The competence, interest, and perceived self-efficacy of undergraduate students in science communication

Science communication is an important part of science literacy that helps build trust in science, promotes the public interest, and supports informed decision-making on scientific issues. However, the literature lacks studies examining undergraduate student’s competence, interest, and self-efficacy in science communication. This study investigated undergraduate student’s competence, interest, and perceived self-efficacy skills in science communication. Two instruments were used to collect data from 226 undergraduate students in a public research university. The findings revealed that participants’ competence and interest in science communication were moderate. The data shows that STEM students lack confidence in their ability to engage in science communication and are not particularly interested in it. The study found no significant differences in competence, interest, perceived self-efficacy, and gender. Likewise, no significant differences were found in competence and perceived self-efficacy across different grade levels. However, there was a significant relationship between participants’ interests and their grade levels. The effect size was small for competence and interests in science communication. The conclusion discusses the implications of the findings for future studies.