The reflexive scientist: an approach to transforming public engagement

Abstract

Calls for greater public engagement with science (PES) are widespread, but there appears to be little agreement on the meaning and purpose of engagement across the various actors calling for it. This reflects a persistent gulf between PES scholars and scientists communicating with the public. We argue that direct engagement between PES scholars and scientist-communicators could, by facilitating greater reflexivity, lead to a step-change in the calibre and clarity of activities that are designed to support enhanced public engagement with science and technology. In this paper, we, as authors beginning from different perspectives, explore the potential of, and barriers to, a conversation between critical social scientists and members of the science community about public engagement. We demonstrate how and why the PES literature does not Bspeak for itself^to scientists but provides a starting point for conversation rather than a substitute for it. We then explore what reflexivity might mean for PES and argue for three important foci: political-economic context or politics of the field; institutional context; and personal assumptions. We then discuss barriers to, as well as strategies for, fostering such reflexivity, concluding that new models of authorship and publication are needed if this promise is to be fulfilled.

Between Vision and Reality: A Study of Scientists’ Views on Citizen Science

“…This would serve for better methodological triangulation, for increasing the number of scientists participating, and for eliminating biases caused by qualitative interpretations. Such exploration could support empirically based recommendations for motivating scientists to be more involved in citizen science projects, in public engagement initiatives, and in encouraging scientists toward greater reflexivity (Salmon et al 2015).…”

“…How to encourage scientists to participate in public engagement activities is still an unanswered question (Salmon et al 2015). However, a number of studies have suggested that scientists' motivations include the drive to enhance the public's positive attitudes toward science, increasing public awareness of scientific concepts, and convincing the public of the importance of the scientists' role (Besley et al 2013;Davies 2008;Martin-Sempere et al 2008).…”

“…One way to bring scientists involved in citizen science projects to consider more public involvement may be to enhance their intrinsic motivation to take part in it (Salmon et al 2015). This could involve appealing to their moral compass or by underscoring the normative importance of citizen involvement.…”

Introduction: understanding adaptation in the context of social theory

“…Recognizing the persistent disconnect between the framing of adaptation research and the social processes that drive adaptation responses, recent arguments in the adaptation literature have expressed a need for a more reflexive approach toward the questions that are being asked by adaptation researchers as well as the methods used in pursuit of those questions (Preston et al 2015;Salmon et al 2017). If adaptation researchers are to help identify pathways for capitalizing on opportunities and overcoming common constraints associated with adaptation, additional attention needs to be focused on developing more fundamental understanding of what drives the implementation of adaptation in practice.…”

Public Support for Wetland Restoration: What is the Link With Ecosystem Service Values?

“…It is important to get more interested in our audience beyond treating them as 'recipients for expert knowledge' (Salmon et al 2015), as most people do not learn about science through formal education but through informal sources (Groffman et al 2010). When forming ideas and attitudes about ecological restoration, people often do not rely on logical arguments and reasoning, but on knowledge they draw from experiences, e.g.…”