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535 publications found

Aug 19, 2024 Article

Understanding public perceptions of revolutionary technology: the role of political ideology, knowledge, and news consumption

by Chia-Ho Ryan Wen and Yi-Ning Katherine Chen

This study investigates public perceptions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Taiwan, focusing on the roles of political ideology, science news consumption, and knowledge. Analyzing responses from 502 participants, the research reveals that political ideology has a limited impact on AI benefit perceptions but likely becomes more significant with increased AI application. The study suggests that, for narrow AI, science news consumption and content knowledge are more influential than political ideology. It emphasizes the need for tailored communication strategies and highlights the positive association between respect for science authority and favorable AI perceptions. The findings provide essential insights for policymakers navigating AI adoption.

Volume 23 • Issue 05 • 2024

Aug 05, 2024 Article

Metaphors of communication professionals in higher education: between the trivial and significant

by Hogne Lerøy Sataøen, Daniel Lövgren and Simon Neby

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.

Volume 23 • Issue 05 • 2024

Jul 29, 2024 Article

The power of dinosaurs: lessons learned from the sharing of #SciArt on Twitter

by Laerie McNeil, Chantal Barriault, Birha Farooqi, Ian Black, Ann Pegoraro and Thomas J. S. Merritt

We used netnographic analysis to outline a structure of the #SciArt community on Twitter/X finding a surprising interest in dinosaurs, even in the midst of a pandemic. Recently, SciArt, broadly, science-themed art, has gained attention among science communicators for its ability to engage a wide range of audiences in scientific findings. We gained insights into how paleoart passes between and among audiences and explored the phenomena of perennially popular dinosaur-themed works of SciArt in popular science communication. We discussed these effects and how they could be used to engage people with SciArt in science communication efforts.

Volume 23 • Issue 05 • 2024

Jul 15, 2024 Article

Science journalism in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: news sources engagement and [lack of] science accountability

by Abdullah Alhuntushi and Jairo Lugo-Ocando

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.

Volume 23 • Issue 05 • 2024

Jul 08, 2024 Article

Exploring the behavioral mechanisms of Chinese scientists' public engagement with science based on an integrative model

by Yang Li and Lijun Zhu

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.

Volume 23 • Issue 05 • 2024

Jul 01, 2024 Article

Brazilian National Science and Technology Week: a case study on engagement behaviors and impacts on the public

by Wilmo Ernesto Francisco Junior

This practice insight describes a case study in which structured observation and questionnaires (for visitors and presenters) were combined to investigate a public science event during Brazilian National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) in 2019. A very large proportion of participants (68.6% of visitors and 25 of the 31 presenters) had been unaware of the NSTW. Among those visitors who showed initial engagement, more than half progressed towards more effective engagement behaviors. The relaxed atmosphere favored the public's participation. Activities in generic locations in less favored areas are relevant to reach out to a diverse audience. Further research is recommended for critical assessment of similar events.

Volume 23 • Issue 05 • 2024

Jun 17, 2024 Article

Housing activists' science communication: online practices as contextual and reflexive

by Andrea Schikowitz and Sarah R. Davies

Based on an understanding of science communication as `social conversation about science', in this paper we explore how technoscientific knowledge is communicated through housing activists' use of online media. We analyse collaborative housing groups in Vienna and find that their online communication practices are contextual and reflexive: technoscientific knowledges are always contextualised through the activists' political issues, while the activists constantly reflect on and negotiate their means and style of communication. The case both offers insights into the diverse ways and sites in which public sense-making about science takes place, and inspiration for other forms of science communication.

Volume 23 • Issue 05 • 2024

Jun 03, 2024 Article

Plants and Peoples exhibit at MUHNAC: analysis of traditional and scientific medicine from the perspective of the Epistemologies of South

by Martha Marandino and Maria Paula Meneses

The article explores the ““Cure, Malaria, Frederic Welwitsch and the Healer”” theme of the exhibition “Plants and Peoples” from the Museum of Natural History and Science, Portugal. The study focuses on the research carried out by German naturalist F. Welwitsch on local plants in Angola as well as on history of lived colonial experience A. M. Mafumo, a healer from Mozambique, arrested for practicing “traditional medicine”. Using the analytical framework of the Epistemologies of the South we analyze the relationships between traditional and scientific knowledge using documentation, as well as interviews with curators and visitors. The article questions the exhibit' dialogue between these knowledges as an expression of an ecology of knowledges.

Volume 23 • Issue 04 • 2024 • Special Issue: Science communication for social justice

Jun 03, 2024 Article

Science communicators from marginalized backgrounds challenge STEM cultural norms to promote community belonging

by Evelyn Valdez-Ward, Robert N. Ulrich, Nic Bennett, Esmeralda Martinez-Maldonado, Allison Mattheis, Kathleen K. Treseder, Bruno Takahashi and Sunshine Menezes

In the U.S., navigating STEM with marginalized identities can affect scientists' communication practices. There is a critical need for science communication training that accounts for the historical oppressions, discriminations, and inequities of marginalized communities. In this paper we analyzed 712 participant responses from ReclaimingSTEM science communication workshops to understand how marginalized scientists' identities influence their science communication practices. We found that participants' experiences of exclusion and hostility in STEM spaces influenced their engagement in science communication. Scientists from marginalized backgrounds aim to change the culture of STEM through their communication efforts to promote a sense of belonging for their communities.

Volume 23 • Issue 04 • 2024 • Special Issue: Science communication for social justice

May 27, 2024 Article

Navigating the AI era: university communication strategies and perspectives on generative AI tools

by Justus Henke

This study conducts a pioneering empirical analysis of generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, in the context of university communication across German universities. It explores the adoption rates, identifies the primary challenges, and assesses the potential of these technologies, integrating several theoretical concepts. The findings reveal a widespread use of AI for translation and language correction, with broader applications gradually emerging. Adoption rates vary significantly between private and public universities, largely due to concerns over technical issues, data protection, and AI usability. The results underscore the need for enhanced training and AI policies that support effective integration and use.

Volume 23 • Issue 03 • 2024