Stepping stone or stumbling block? Mode 2 knowledge production in sustainability science

Thorén, Henrik; Breian, Line

doi:10.1016/j.shpsc.2015.11.002

Cited by 23 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…From the perspective of knowledge production, it can be framed to resemble the mode of Mode-2 science (Nowotny et al 2001). Sustainability science carries the features of transdisciplinarity and strong societal contextualization and implies systemic change in knowledge production, institutional use, and how it is utilised in the society-thus, transformation (Thorén and Breian 2016). Continuing, that "part of the mission of sustainability science is to determine what knowledge is needed" (Miller 2013, p.285).…”

Section: Sustainability Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%

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Sustainability science in education: analysis of master’s programmes’ curricula

2019

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Sustainability science is an emerging, free-standing scientific discipline. It has introduced a new approach to both sustainability research and educational programmes, while evoking novel perspectives to stronger societal contextualization. Among several other areas of sustainability research, competencies for sustainability have become a focal topic of sustainability education research. This research explores the educational programmes and the representation of the theory-based key competencies for sustainability. Through a qualitative content study of 45 master programmes associated with sustainability science, we aim to understand what kind of sustainability competencies can be found in sustainability science master's programmes and how they reflect the current discussions of the discipline of sustainability science and possibly drive the future education in the field. The study reveals that commonly suggested competencies including systems thinking, anticipatory, strategic, interpersonal, and normative competencies were frequently mentioned as content and learning outcomes in the curricula and are firmly present and widely employed in sustainability education. Additionally, this study identified three other clusters of competencies: diverse modes of thinking, methodological plurality, and competencies for autonomy. In addition to the contribution to education in the field by suggesting three emerged competencies for sustainability science specifically, we aim to contribute to the ongoing discussion about the discipline by suggesting a process-oriented framing of sustainability science.

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Section: Sustainability Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…To what extent does the theory of the sustainability science develop based on the programmes in action? Finally, whether sustainability science is as transformative as it aspires to be remains to be seen (Thorén and Breian 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability science in education: analysis of master’s programmes’ curricula

2019

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“…In our view, the boundaries between Mode 1 and Mode 2 science are more fluid than described by their authors. This is due, in part, to the now more widely recognized value of Mode 2 knowledge production in science and society (Boaz, Biri, & McKevitt, 2016; Thorén & Breian, 2016). For example, social science researchers increasingly acknowledge the importance of transparency in science, the value of culturally situated and indigenous epistemologies, the need to identify public benefits from taxpayer-funded research, the necessity of local accountability by scientists to communities, and the potential gains from application-oriented research (Tebes et al, 2014; Trickett, Beehler, Deutsch, & Trimble, 2011).…”

Section: Contemporary Changes In How Science Is Understood and Practicedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interdisciplinary team science and the public: Steps toward a participatory team science.

Tebes

Thai

2018

American Psychologist

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Interdisciplinary team science involves research collaboration among investigators from different disciplines who work interdependently to share leadership and responsibility. Although over the past several decades there has been an increase in knowledge produced by science teams, the public has not been meaningfully engaged in this process. We argue that contemporary changes in how science is understood and practiced offer an opportunity to reconsider engaging the public as active participants on teams and coin the term participatory team science to describe public engagement in team science. We discuss how public engagement can enhance knowledge within the team to address complex problems and suggest a different organizing framework for team science that aligns better with how teams operate and with participatory approaches to research. We also summarize work on public engagement in science, describe opportunities for various types of engagement, and provide an example of participatory team science carried out across research phases. We conclude by discussing implications of participatory team science for psychology, including changing the default when assembling an interdisciplinary science team by identifying meaningful roles for public engagement through participatory team science. (PsycINFO Database Record

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“…Rather than explicitly engaging in comparison with other approaches, the authors simply assert that action-oriented SS is "commonly situated within Mode 2 and post-normal framings" of science with roots in "pragmatist philosophy," while other modes of scientific knowledge production, which they reduce to "technocratic or linear understandings of how to create change" are brushed aside as "not adequate." While the authors imply consensus on the field, it is perhaps telling that such "post-normal," "Mode-2" and "pragmatist" framings are not directly included in the most recent, authoritative review of prominent influences in SS (see Clark and Harley 2020, p. 359), illustrating the lack of consensus regarding what is considered core to SS (see also Thorén and Breian 2016).…”

Section: Compare With Competing Alternativesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three crucial considerations when presenting alternative paradigms in sustainability research

Boda

Harnesk

2022

J Environ Stud Sci

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Sustainability science (SS) is diverse field of problem-driven and solution-oriented research that is still developing. The further maturation of the field relies on its practitioners formulating alternative paradigms to use-inspired knowledge production to facilitate comparison and reasoned judgment on what constitutes scientific best practices. In this short article, we flag several blind spots that can arise in attempts to articulate potential paradigms in SS. We identify and discuss three crucial components that should be included when constructing and presenting potential paradigms in the field, namely the necessity of 1) comparing suggested alternatives with available competitors, 2) preserving scientific integrity in scientific knowledge production, and 3) clarifying the particular contribution of scientific knowledge to social change. Keeping sight of these three important issues will allow the still developing field of SS to mature in a way that builds on scientific comparison and reasoned judgment among the field’s practitioners, with implications for advancing its research agenda. The issues we outline here should not only concern authors, but reviewers and editors of SS journals as well.

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Stepping stone or stumbling block? Mode 2 knowledge production in sustainability science

Cited by 23 publications

References 22 publications

Sustainability science in education: analysis of master’s programmes’ curricula

Sustainability science in education: analysis of master’s programmes’ curricula

Interdisciplinary team science and the public: Steps toward a participatory team science.

Three crucial considerations when presenting alternative paradigms in sustainability research

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