Fictional Science (FiSci)

Promoting Text Competence in Dealing Critically with Fake News

Fictional Science ©Adobe Stock - SUPHANSA

How often do we trust fake news? Do we check content on social media before sharing or liking it? How can we recognize and refute fake news?
Recognizing and countering fake news requires a critical look at texts and their language.

The digital transformation has given 21st-century students more opportunities to quickly obtain information than ever before in a generation. However, the spread of false information is increasing rapidly, especially on social media. Assessing the credibility of information poses great challenges for learners. To verify the factuality of texts, they need not only technical know-how and expertise, but also Critical Text Competence.

Erasmus+ project

In the Erasmus+ project Fictional Science (FiSci) - Promoting Text Competence in Dealing Critically with Fake News (December 2022- December 2025), a new didactic approach for recognizing and refuting fake news is developed. In this context, the confrontation with fake news is initially carried out on the basis of fictional, didactically constructed fake news texts. This allows learners to focus on acquiring skills for identifying disinformation without being distracted by preconceived opinions or information (worldview-backfire effect).

Within the framework of this project, FiSci will be implemented as a didactic approach in modules for teaching German as a first, second and foreign language by the Fachdidaktikzentrum der Universität Graz (Lead) in cooperation with different European partners.

Furthermore, professionalization modules for language teachers, Citizen Science educational offers as well as a computer game, podcasts and multiplication tools for the educational sector are being developed.

Further links

Center for Didactics of German as a Second Language & Linguistic Education

Brief description of the Erasmus project "Fictional Science"