scholarly journals Earthquakes: prediction and the media-a case study in public understanding of science

1997 ◽  
Vol 131 (3) ◽  
pp. 530-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Miller
Keyword(s):  
Public Understanding Of Science ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
The Media ◽  
Understanding Of Science

Understanding understanding: a model for the public learning of radioactivity

1999 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 267-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Alsop
Keyword(s):  
Informal Learning ◽  
Background Radiation ◽  
Public Understanding Of Science ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Change Model ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
Understanding Of Science ◽  
Conceptual Change Model

While much of the work in the public understanding of science has focused on the public's appreciation of science and their familiarity with key scientific concepts, understanding the processes involved in learning science has largely been ignored. This article documents a study of how particular members of the public learn about radiation and radioactivity, and proposes a model to describe their learning—the Informal Conceptual Change Model [ICCM]. ICCM is a multidimensional framework that incorporates three theoretical dimensions—the cognitive, conative, and affective. The paper documents each of these dimensions, and then illustrates the model by drawing upon data collected in a case study. The emphasis of the analysis is on understanding how the members of the public living in an area with high levels of background radiation learn about the science of this potential health threat. The summarizing comments examine the need for a greater awareness of the complexities of informal learning.

Response to “Discourse over a contested technology on Twitter: A case study of hydraulic fracturing”—Word choice as political speech

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Grubert
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Public Understanding Of Science ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Word Choice ◽  
Political Speech ◽  
Public Speech ◽  
Fracturing Process ◽  
Understanding Of Science

Hopke and Simis ( Public Understanding of Science, online 4 October 2015) find that #fracking, the most popular of five shale-related hashtags analyzed from a 2013 period, is associated with pro-shale attitudes only 13% of the time and note that the dominant voice of the activist community, coupled with a lack of engagement from industry, is unexpected. This comment offers additional perspective on the sentiment- and actor-skewed result by noting that the term “fracking” is highly political, specifically because the spelling “frack” versus “frac” is associated with activism. Furthermore, in public speech, the industry tends to deemphasize the hydraulic fracturing process in favor of the product, consistent with the findings that #natgas is a relatively pro-industry hashtag.

Developing a Sociological Model to Improve Public Understanding of Science among Citizens (Case Study: Isfahan City)

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 84
Author(s):  
Zahra Maher ◽  
Ali Rabbani Khorasgani
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation Modeling ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Public Understanding Of Science ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Media ◽  
Understanding Of Science

<p>In recent years, along with attributing more importance to the knowledge and information, the presence of the  knowledgeable and well-informed manpower has gained significance and the existing level of knowledge and information among the common people of society has been considered as one of the preconditions and essential elements  of the development in that country. One of the important issues confronting the sociologists who analyze the sciences is how to present sciences in the mass <strong>media</strong>. Besides, today, communication in many different fields is held within the exclusive control of the <strong>mass media</strong> and these media are the only source of information for most of the people.The present study, therefore, aims to explain the quality of "public understanding of science and technology" among the Isfahanian people and to produce the required data for the evaluation of general knowledge of and attitude toward science and technology. In particular, this study deals with the mechanisms applied by <strong>mass media</strong> to enhance the public understanding of science and technology.</p><p>As to research methodology, the present study follows the purpose of obtaining the quantitative statistical results from one sample. a systematic interview in the form of a questionnaire with closed-end items was used for collecting the required data. The research population for this study is the residents (aged between 15 to 79 years) of the 15 regions of Isfahan city of whom the number is 1564553, based on the public census in 2014. As for determining the sample size, Cochrane equation was used and 630 participants were chosen for the interview using a quota sampling. The main hypothesis of the quantitative phase was made based on the structural equation modeling to examine the "mechanism of media contribution to the enhancement of public understanding of science among citizens". This hypothesis was tested using Amos software.</p><p>The results of this study are as follows:    </p><p>In the formulated Structural Equation Modeling, it was observed that the media increase the communicative competence of their addressees through translation and simplification of the scientific notions. Such an increase in the "addressees' competence in communicating with science", in turn, increases "their participation rate in the science and technology programs" and ultimately, enhances the public understanding of science and technology.  Media played also some part in "representing the cultural and intellectual bio-life prevailing in society" and reflecting the dominant intellectual atmosphere of society. On the other hand, results showed that the media which are the mediator agents within the network, could reinforce the features of the sciences supportive culture through the representation of cultural and intellectual atmosphere prevailing in society and this was another factor which had a mediator role in the contribution of media on the enhancement of public understanding of science. <strong></strong></p>

Should You Be a Public Scientist?

2021 ◽  
pp. 375-380
Author(s):  
Dennis Meredith
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Resource Depletion ◽  
Public Understanding Of Science ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
The Public ◽  
It Impacts ◽  
Global Problems ◽  
The Media ◽  
Understanding Of Science

Deciding whether to be a “public scientist”—using the media spotlight to highlight important issues—means deciding whether one is a natural explainer. Also, it must be decided how much time and effort can be committed to such outreach and how it impacts research and other activities. Explaining research does offer satisfactions, in that the researcher is contributing to public understanding of science. One problem is that the coverage of science and technology is small and shrinking. That said, opportunities to reach the public directly through websites and social media are considerable. The role of public scientists and the importance of explaining research in general are becoming ever more critical because failure to bridge the information gulf between researchers and the public will hamper, perhaps tragically, our ability to solve the massive global problems we face—climate change, resource depletion, ecological damage, food security, and disease.

Virtual Science Centers

2011 ◽  
pp. 308-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leo Tan Wee Hin ◽  
R. Subramaniam
Keyword(s):  
Public Understanding Of Science ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Science Center ◽  
Science Centers ◽  
Web Based ◽  
The Public ◽  
New Learning ◽  
Understanding Of Science ◽  
Web Based Education

The opening of a virtual annex by science centers has given rise to a new genre of learning in Web-based education. Seeking to enhance the outreach effectiveness of nonformal science education initiatives among students and the public, these virtual science centers fulfill a useful role in promoting the public understanding of science. The example of the Singapore Science Center is used as a case study to explore the topic in significant depth. A commentary is also presented on some of the issues, controversies, and problems encountered in this new learning environment. Some possible solutions and recommendations are suggested in light of our experiences.

Transformation of the media landscape: Infotainment versus expository narrations for communicating science in online videos

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 688-701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lloyd S. Davis ◽  
Bienvenido León ◽  
Michael J. Bourk ◽  
Wiebke Finkler
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
University Education ◽  
Public Understanding Of Science ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
On Demand ◽  
Online Videos ◽  
The Media ◽  
Good For ◽  
Understanding Of Science

Society is undergoing a transformation in the way people consume media: increasingly we are using online on-demand videos, with the fastest growing segment of online videos about science being user-generated content that uses an infotainment style of delivery, in contrast to the traditional expository narrations of professionally generated content. In this study, we produced two otherwise identical videos about climate change to test the effects of an infotainment or expository narration. A total of 870 survey participants (419 English; 451 Spanish) were randomly presented with either an infotainment or expository version of the video. The expository narration was liked and believed more, and this held irrespective of language, age, sex or online viewing habits. However, the infotainment version was liked more by viewers without a university education and, further, viewers were better able to recall information from it, suggesting that user-generated content with infotainment-style narrations may actually be good for increasing public understanding of science.

How to (or not to) communicate science

2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 307-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.P.R. Rose
Keyword(s):  
Public Understanding Of Science ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Scientific Journals ◽  
Public Concern ◽  
Press Releases ◽  
Public Science ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Press ◽  
The Media ◽  
Understanding Of Science

Protagonists for ‘the public understanding of science’ still sometimes fail to recognize that there is also a need for ‘the scientists’ understanding of the public’ and that for most of science most of the time we are all public. ‘Science’ is communicated to ‘the public’ through popular books, museums, TV, the Internet, but far too often the present state of scientific belief is presented uncritically as the onward march of truth as discovered by Euro-American males. This has contributed to a widespread public concern, if not mistrust, in many areas of science, not least genetics and neuroscience. Although researchers often criticize the media for misrepresenting their work, the hype and simplifications often begin with the press releases put out by the researchers, their institutions and the scientific journals themselves. I conclude by looking more optimistically at the ways in which, by bringing natural science into theatre, novels and other art forms, the fragmentation of our culture may be diminished.

The roles of rhetoric in the public understanding of science

1994 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan G. Gross
Keyword(s):  
Rhetorical Analysis ◽  
Public Understanding Of Science ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Contextual Model ◽  
Deficit Model ◽  
The Public ◽  
Science Rhetoric ◽  
Understanding Of Science ◽  
Social Scientific

In the public understanding of science, rhetoric has two distinct roles: it is both a theory capable of analysing public understanding and an activity capable of creating it. In its analytical role, rhetoric reveals two dominant models of public understanding: the deficit model and the contextual model. In the deficit model, rhetoric acts in the minor role of creating public understanding by accommodating the facts and methods of science to public needs and limitations. In the contextual model, rhetoric and rhetorical analysis play major roles. Rhetorical analysis provides an independent source of evidence to secure social scientific claims; in addition, it supplies the grounds for a rhetoric of reconstruction, one that reconstitutes the fact and facts of science in the public interest.

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