Susan Stocklmayer

Science Communication: A Contemporary Definition:

Science communication is a growing area of practice and research. During the past two decades, the number of activities, courses, and practitioners has steadily increased. But what actually is science communication? In what ways is it different to public awareness of science, public understanding of science, scientific culture, and scientific literacy? The authors review the literature to draw together a comprehensive set of definitions for these related terms. A unifying structure is presented and a contemporary definition of science communication positioned within this framework. Science communication (SciCom) is defined as the use of appropriate skills, media, activities, and dialogue to produce one or more of the following personal responses to science (the AEIOU vowel analogy): Awareness, Enjoyment, Interest, Opinion-forming, and Understanding. The definition provides an outcomes-type view of science communication, and provides the foundations for further research and evaluation.

The roles of the formal and informal sectors in the provision of effective science education

For many years, formal school science education has been criticised by students, teachers, parents and employers throughout the world. This article presents an argument that a greater collaboration between the formal and the informal sector could address some of these criticisms. The causes for concern about formal science education are summarised and the major approaches being taken to address them are outlined. The contributions that the informal sector currently makes to science education are identified. It is suggested that the provision of an effective science education entails an enhanced complementarity between the two sectors. Finally, there is a brief discussion of the collaboration and communication still needed if this is to be effective.

Images of electricity: how do novices and experts model electric current?

Research findings indicate that students’ understanding of electric current in simple circuits is confused by many alternative conceptions. The model of current which is universally accepted is one of moving electrons in a wire, responding to a difference in potential across the ends of the wire. Remedial teaching strategies have all sought to clarify this model, to enable students to predict circuit behaviour and solve circuit problems. It is possible, however, that this is not the most useful model. An examination of expert images has shown that many experts hold a field concept rather than a particle one. This paper addresses the relevance of these findings for classroom practice.

The communication of science and technology: past, present and future agendas

Community learning of science and technology has undergone radical review in the past few years. This paper outlines changes that have taken place in research methods that have addressed the informal learning of science, particularly in the museum sector. We discuss the shift in perspective that has occurred over the past three decades in the public understanding movement, examine some current issues, and suggest future directions for research. The paper concludes with a personal vision for the future of community learning about science and technology.

Science and the Public—What should people know?

The public understanding of science is a term now considered somewhat narrow and carrying connotations of a ‘deficit model’ of the public. Since the late 1980s, however, regular public surveys have been conducted to find out what facts about science the public knows. These include such questions as whether the Earth goes round the Sun, which is frequently quoted as an indication of public knowledge. The results of the surveys have been used as comparative measures of public understanding across time and across countries since their inception. Concurrently, however, there have been questions raised in the literature about the validity and meaning of these surveys. In this paper we review that literature. We also describe the results of administering the survey to over 500 scientists. The scientists found the questions problematic, especially if the topic of the question lay within their own discipline, and in many cases did not remember the correct answer. We discuss the implications of the findings for using such questions in public surveys and recommend that current assessments of public knowledge which use these questions be revised, recognising that such measures are not meaningful as indicators of public engagement with science.

The Design of Interactive Exhibits to Promote the Making of Meaning

Overview It is argued that the place of interactive exhibits in science and technology centres will only be assured when their design and use is based on an empirically-justified model which encompasses both entertainment and learning. In the light of research at Questacon, the Australian National Science and Technology Centre, a model for the Personal Awareness of Science and Technology (PAST) is put forward here and an application is made of PAST to existing interactive exhibits. The ability of interactive exhibits, designed using the model, to withstand current criticisms is evaluated.

A Historical Analysis of Electric Currents in Textbooks: A Century of Influence on Physics Education.

The typical model of electric current which we present to students is one of electron movement between points at different potentials. The problems associated with this model of electricity have been the subject of much educational research, particularly with respect to the use of analogies. The water-circuit analogy, especially, has received considerable attention. Despite this, students continue to hold remarkably persistent alternative conceptions about the nature of simple circuits. Historically, the electromagnetic field theories of Faraday and Maxwell constitute important steps towards modern understanding of transmission of electric current along a wire. Textbooks from 1891 to 1991, however, reflect remarkably little change in their presentation of direct-current circuitry, most texts by implication portraying, in various ways, a fluid model which predates Faraday. Against this background, this paper describes the ways in which textbooks interpret historical developments for teaching texts and the time which may elapse before such developments have an impact in the classroom. It also highlights important issues relating to the intrinsic merit of contemporary textbook treatments of electricity and examines their importance with respect to classroom teaching.

Changing the Order of Newton's Laws—Why & How the Third Law Should be First

Newtons laws are difficult both for teachers and students at all levels.1–3 This is still the case despite a long history of critique of the laws as presented in the classroom. For example, more than 50 years ago Eisenbud4 and Weinstock5 proposed reformulations of the laws that put them on a sounder, more logically consistent base than is presented in many textbooks without resorting to “intuitional or anthropomorphic contrivances.”5 In 1990, Arnold Arons6 wrote that “the Law of Inertia and the concept of force have, historically, been two of the most formidable stumbling blocks for students.” One might imagine, therefore, that by 2012 remedial strategies would have resolved these difficulties, but there is little evidence that the problem has been satisfactorily addressed. Diagnostic tools such as the Force Concept Inventory7,8 have cast light on areas of difficulty; remedial strategies have included historical approaches, computer simulations, analogical approaches, and many more.9–12 Nevertheless, pap...

Teaching Direct Current Theory Using a Field Model

Principles of direct current have long been recognised in the literature as presenting difficulties for learners. Most of these difficulties have been reported in the context of the traditional electron flow model. In this paper, an alternative approach for high school students using a field model is explored. Findings from a range of short pilot trials using this approach are described. These preliminary findings indicate that the field model, as an alternative approach to teaching about direct current, may be more successful than the traditional electron flow model for students in high school.

The Background to Effective Science Communication by the Public

To be effective with any audience, communication must be an interactive process. As Sless and Shrensky show in Chapter 6, science communicators who think only of the message and not of the ‘audience’ are likely to fail. Communication is essentially as much a matter of listening as it is of talking and, to be effective, each party must have some understanding of the other. In this chapter, I shall review what we know about the ways in which the general public views science and scientists and I shall consider some impediments to understanding which, if overlooked, may prevent effective scientific communication.