Preventing and strengthening

This project seeks to understand the level of polarization within the general population, as well as to study dialogue initiatives already undertaken to reduce this polarization. The project aims to establish situations for dialogue between polarized individuals and to develop tools to recreate common spaces and, ultimately, reduce social polarization. Ultimately, this project will improve democratic resilience and democratic dialogue within our societies, particularly in a context of high tension on social issues such as immigration, gender issues, and the environment. This project is funded by the New Frontiers in Research Fund (FNFR) and the Quebec Research Fund ($100,000).

Carried out in collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Laboratory on Risks and Crises (LIRIC) and the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), the project seeks to establish collaborations with fact-checkers from several African countries and analyze information disorders in contexts of political instability, particularly coups d’état in the Sahel. This project will thus make it possible to better identify the challenges and structures of fact-checkers and improve their practices while strengthening ties within the French-speaking world.

Project title: “TO WHAT EXTENT DO CHILDREN ENGAGE IN CRITICAL EVALUATION OF SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION AND SOURCES AFTER MEDIA LITERACY TRAINING?”

In Canada, as elsewhere, we are confronted with the viral spread of fake news, a worrying issue for adults, but also for children, threatening their well-being, trust in journalism, and democracy itself. Although the dominant approach to reducing the spread of fake news is based on legal measures and technological innovations (e.g., automatic fact-checking applications), media literacy training and interventions are also ways to give children the tools to automate and combat fake news.

However, a recent review of the scientific literature reveals a lack of data on the short- and long-term effectiveness of information literacy education interventions. Agence Science-Presse, which has been covering scientific news in Canada and around the world for over 40 years, places science media education at the heart of its mandate. A training program has been developed specifically for elementary schools with the aim of explaining the phenomenon of fake science news and equipping children with the tools to avoid spreading it: “Separating fact from fiction on the web.” To inform its decisions, Agence Science-Presse needs data on which to base its assessment of the lasting effects of its training programs and to find ways to effectively improve its practices.

The overall objective of the research is therefore to determine the extent to which children engage in critical evaluation of scientific information and sources after training on information media. The specific objectives are to document a) how often and b) how spontaneously children engage in critical evaluation of the scientific information and sources they consult.

The methodology will be based on a controlled experiment (quasi-experimental design), an approach that has already been used in the context of combating fake news, for example by Gimpel et al. (2020), who studied the impact of displaying related articles to improve the detection of fake news. Data will be collected from elementary school students who have or have not received the Agence Science-Presse’s “Départager le vrai du faux sur le Web” (Separating fact from fiction on the web) training on news media. Students will then be asked to complete a task to detect fake scientific news and an authentic hoax task. The task to detect fake scientific news was developed during a previous research project. The authentic hoax task is used to verify the transfer and retention effect. It has already been validated with fifth-grade elementary school students and will be translated into French. The hoax will test students’ ability to critically examine the reliability and credibility of a website presenting scientific information about an endangered animal by asking them questions such as, “How can you tell if this site contains accurate (or true) information?” Several studies show that information literacy is a predictor of the ability to identify fake news and civic engagement. This partnership will take this finding a step further by measuring the lasting effects of an educational intervention aimed at promoting scientific information literacy in elementary school.

This project is in partnership with Agence Science Presse and is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) ($24,840).

Project title: “MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS: EVALUATION OF THE CQÉMI’S #30SECONDS BEFORE YOU BELIEVE IT TRAINING PROGRAM”

In a context where false information circulates faster than ever and citizens’ trust in public institutions and news media is being tested, the development of good information practices is a fundamental democratic issue. Numerous training courses have been set up in recent years to guide young people in their search for information and their exposure to online news content. The #30secondes avant d’y croire (30 seconds before believing it) training courses, a flagship activity of the Centre québécois d’éducation aux médias et à l’information (CQÉMI), are given by journalists in schools, from elementary to university level, as well as to adults, particularly in public libraries. Offered since 2018 to nearly 45,000 participants, they constitute the largest media and information literacy initiative in Quebec in the field of disinformation. These training courses, most often given to high school students, aim to promote understanding of the mechanisms of disinformation and its various forms, to apply proven methods of information verification, and to raise awareness of the journalism profession and the rules that govern it. In order to fill a knowledge gap regarding the impact of this type of educational intervention, this action research project aims to evaluate the effectiveness and relevance of the #30secondes avant d’y croire training courses in developing learners’ skills, knowledge, and perceptions regarding their consumption of online information. A mixed survey (literature review; semi-structured interviews with participating teachers and journalists; survey of high school students) will provide a critical assessment of the training courses and suggest ways to adapt them to emerging needs, or even to develop new tools in the coming years (an edutainment game is currently being developed and rolled out). The results of this scientific research will enable the CQÉMI to refine and enrich the content and scope of its training programs and activities to combat disinformation, based on the latest knowledge in the field and the emerging needs of the educational community in Quebec. This project is a partnership between the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) and the Centre québécois d’éducation aux médias et à l’information (CQÉMI) and is funded by the Programme de recherche sur la désinformation au Québec and the Fonds de recherche du Québec ($82,550).

This project aims to analyze how research on extremism and political radicalism impacts both the communities studied and the researchers working on these issues. It questions the taxonomy used, the construction of stigma, and the resonance of terms used in academic research in the public sphere. It studies how research on these issues can limit social polarization, reinforce good research practices, and provide tools to refine research on sensitive issues. This project is in partnership with RAPS.

In partnership with the Réseau québécois en études féministes (RéQEF) and the Université du Québec à Montréal, the Chair is developing a project on young researchers working on sensitive and polarizing topics.

The objectives of this pilot project, conducted in Quebec, are to: 1) bring to light the voices and experiences of young researchers working on sensitive topics; 2) initiate a dialogue between young researchers, professors, and clinical practitioners in order to document this phenomenon and highlight the main issues; and 3) identify avenues for reflection and action, such as the implementation of protocols, in order to manage the various types of risks for researchers working on sensitive topics in a polarized context.

Led by Professor Pablo Madriaza, this research aims to examine how the synergistic relationships between these two types of sociopolitical violence, i.e., violent extremism and hate-based acts, are addressed in social interventions in Quebec. More specifically, this research aims to:

1) Identify the cognitive patterns that practitioners rely on to justify an integrated or specialized approach to addressing these forms of sociopolitical violence in order to analyze the issues of articulation and tension between these two approaches. 2) Analyze the obstacles and solutions provided by practitioners in their routine practice to resolve the issues of articulation and tension with regard to the integration or specialization of intervention approaches to these forms of sociopolitical violence.

3) Propose recommendations for the practice community regarding the integration or specialization of intervention approaches to this sociopolitical violence. This project is in partnership with the FRQSC – Support for Research for Emerging Faculty.

According to Statistics Canada (2023), the number of hate crimes targeting sexual orientation has risen sharply compared to 2019, from 269 to 423 in 2021. Furthermore, 77% of these crimes targeted gay and lesbian individuals. Controversies surrounding drag queens and the teaching of gender theory in schools are developing in parallel with a general increase in online harassment of this community (Dietzel et al., 2023). Furthermore, the 1 Million March 4 Children and the introduction of anti-trans legislation in certain provinces demonstrate a crystallization of identity around this issue (Mason and Hamilton 2023). The Quebec LGBT Council’s Action Plan Against Hate Speech (2023) notes an increase in polarization towards this community and expresses a need to better identify misinformation targeting sexual and gender diversity, to produce tools to counter online misinformation, to equip the media to avoid the trap of this misinformation, and to develop prevention and awareness strategies.

This project focuses on concrete responses that can be taken to combat misinformation and hateful and violent speech specifically targeting the LGBTQ+ community in Quebec and Canada. It aims to analyze the policies, programs, and legal frameworks adopted by various governments in Canada and abroad, as well as by certain international organizations, to respond to hate speech, incidents, and crimes targeting people associated with sexual and gender diversity. The objective is to establish an international benchmark by documenting the specific practices and contexts of each country studied and identifying the advances, gaps, and pitfalls of government responses, as well as the perception of these actions by actors in the field, in order to inform decision-making by the Quebec government.

The analysis will focus, but not be limited to, measures adopted by various countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, the United States, France, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. It will also highlight measures adopted by various organizations, including the United Nations, the Council of Europe, UNESCO, and the European Commission. This project is in partnership with the Bureau de lutte contre l’homophobie et la transphobie (Office for the Fight Against Homophobia and Transphobia) and is funded by the Secrétariat à la condition féminine (Secretariat for the Status of Women) ($94,000).

The growth in digital use among young people has been accompanied by an increase in cyberbullying in schools, with significant consequences for students’ mental health, well-being, and academic success. The PICYMS project aims to better understand the risk and protective factors associated with these situations in order to develop intervention and prevention strategies tailored to schools. Based on an interdisciplinary approach combining social psychology, clinical psychology, educational sciences, and developmental psychology, the project has several components: analysis of psychosocial dynamics and individual vulnerabilities, study of social representations of cyberbullying among students and educational staff, and identification of educational levers for action. The expected results aim to provide concrete recommendations to schools and academic teams to improve prevention and support for victims. This project is in partnership with the Rennes Regional Education Authority, the University of Rennes 2, and the University of Western Brittany.