Hands-on school experiments on radioactivity reduce students’ perceived risk

Abstract Based on the general risk perception literature, a reducing impact of hands-on radioactivity experiments on risk perception by students can be assumed, but effect sizes are unavailable. Using a pre-post questionnaire design, we surveyed 227 high school students in Germany to evaluate their personal risk perception before and after independently conducting a series of radioactivity measurements. The samples measured by the students ranged from everyday objects to environmental samples and from low to elevated levels of radioactivity. Our findings demonstrate a significant (effectsize r = 0.3) decrease in risk perception among the experimental group after performing the hands-on measurements. Additionally, a negative correlation with the students’ knowledge and awareness regarding radioactivity could be observed. The results highlight the importance of hands-on training in radioactivity measurements and encourage its incorporation in educational settings.