Browsing by Author "Mcintosh White, Judith"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Building Science Communication Strategies. New or Existing Initiatives
(Lexington Books, 2023) Vásquez Guevara, Denisse Helena; Mcintosh White, Judith; Weiss, David; Ochoa Avilés, Angélica María
After reviewing the available methodological paradigms of participatory methodologies, their data collection tools, and how these have been effectively used in science communication projects, we present two case studies developed by some of the authors of this book. In this endeavor, we aim to provide our readers with a full spectrum of how science communication strategies can be developed according to the needs and interests of audiences and scientists. In Case Study 6 A Todo Pulmón (ATP), With Your Whole Lungs, we present a participatory research study we designed to develop informational and behavioral tools to support asthma self-management of children and teenagers and their caregivers in Ecuador, based on the reported barriers and limitations that young patients and their families face around this chronic illness. Case Study 7 presents the results of a multiple-case study developed in two countries around two already-existing health behavior change programs, which promoted children’s healthy nutrition and physical activity. This study explored how to develop engaging science communication in culturally diverse scenarios through a participatory evaluation approach that aimed to improve audience engagement. Finally, we suggest three broad guidelines to plan science communication strategies and develop content and tools that use research findings to create collaboratively useful resources for audiences, with the goal of promoting audience engagement.
Decolonizing Science Communication. A Road for Envisioning Public Engagement
(Lexington Books, 2023) Vásquez Guevara, Denisse Helena; Weiss, David; Mcintosh White, Judith; Ochoa Avilés, Angélica María
As evidenced in Chapter 2, science communication requires evolving from a deficit paradigm to dialogic and participatory frameworks in order to promote newer practices to overcome several limitations that maintain a distant and tense atmosphere between science and society. This chapter presents several reflections that combine decolonial thought and science communication processes to explain how and why research processes have contributed to enacting practices that leave people behind. Moreover, we will offer a reflection on how to practice self-reflexivity applied to science communication studies and tangible practices to conduct research that provides participants a voice. Finally, we will combine decolonial epistemologies with other streams of Western scholarship that provide clear guidelines for researchers who want to develop ethical science communication.
Methodological Alternatives that Promote Public Engagement for Science Communication
(Lexington Books, 2023) Mcintosh White, Judith; Ochoa Avilés, Angélica María; Vásquez Guevara, Denisse Helena
Science communication has dramatically evolved in the past two decades from dissemination strategies to more dialogic communication that requires reflecting on how to foster interaction, interest, and participation among non-expert audiences and scientists. For this reason, several scholars have suggested developing science communication through the paradigm of participatory methodologies for research and practical initiatives (Bucchi & Trench, 2014; Haywood & Besley, 2014; Pearce et al., 2015). However, the literature on the subject indicates that developing participatory frameworks for research and practical initiatives has been challenging, and frequently, deficit-based strategies tend to be reproduced even through efforts of dialogic initiatives, such as science communication events and town halls in public museums (Davies, 2008). Developing research and practical initiatives that promote interchange between scientists and non-experts from the broader public requires learning more about public engagement and participatory methodologies. To overcome deficit-based science communication, participatory action research (PAR) has been suggested by science communication scholars as a promising methodological approach (Bucchi & Trench, 2014; Holliman et al., 2008; Leach et al., 2008) that can guide more nuanced paradigms for research and practice and develops innovative strategies that unite researchers and audiences around science.
The Evolution of Science Communication
(Lexington Books, 2023) Vásquez Guevara, Denisse Helena; Weiss Jay, David; Mcintosh White, Judith
Science communication is a complex field, one whose origins, supporting theories, and conceptual debates must be explored if we are to understand its evolution and its prevailing paradigms. To do so, in this chapter, we summarize the history of science communication and, in particular, the communication theories that inform and provide criteria for its applications, which include choosing appropriate spokespeople to deliver science content to audiences; developing guidelines for the selection and design of scientific content that is comprehensible for non-expert audiences; and determining the most effective communication conduits through which to deliver science communication campaigns and individual messages. In this chapter, we also explore alternative communication models for science communication and discuss a number of studies about the outcomes of the application of these models. Finally, we consider the discipline’s current evolution, highlighting in particular relational dialectics theory as a base upon which to build 21st-century science communication approaches for successful public engagement.