Search

Search results

• Date of publication May 23, 2022 Category: Article

  Anti-scientific beliefs predict health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic

  by Nathanael Johnson , Glenn Sparks , Cheri Sparks

  There exist today many forms of anti-scientific beliefs, from extreme views like the QAnon conspiracies, to misconceptions about vaccines and cancer treatment. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented to us a situation in which the public is being asked by medical experts and politicians alike to trust in science and follow after various health recommendations like wearing masks or getting vaccinated against the virus. We used an anti-science belief scale [Morgan et al., 2018] to assess how preexisting beliefs that run counter to the scientific narrative predict behaviors during the pandemic. We found that people who were more accepting of those anti-scientific positions trusted medical information and experts less and engaged less in recommended health behaviors, while simultaneously showing a more favorable view of Trump's actions as President during the pandemic.

  Volume 21 • Issue 03 • 2022

• Date of publication May 16, 2022 Category: Article

  “Cover your mouth and nose”: communication about health protection behaviors by role models in YouTube COVID-19 videos for children

  by Jocelyn Steinke , Carolyn A. Lin , Tamia Duncan , Viviana Zambrano

  YouTube videos offer a potentially useful vehicle for the communication of science, health, and medical information about COVID-19 to children. Findings from this research showed that primary characters appearing in children's educational YouTube videos about COVID-19 were most often adults, with about an equal number of men and women and few characters from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Primary characters frequently demonstrated and modeled protective health measures. Adult expert characters (medical professionals and scientists) appeared to some extent in these videos. Directive discourse frames appeared most frequently, followed by the informative and persuasive discourse frames when communicating scientific and health information. Changes in the use of informative, directive, and persuasive frames before and after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced guidelines on how to communicate about COVID-19 with children are explored.

  Volume 21 • Issue 03 • 2022

• Date of publication May 09, 2022 Category: Article

  Does democratizing access to science imply democratizing science? A case study of non-corporate Spanish-speaking science YouTubers

  by David Vasquez-Muriel , Jorge M. Escobar-Ortiz

  In recent years, access to science content production has been democratized. New actors can make their discourses reach large audiences through popular platforms with no institutional gatekeeping. However, it remains unclear which conceptions of the science-society relationship underlie science content created by non-corporate individuals. To explore how science communication cultures of boosters and critics inform this kind of science content in Spanish, we conducted a qualitative content analysis of a sample of 50 videos from ten YouTube science channels. Our results suggest that more accessible science communication does not necessarily entail a democratized view of science but may reinforce a traditional perspective.

  Volume 21 • Issue 03 • 2022

• Date of publication May 02, 2022 Category: Practice Insight

  A standard for public consultation on science communication: the CONCISE project experience

  by Carolina Llorente , Gema Revuelta , Malgorzata Dziminska , Izabela Warwas , Aneta Krzewińska , Carolina Moreno-Castro

  Citizen consultations are public participation mechanisms designed to inform public policy and promote public dialogue. This article describes a deliberative consultation conducted within the CONCISE project framework. The aim was to gather qualitative knowledge about the means and channels through which European citizens acquire science-related knowledge, and how these influence their opinions and perceptions with respect to four socially relevant topics: vaccines, complementary and alternative medicine, genetically modified organisms, and climate change. In 2019, the CONCISE project carried out five citizen consultations in Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Italy and Portugal to explore the understanding of nearly 500 citizens, enabling the development of a standard for the carrying out of citizen consultations on science communication.

  Volume 21 • Issue 03 • 2022

• Date of publication Apr 26, 2022 Category: Article

  “Easy to join in your pyjamas”: benefits and barriers of online science engagement at Australia's 2020 National Science Week

  by Olivia F. McRae , Ellie Downing , Alice Motion , Chiara O'Reilly , Reyne Pullen

  In 2020, National Science Week events shifted online in response to Australian COVID-19 restrictions. Our research captures this rapid pivot from in-person to online science events, exploring experiences through audience and presenter questionnaires, and follow-up interviews. We examine characteristics of audiences for online science events, benefits and barriers of these events, and opportunities for online engagement. Key benefits were ease of attendance, new experiences enabled online, and greater control and flexibility. Lack of social interaction, technology issues, and audience reliability were identified as barriers. Our research suggests online events operate in a different sphere to in-person events and informs the delivery of engaging online experiences.

  Volume 21 • Issue 03 • 2022

• Date of publication Apr 20, 2022 Category: Practice Insight

  Science communication during COVID-19: when theory meets practice and best practices meet reality

  by Christopher D. Wirz , Ashley Cate , Markus Brauer , Dominique Brossard , Lori DiPrete Brown , Kaiping Chen , Pauline Ho , D. Gavin Luter , Haley Madden , Sara Schoenborn , Bret Shaw , Cory Sprinkel , Don Stanley , Gail Sumi

  This paper synthesizes the efforts of an interdisciplinary, University-convened communication task force in the U.S. that used science communication theory to develop an effective strategy during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. We outline recommendations for researchers and practitioners who are, or are interested in, implementing theory-based communication practices while describing how we dealt with the unforeseen realities we faced. Overall, we recommend that effective public health and science communication should be based on theory and formative evaluation while relying on established infrastructure, real-time data, a deep understanding of intended target audiences, and intentional coordination with community partners.

  Volume 21 • Issue 03 • 2022

• Date of publication Apr 11, 2022 Category: Editorial

  Welcome message from the new editorial duo

  by Michelle Riedlinger , Marina Joubert

  In this editorial, we reflect on our new roles as Editor-in-Chief and Deputy Editor of JCOM. We acknowledge the work of previous editors of JCOM, the Editorial Office and the wider JCOM community who have contributed to the success of the journal. We introduce the new Editorial Board and future directions for the journal, and we encourage suggestions from authors, reviewers and readers for taking the journal forward.

  Volume 21 • Issue 03 • 2022

• Date of publication Mar 28, 2022 Category: Essay

  The Group Provisory Conclusion, a powerful tool for science debut

  by Marima Hvass-Faivre d'Arcier

  This article will take you through the evolution of our approach in presenting and communicating science. For twenty years ‘1, 2, 3, sciences’ has run participatory live workshops for adults. A special tool, the Group Provisory Conclusion or GPC, involving each participant, contributes to the success. Our expectation was to rekindle the public’s interest through participatory methods, supported by the emergence of collective intelligence. It describes our actions to help people reduce their apprehension towards science.

  Volume 21 • Issue 02 • 2022 • Special Issue Participatory science communication for transformation (PCST2020+1) (PCST2020+1)

• Date of publication Mar 28, 2022 Category: Editorial

  Participatory science communication for transformation

  by Jennifer Metcalfe , Toss Gascoigne , Fabien Medvecky , Ana Claudia Nepote

  Participatory science communication featured in several sessions and individual papers at the 2021 online conference of the Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) Network. This coverage recognises the drive away from linear communication to more participatory forms of science communication. In this special edition we present practice insights, papers and essays that explore participatory science communication. These contributions explore definitions, processes and describe case-studies of participatory science communication which involve a variety of publics, from young school students to Indigenous groups to farmers. In this introductory editorial we reflect on the papers, describe the growth of a participatory approach as part of the continuing evolution of science communication; explore a definition for participatory science communication; and consider some of the key concepts and issues that emerged.

  Volume 21 • Issue 02 • 2022 • Special Issue Participatory science communication for transformation (PCST2020+1) (PCST2020+1)

• Date of publication Mar 28, 2022 Category: Article

  Emergence of perceptions of smart agriculture at a community/campus farm: a participatory experience

  by Chi-I Lin

  This study provides a practice insight into campus/community co-farming as a communication experience connecting civic participants and experts in exploring the potential applications of smart agriculture. The observation focuses on participants' perceptions of smart-agri practices. The objectives of smart-agri practices have been identified to reduce negative environmental impact and meet local challenges; their development corresponds to the civic value-driven experience of promoting sustainable agriculture with low-risk, trackable information. Relatively few studies on smart-agri communication have engaged with the non-expert level. The findings highlight a viable participatory communication form of problem-solving, the public's trust of expertise, and a vision for inclusive socio-economic applications of smart agriculture.

  Volume 21 • Issue 02 • 2022 • Special Issue Participatory science communication for transformation (PCST2020+1) (PCST2020+1)