Impacto del storytelling y las modalidades narrativas en el acceso a la comunicación científica

Abstract

Improving the comprehensibility of scientific information for nonexpert audiences remains a central challenge in science communication. Narrative formats have often been proposed as a useful alternative to factual communication because of their potential to increase engagement and facilitate processing, particularly in digital contexts. At the same time, artistic and multimodal resources may help create more accessible and engaging environments for communicating science. This study examines whether a narrative format, compared with a factual one, increases the perceived comprehensibility of scientific information presented on the science communication website Ciencia a la carta, designed with artistic and interactive resources. It also tests whether narrative transportation mediates this relationship and whether scientific literacy moderates the indirect effect. Using a between-subjects experiment with N = 125, the same scientific research article was adapted into two versions, one narrative and one factual, and both were presented through the website. Results showed that the narrative format did not produce a significant direct increase in perceived comprehensibility. However, narrative transportation was positively associated with perceived comprehensibility. Moreover, when the model was adjusted for interest in art and interest in science, the narrative format had a significant indirect effect on perceived comprehensibility through narrative transportation. The moderated mediation model was not supported, as scientific literacy did not significantly condition this indirect relationship. These findings suggest that the contribution of narrative in science communication may lie less in directly improving comprehensibility and more in its capacity to generate an immersive processing experience that supports how audiences make sense of scientific information.