%0 Journal Article
%T Refutation Texts: A New Approach to Changing Public Misconceptions About Education Policy
%A Gale M. Sinatra
%A Morgan S. Polikoff
%A Stephen J. Aguilar
%J Educational Researcher
%@ 1935-102X
%D 2019
%R 10.3102/0013189X19849416
%X Individuals often have misconceptions about education policy issues. Prior research has shown that refutation texts can address misconceptions in other areas (e.g., climate change, GMOs); this study is the first to explore whether participants¡¯ views on controversial education policies¡ªthe Common Core State Standards and charter schools¡ªare similarly malleable through refutation text interventions. Results of two experiments show that refutation texts reduced participants¡¯ misconceptions and increased their correct conceptions about both policy issues. These impacts persisted for at least a week in both cases. Our findings hold promise for policymakers, implementers, and researchers seeking to buttress support for policies through direct, evidence-based refutation texts
%K conceptual change
%K educational policy
%K experimental design
%K psychology
%K survey research
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.3102/0013189X19849416