or CAE - that give teachers a safe “home” where they can work on their practice.
We don’t just need to speak louder. We need to speak better.
PER is a leader in science education research. If we begin to do research-based

30. we don’t need to speak louder.
we need to speak better.
1.We should consult the research in
science communication and behavior
economics to find how it relates to PER.
2.We need to develop effective
communication strategies for specific
audiences, based on their prior beliefs.
3.We need to broaden our messages to
include implementation challenges.
4. We need to go beyond communication:
creating support structures for PER-
reform efforts, including systemic change.
1. health campaigns, climate change, and other science communication has information that we
need. Why not consult with experts in those fields to write white papers for our practitioners?
2. We need more audience research and more development of effective messages and talking
points for our community. What works? What speaks to people? What can we glean from the
communication literature to more effectively hone our messages and become excellent
communicators?
3. People have gotten the message that PER exists, and that interactive engagement is good, and
we need to now focus our message on implementation. How can others get the gains that
developers have? We need research to inform this message, and we also need to form structures -
like modeling or CAE - that give teachers a safe “home” where they can work on their practice.
We don’t just need to speak louder. We need to speak better.
PER is a leader in science education research. If we begin to do research-based

31. Thank you!
This talk is intended to be motivational.
Please contact me with ideas or comments.
stephanie@sciencegeekgirl.com
I’m trying out these ideas myself:
Learning About Teaching Physics
PERTG-funded podcast on PER for teachers.
http://perusersguide.org/podcasts
Many thanks to Melissa Dancy for useful discussions, to both Dancy
& Henderson for their valuable work, and to the PER group at CU-
Boulder, and my many mentors in science communication including
those at the Exploratorium & NPR (particularly Paul Doherty,
David Kestenbaum & Richard Harris).