Filter by keyword: Science communication: theory and models

Basic research underpins the innovations that power the global economy and shape society. It is the focus of scientific investment for both The Kavli Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Yet it has been rare to see basic research command much attention, practice, or scholarship in science communication. In December 2020, we launched the Science Public Engagement Partnership, or SciPEP, a limited term public-private partnership, to dive into basic science communication headlong. Our work through SciPEP has led to new insights about audiences’ relationship to basic science, as well as the needs and interests of those who communicate basic research. We see a path forward that involves forging more partnerships between scholars who study science communication and practitioners of basic science communication.

Although many science communicators strive to inspire audiences, scant research has sought to understand how media may evoke inspiration. The present study was a three-condition (modality: text-only, audio-only, and audiovisual) between-subjects experiment examining how media content about the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) motivated participants’ feeling moved, awe, curiosity, rumination, and their inspiration state. The findings revealed no statistical difference between using text or audio content, but that audiovisual content can hinder rumination if self-transcendent emotions are not induced. Findings revealed that content leading participants to feeling moved and experiencing awe should lead to reflective thought, and ultimately, feelings of inspiration.

In this Practice Insight, we consider challenges associated with dialogue-based public engagement with discovery science, related to a focus on application, the need for short-term policy impact, and the lack of conceptual attention to dialogue. We consider potential responses to these through our initial evaluation of The Hopes and Fears Lab engagement project. We suggest the potential value of foregrounding emotional connections with science for both researchers and members of the public, and the need for as much attention to be paid to the preparatory work and settings for dialogue as to the dialogue itself.

Social media engagement is typically associated with actions such as sharing, liking, or commenting, and is often measured as such in quantitative analyses. This essay explores what is being captured through these methods by `unpacking' such engagement, arguing for a practice-oriented approach that takes into account the mundane ways in which non-scientists may encounter and use scientific content. We describe practice theory in the context of media production and use, before illustrating the approach with material from comments on Facebook posts produced by science-related sources. In showing the uses of science content in maintaining social bonds or performing particular identities (for instance), we argue that science communication research needs to study the wider contexts of how and why users encounter science online, and that the notion of social media practices can help us to do so.

A guiding theory for a continuous and cohesive discussion regarding generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in science communication is still unavailable. Here, we propose a framework for characterizing, evaluating, and comparing AI-based information technologies in the context of critical engagement with scientific information in online environments. Hierarchically constructed, the framework observes technological properties, user experience, content presentation, and the context in which the technology is being used. Understandable and applicable for non-experts in AI systems, the framework affords a holistic yet practical assessment of various AI-based information technologies, providing both a reflection aid and a conceptual baseline for scholarly references.

This study addresses the perception of theoretical models and the application of evaluation indicators in the context of Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) within the digital environment of Brazilian federal universities. The model under validation was built based on the ideal types, presenting 26 indicators for monitoring and assessment. The results of a survey applied to communication managers in these institutions indicate the higher relevance of Type 1 indicators (Inform), with some institutions adopting Type 2 (Engage) indicators and, less frequently, Type 3 (Participate) indicators. Insufficient training in social media leads to platform-dependent evaluation. Despite being considered relevant, consistent monitoring remains irregular and is secondary in PCST programs.

This study explores the evolving, however also “messy”, role of communication professionals in higher education institutions (HEIs), who are involved in organizational science communication. Despite substantial growth and professionalization within HEIs' communication departments, limited research delves into these professionals' own perspectives and their self-understanding. Our investigation employs a metaphors-in-use perspective, through 26 interviews in ten Scandinavian HEIs. The paper contributes to the research on organizational science communication by unraveling the metaphors used by communication professionals: the salesman, the marketplace-facilitator, the police, the missionary, the storyteller, and the overhead-cost, gaining an understanding of how communication professionals perceive their own role.

In this article we explore normative professional expectations around science journalists in Saudi Arabia (KSA) and how news reporters do access, engage with, and use news sources. Against broader and more universal normative expectations, we found that journalists in that country used a low diversity of sources in science news reporting and depended on official and public relations sources. These findings point to a current lack of criticality in science media reporting in KSA and limited ability for media to hold science to account. In so doing, we offer explanations for the divergence and gaps.

Based on self-determination theory and the theory of planned behavior, this study explored the predictors and behavioral mechanisms associated with Chinese scientists' public engagement with science. The results indicated that scientists' participation was associated with their levels of perceived autonomy, their attitudes toward participation and the media, subjective norms, perceived policies, their own efficacy, specific facilitating conditions, habits related to communication, and their willingness to engage. Under different levels of autonomy, these indicators had different association with scientists' willingness to engage and their reported participation in science communication activities. As levels of controlled motivation (or external requirement to communicate) increased, more negative effects related to willingness to participate or self-reported participation were identified, and amotivation (a lack of motivation) had a direct negative association with participation. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Scientific temper, a mainstay in Indian science policies and science communication/education programmes, conceptualises citizens as scientifically conscious and powerful agents that approach societal issues with a rational and critical mind rather than taking refuge in religious, superstitious and pseudoscientific worldviews. Our essay provides a brief history of this term and compares it with existing science communication models to demonstrate how, despite sharing commonalities, it is distinct from models like deficit, dialogue, and participation. We elucidate how scientific temper fosters critical features like a process-oriented approach, reflexivity, democratisation of scientific expertise and being a potential tool for decolonisation. Lastly, we propose scientific temper as an alternate framework for democratising knowledge-making and -sharing, building an engaged deliberative citizenry, and studying science-society relationships overall.