scholarly journals Talking with the Scientists: Promoting Scientific Citizenship at School through Participatory and Deliberative Approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Cornali

Unceasing and pervasive, techno-scientific innovation has changed the social demand for science education over the last few decades. Science education is no longer asked only to train specialists for the technical and scientific professions or for research, but strives to spread science for the citizen. The challenge is to make most people capable of seeing and understanding the impact of science and technology in everyday life, of thinking critically about them and making informed decisions. In recent decades, moreover, the frequent controversies (e.g. on genetic engineering) – as well as the string of alarming events (such as the climate change) where science and politics failed to provide decisive solutions – have stimulated lively interest in public participation in fields traditionally dominated by specialists expertise. This paper, after a brief introduction to the concept of civic scientific literacy and its recent developments, will focus on practices of deliberative democracy that allow citizens to participate directly in decision-making about socio-scientific issues. Starting from an analysis of an initiative conducted in Italian high schools, the paper discusses the contribution that introducing participatory and deliberative practices in a school setting can play in promoting scientific citizenship.

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Schmidt ◽  
Janine P. Stichter ◽  
Kristin Lierheimer ◽  
Stephanie McGhee ◽  
Karen V. O'Connor

This study evaluated the impact of generalization of the Social Competence Intervention-Adolescent (SCI-A) curriculum in a school setting for individuals with high-functioning autism or Asperger's Syndrome (). This study examined to what degree the generalization of the SCI-A curriculum could be measured when delivered in a school setting. Across the six participants preliminary results suggest improvement on teacher reports of social skills and executive functioning. Some improvements were also evident in direct measures of facial-expression recognition. Data collected in the nonintervention settings indicated that some generalization of social interaction skills may have occurred for all six participants. Future research directions are discussed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 171-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonaventure N. Nwokeoma ◽  
Amadi Kingsley Chinedu

Abstract Climate change discussion has primarily focused on the physical manifestation, mitigation, adaptation and finance issues. However, little attention is given to the social consequences of climate change impact especially its relationship to crime in society. Specifically, little or no research has been focused on its impact on crime, especially in developing societies. This study which examined the impact of climate change and its consequences on crime specifically terrorist activities in the Northeast of Nigeria is an effort to fill this research gap. The study adopted a cross-aged design which involves in depth interview of 200 farmers in four selected states of the zone. The outcome is that climate change awareness in the zone is very low. The climate change events identified are rapid desertification, excessive heat and drought. The consequence is that most farmers lost farmlands and agricultural products to these climate change events. Also most of the farmers who are youths were rendered redundant due to the negative impact of these climate events on crops and agriculture. Consequently they engage in alternative activities like menial jobs, while some engage in criminal activities like drug addiction, theft, political thugery, armed robbery, kidnapping and terrorism. They become ready tools for recruitment by Boko-Haram terrorists who are active in the area. It is recommended that massive enlightenment and effective mitigation program should be conducted, youth who are not in school should be convinced to embrace education. Also measures and projects to re-engage the youths back to agriculture should be promoted.


Author(s):  
Taberannang Korauaba

By Taberannang Korauaba Although the Pacific nation of Kiribati has been identified as one of the most vulnerable countries to the impact of climate change, little is known about the attitudes of the local media and the public toward this issue. This is in contrast to empirical study findings which have shown that the public and the media were aware of the threats posed by climate change. This monograph extracted from the author’s thesis argues that the people of Kiribati are not united over climate change. Browse the author's MCS thesis on Kiribati


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 681-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustafa Cansiz ◽  
Nurcan Cansiz

The aim of this research was twofold. The first aim was to revise the existing scientific literacy framework developed by Boujaoude in accordance with the current literature about scientific literacy. The second aim was to explore how the aspects of scientific literacy were reflected in the Turkish science curriculum using the revised framework. The impact of science and technology on environment resulted in the need for both scientifically and environmentally literate individuals and therefore, any framework examining scientific literacy should include the interaction between science, technology, society, and environment as an aspect. Moreover, a new aspect was suggested for the framework, the affective side of science, considering the affective outcomes of science education. Finally, the science curriculum from grades 3 to 8 was analyzed using the revised framework. Results showed that the revisions on the framework resulted in a more rigorous framework which evaluates scientific literacy more precisely. Moreover, the results about the analysis of science curriculum indicated that the knowledge of science and the investigative nature of science were reflected in the objectives of the curriculum more than other aspects. The results and implications were discussed. Keywords: affective domain, document analysis, science curriculum, science education, scientific literacy framework.


2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-310
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Alexandris Polomarkakis

This article considers the impact of Brexit on the future of Social Europe. Through recourse to key moments in the history of European social integration, where Britain more often than not vehemently opposed any coming together, its role as an important veto player in EU social policy-making is established. With the UK set to leave the Union, the option for further social integration is no longer inconceivable. It is featured as one of the possible scenarios in the Reflection Paper on the Social Dimension of Europe, and recent developments, such as the European Pillar of Social Rights, together with its accompanying initiatives, appear to lay the groundwork towards that. The article concludes that, although the realisation of Social Europe is more likely post-Brexit, there are other Member States willing to take over the UK’s role and act as veto players on their own terms.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 43-56
Author(s):  
Nyaradzo Dhliwayo ◽  
Nelson Chanza ◽  
Anton De Wit

There is now considerable interest to understand how local communities experiencing climatic risks can benefit from climate change responses. As this agenda unfolds, there is need to understand the impact of climate-related interventions from the perspective of local populations targeted by such projects. Existing assessment approaches tend to concentrate on the environmental and economic impacts of projects that minimise greenhouse gas emissions. This study assesses the social aspect of a domestic biogas project that was intended to address the twin challenges of poverty and climate change in Sogwala village, Zimbabwe. A three-tier methodological execution process was adopted, involving field reconnaissance, household survey and key informant interviews. The focus was on measuring the social dimension of the changes brought about by the project, from the experiences of participating households. With a consciousness of assessment challenges associated with community projects, social capital parameters were used to assess the project’s contribution to the social well-being of the villagers. Overall, results show that the biogas project has the potential to facilitate social development through improved trust and social networks. Despite the contested climatic benefits associated with small-scale household biogas digesters, projects of this nature can enhance community relationships and networks, upon which other development interventions can be operationalised.


Author(s):  
Vladimir Istomin

The increased interest in the topic of climate change (IC) on the part of the general public can be demonstrated by the fact that the number of search queries on Google with the topic "climate change" has doubled over the past five years. All this creates a field for the study of public opinion on the problem of IC. However, at the moment, there is a gap in the Russian literature in the study of this topic from the point of view of the social sciences; most of the works are devoted to the causes and consequences of this phenomenon from the standpoint of natural sciences and economics. The study aims to identify the differences in the nature of the impact between the "usual" socio-demographic characteristics and other characteristics of the inhabitants of European countries on attitudes towards climate change. The aim of the study is to assess the ability of "familiar" socio-demographic characteristics in comparison with "unusual" characteristics to explain attitudes towards climate change and to differentiate countries by the nature of the impact of these characteristics. The scientific significance of this work is to determine the place of "habitual" socio-demographic characteristics in the study of attitudes towards climate change. From an applied point of view, the nature of the influence of "familiar" socio-demographic characteristics is important when targeting a certain group of people (most often it is determined by such characteristics) in the framework of environmental measures.


Author(s):  
Philip Mader

This article examines the impact of microfinance—the provision of financial services to poor and low-income populations, usually in the global South—on poverty. Microfinance is regarded as a financial market solution to the social problem of poverty, promising poverty alleviation in a market-friendly and cost-efficient way. Proponents hope that the financial inclusion of poor and low-income population segments will help them cope better with multifaceted problems of poverty, in particular their uncertain and low incomes. This article first provides an overview of microfinance, focusing on its economic and gender impacts, before tracing the microfinance sector’s historical origins and rise. It also considers the practices of the microfinance sector as well as the critical debates over microfinance. Finally, it describes three sets of recent developments relating to microfinance: a spate of crises including overindebtedness and collapse, new methods and mission, and the sector’s expanding scope of activities.


Author(s):  
Mitchell Alan Kaplan

As life expectancy rates continue to increase and fertility rates continue to decline globally in the 21st century, the demographics of aging populations are undergoing an unprecedented change that will have significant consequences for the health outcomes of older adults-at-risk. According to demographic data in a joint report authored by five federal agencies, 8.5% of the world's population is currently age 65 and older, a figure projected to double by 2050. This chapter presents an analysis of the impact of climate change on the health outcomes of aging populations worldwide. It examines how the collaborative efforts of the federal government and the public health system can be utilized to create policies and programs that can prepare aging communities to deal effectively with the health consequences of our changing environment.


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