Does the apple fall far from the tree?: reviewing the communication of scientific information about GMOs

Textual Content ◽

The Way

Online content is changing the way the public accesses and understands science. The staggering number of often conflicting online sources about science makes it difficult for the lay public to know where to turn in search of accurate scientific information. This project will examine how the nature of online content might be affecting how the public learns about science. Through textual content analyses, it will examine the chain of communication (scientists→online media→public) and document how scientific information evolves. Okanagan Specialty Fruits’ Arctic apple, a genetically modified organism (GMO) that has had the polyphenol oxidase (PPO) gene silenced, will be used as a case study. Three primary themes guide my research: the public understanding of science (PUS), the communication of risk and uncertainty, and social epistemology. The primacy of the PUS movement in public venues for science makes it an important theory for my project, while theories of risk/uncertainty and social epistemology will inform my analysis. My results suggest that: 1) stories about science often include over and understatements of uncertainties and risks; 2) online media stories apply rhetorical frames when reporting scientific information, but the way in which framing is used appears to be reflective of whether the author wishes to persuade their audience; and 3) the rhetorical frames used by online stories about science are not typically integrated into the public’s commentary in a meaningful way, supporting the notion that audiences are active rather than passive and that the public seeks out content that complements their pre-existing beliefs.

Understanding understanding: a model for the public learning of radioactivity

10.1088/0963-6625/8/4/301 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 267-284 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Steve Alsop

Keyword(s):

Informal Learning ◽

Background Radiation ◽

Public Understanding Of Science ◽

Public Understanding ◽

Change Model ◽

Potential Health ◽

The Public ◽

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.

Identifying diffusion patterns of research articles on Twitter: A case study of online engagement with open access articles

10.1177/0963662518761733 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 2-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Juan Pablo Alperin ◽

Charles J Gomez ◽

Stefanie Haustein

Keyword(s):

Open Access ◽

Science Communication ◽

Research Evaluation ◽

Academic Community ◽

Public Understanding ◽

The Public ◽

Online Engagement ◽

Limited Diffusion

The growing presence of research shared on social media, coupled with the increase in freely available research, invites us to ask whether scientific articles shared on platforms like Twitter diffuse beyond the academic community. We explore a new method for answering this question by identifying 11 articles from two open access biology journals that were shared on Twitter at least 50 times and by analyzing the follower network of users who tweeted each article. We find that diffusion patterns of scientific articles can take very different forms, even when the number of times they are tweeted is similar. Our small case study suggests that most articles are shared within single-connected communities with limited diffusion to the public. The proposed approach and indicators can serve those interested in the public understanding of science, science communication, or research evaluation to identify when research diffuses beyond insular communities.

Science on display: the representation of scientific controversy in museum exhibitions

10.1088/0963-6625/1/1/010 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 69-87 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Sharon Macdonald ◽

Roger Silverstone

Keyword(s):

Scientific Community ◽

Food Industry ◽

Food Poisoning ◽

Public Understanding ◽

Scientific Controversy ◽

The Public ◽

Museum Exhibitions ◽

Structural Aspects

This article raises issues concerning popular representations of science, and in particular of scientific controversy, through a case-study of the treatment of food poisoning controversy in a museum exhibition. It is argued that the science that is created for the public is shaped not only by the overt intentions of the exhibition makers but also by constraints inherent in structural aspects of the exhibition-making process and exhibition philosophies. More specifically, we argue that some of the strategies intended to foster public understanding of science create problems for the representation of scientific controversy, and, more generally, for certain types of science. The article also gives attention to scientific sources and the politics of the museum's relationship with the scientific community and the food industry. The contrast with other media is made throughout the article as a means of highlighting the different strategies employed, and constraints experienced, by the various institutions involved in putting science on display for the public.

Cultural distance between peoples' worldview and scientific knowledge in the area of public health

Journal of Science Communication ◽

10.22323/2.03040201 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 03 (04) ◽

pp. A01 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Gauhar Raza

Keyword(s):

Cultural Distance ◽

Scientific Information ◽

Formal System ◽

Target Population ◽

Public Understanding ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Public ◽

Modern Education ◽

Distance Model ◽

Understanding Of Science

The objective of the present paper is an attempt to measure the public understanding of science in the area of health and hygiene and test the efficacy of "cultural distance model". A pre-tested open-ended questionnaire was used for administering cross-sectional surveys at a religio-cultural festival in India. 3484 individuals were interviewed and responses were coded and entered to construct computer database. The data was used for determining the cultural distance of five scientific concepts from the quotidian life of the target population. In developing countries, the formal system of modern education operates as a strong determinant in shaping cultural structures of thoughts prevalent among the citizens. There exists a cultural distance between the scientific structure of configuring natural occurrences and peoples' complexity of thoughts. The distance varies significantly across the concepts that were subjected to the inspection and is a function of the nature of scientific information.

Virtual Science Centers

Web-Based Education ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-102-5.ch019 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 308-329 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

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 ◽

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.

Kaleidoscoping public understanding of science on hygiene, health and plague: a survey in the aftermath of a plague epidemic in India

10.1088/0963-6625/6/3/004 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 247-267 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Gauhar Raza ◽

Bharvi Dutt ◽

Surjit Singh

Keyword(s):

Scientific Information ◽

Public Understanding ◽

Access To Information ◽

The Public ◽

Information Level ◽

Short Period ◽

Modern System ◽

Degree Of Confidence ◽

High Degree

In September 1994 a plague epidemic hit a number of cities in India. Though the spread of the disease was controlled within a short period of about one month, its influences on various channels of information, on the functioning of government departments (especially health and sanitation), on the scientific community and on people's scientific information level were remarkable. This paper analyses the responses of 1127 individuals interviewed in December 1994. The data indicates high levels of informedness about health, hygiene and plague, with little reference to extra-scientific explanations of the causes of the epidemic. Respondents expressed a high degree of confidence in the modern system of medicine. From this analysis we also infer that the public could not be described as `superstitious', `unscientific' or `unhygienic': only when denied access to information and civic amenities did they show extra-scientific thinking or `unhygienic' behaviour.

Mapping mental models of science communication: How academics in Germany, Austria and Switzerland understand and practice science communication

10.1177/09636625211065743 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 096366252110657

Author(s):

Sabrina Heike Kessler ◽

Mike S. Schäfer ◽

David Johann ◽

Heiko Rauhut

Keyword(s):

Mental Models ◽

Public Engagement ◽

Science Communication ◽

Large Scale ◽

Communication Theory ◽

Public Understanding ◽

Communication Model ◽

The Public ◽

The Way

The mental models that individual scholars have of science communication – how it works, what it is supposed to achieve and so on – shape the way these academics actually communicate to the public. But these mental models, and their prevalence among scholars, have rarely been analysed. Drawing on a large-scale, representative web survey of academics at universities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland ( n = 15,778) from 2020, we identify three mental models that are prevalent among scholars, and that correspond to conceptual models found in science communication theory: ‘Public Understanding of Science’, ‘Public Engagement with Science’ and ‘Strategic Science Communication’. The results suggest that the ‘Strategic Science Communication’ model is particularly prevalent among academics in precarious employment and female scholars. Extrinsically motivated academics, that is, those under pressure to win grants, also seem to use science communication more strategically. The ‘Public Engagement’ model is prevalent among older and female scholars, while ‘Public Understanding’ is particularly prevalent among scholars who find their work especially meaningful. Findings also reveal that academics’ mental models largely align with the way they practice science communication.

Social network science: pedagogy, dialogue, deliberation

Journal of Science Communication ◽

10.22323/2.09010204 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 09 (01) ◽

pp. A04 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Richard Watermeyer

Keyword(s):

Social Network ◽

Social Space ◽

Scientific Information ◽

Social Network Sites ◽

Public Understanding ◽

Pedagogical Tool ◽

User Input ◽

The Public ◽

Online Spaces ◽

Understanding Of Science

The online world constitutes an ever-expanding store and incubator for scientific information. It is also a social space where forms of creative interaction engender new ways of approaching science. Critically, the web is not only a repository of knowledge but a means with which to experience, interact and even supplement this bank. Social Network Sites are a key feature of such activity. This paper explores the potential for Social Network Sites (SNS) as an innovative pedagogical tool that precipitate the ‘incidental learner’. I suggest that these online spaces, characterised by informality, open-access, user input and widespread popularity, offer a potentially indispensable means of furthering the public understanding of science; and significantly one that is rooted in dialogue.

The roles of rhetoric in the public understanding of science

10.1088/0963-6625/3/1/001 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 3-23 ◽

Cited By ~ 109

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 ◽

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.