CHEMICAL VS. NATURAL: COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS

Abstract

In the era of universal and compulsory education, in which attention is paid to the ability to think scientifically, there should be no room for unscientific views. However, unscientific theories often appear in the media, and they find numerous supporters. Therefore, it was decided to investigate which of the common beliefs about the "chemical vs. natural" pair are believed by Poles. And whether belief in unscientific myths depends on gender, age, level of education or its type. Checking these relationships will allow, inter alia, to evaluate the effectiveness of science education in Poland. Within 4 years, the beliefs of 2,473 people were examined. The obtained results show that the universality of education does not prevent misconceptions. There was also no correlation between the correctness of the answers to the questions on age, gender, education level or its type. It seems that the way science is taught should be completely modified in such a way that students can distinguish truth from myth. Keywords: science misconceptions, common beliefs, fake news