Validation and Exploration of Instruments for Assessing Public Knowledge of and Attitudes toward Nanotechnology

Lin, Shu Fen; Lin, Huann Shyang; Wu, Yi

doi:10.1007/s10956-012-9413-9

Cited by 33 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…This took the form of identifying and consulting approximately 120 contributions in the literature that contained, alluded to, or focused on nano-related education content. Examples of noteworthy contributions in this regard included Batt et al (2008), Jones et al, (2013), Lee et al (2005), Lin et al (2013), Scheufele et al (2009) and Stevens et al (2009)). An inductive literature analysis (e.g.…”

Section: Instrument Design and Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In chemistry, various diagnostic instruments have been designed and validated to assess conceptual components of chemistry including covalent bonding and structure (Peterson et al,1989) and a recent assessment tool developed to measure chemistry specific visual-perceptual skills (Oliver-Hoyo and Sloan, 2014). Furthermore, Shwartz et al (2006) have developed and validated a multi-dimensional concept assessment to measure students' chemical literacy, wherein the authors also highlight the importance of applying such instruments to fostering the understanding of chemical concepts among the public.Apart from the above diagnostic tools offered to probe constructs such as "genetic literacy" and "chemical literacy", the emerging notion of "nano literacy" has also witnessed the development and testing of multiple instruments focused on assessing attitudinal, affective and perception dimensions (e.g., Bainbridge, 2002;Cobb and Macoubrie, 2004;Siegrist et al, 2007;Lin et al, 2013). However, very little impetus has been on validating psychometric tools focused on the conceptual knowledge dimension of understanding nano per se: knowledge that deals with the scientific principles of nano.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Measuring understanding of nanoscience and nanotechnology: development and validation of the nano-knowledge instrument (NanoKI)

Schönborn

Höst

Palmerius

2015

Chem. Educ. Res. Pract.

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aAs the application of nanotechnology in everyday life impacts society, it becomes critical for citizens to have a scientific basis upon which to judge their perceived hopes and fears of 'nano'. Although multiple instruments have been designed for assessing attitudinal and affective aspects of nano, surprisingly little work has focused on developing tools to evaluate the conceptual knowledge dimension of public understanding. This article reports the validation of an instrument designed to measure conceptual knowledge of nanoscience and nanotechnology. A sample of 302 participants responded to a 28-item questionnaire designed around core nano-concepts. Factor analysis revealed a single latent variable representing the construct of nano-knowledge. Cronbach's alpha was 0.91 indicating a high internal consistency of the questionnaire items. The mean test score was 15.3 out of 28 (54.5%) with item difficulty indices ranging from 0.19 to 0.89. Obtained item discrimination values indicate a high discriminatory power of the instrument. Taken together, the psychometric properties of the Nano-Knowledge Instrument (NanoKI) suggest that it is a valid and reliable tool for measuring nano-related knowledge. Preliminary qualitative observations of citizens' incorrect and correct response patterns to the questionnaire indicate potential conceptual challenges surrounding relative size of the nanoscale, random motion of nano-objects, and nanoscale interactions, although these are hypotheses that require future investigation. Application of the NanoKI could support efforts directed to an agenda for evaluating and designing science communication and education initiatives for promoting understanding of nano. IntroductionNanoscience is rapidly becoming a revolutionary and core component of research interconnected with multiple areas of scientific endeavour (Roco, 2003;Whitesides, 2005). Absorption of real practical applications of nanoscience and nanotechnology into the daily life of citizens is underway (Sealy, 2006). While the implications of 'nano' continue to emerge in manifestations of cutting-edge nanomaterials and nanotherapeutics, many contemporary scholars (e.g., Roco and Bainbridge, 2005;Burri and Bellucci, 2008), deem it crucial that the international public be actively involved in discussion, decisions and policy associated with nano. In this regard, Laherto (2010) and Gilbert and Lin (2013) advocate the urgent implementation of a nano-education vision that not only caters to formal academic demands necessary for accruing nanocompetent workers, but also considers informal public dimensions in evoking the societal implications of nanoscience.This need is succinctly captured in Laherto's (2010) assertion that, "all citizens will soon need some kind of 'nano-literacy' in order to navigate important science-based issues related to their everyday lives and society" (p. 161).The nano-revolution is playing out in the convergence of nano with new technological innovation. The inevitable impact of nano on society requires interna...

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Section: Instrument Design and Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring understanding of nanoscience and nanotechnology: development and validation of the nano-knowledge instrument (NanoKI)

Schönborn

Höst

Palmerius

2015

Chem. Educ. Res. Pract.

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“…While nanofever persists, Laherto (2012) and Lin, Lin, and Wu (2013) highlight the urgent need for nanoscience education to also consider public dimensions. Indeed, the societal impact of nanotechnology conjures up perceptions of fear and paranoia on one hand, and sheer wonder and excitement on the other.…”

Section: Importance Of Nanotechnology and Nanoscience In Public Undermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The student data consisted of a written pre-and posttest (e.g. Gardner, Jones, Taylor, Forrester, & Robertson, 2010;Jones, Andre, Superfine, & Taylor, 2003) Bainbridge, 2002;Cobb & Macoubrie, 2004;Lin et al, 2013;Siegrist, Keller, Kastenholz, Frey, & Weick, 2007). The closed items were statements that students responded to using a visual analogue scale (VAS) (Funke & Reips, 2012;Mytton & Rumbold, 2011) by marking an "X" on a 10-centimeter line ranging from 0 ("Disagree" or "Beneficial") to 10 ("Agree" or "Risky").…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Development of an Interactive Immersion Environment for Engendering Understanding about Nanotechnology

Schönborn

Höst

Palmerius

et al. 2014

International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments

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The advent of nanoscientific applications in modern life is swiftly in progress. Nanoscale innovation comes with the pressing need to provide citizens and learners with scientific knowledge for judging the societal impact of nanotechnology. In rising to the challenge, this paper reports the developmental phase of a research agenda concerned with building and investigating a virtual environment for communicating nano-ideas. Methods involved elucidating core nano-principles through two purposefully contrasting nano “risk” and “benefit” scenarios for incorporation into an immersive system. The authors implemented the resulting 3D virtual architecture through an exploration of citizens' and school students' interaction with the virtual nanoworld. Findings suggest that users' interactive experiences of conducting the two tasks based on gestural interaction with the system serve as a cognitive gateway for engendering nano-related understanding underpinning perceived hopes and fears and as a stimulating pedagogical basis from which to teach complex science concepts.

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The Connection between the Local Chemistry Curriculum and Chemistry Terms in the Global News: The Glocalization Perspective

Chiu

Chou

2015

Chemistry Education

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Validation and Exploration of Instruments for Assessing Public Knowledge of and Attitudes toward Nanotechnology

Cited by 33 publications

References 39 publications

Measuring understanding of nanoscience and nanotechnology: development and validation of the nano-knowledge instrument (NanoKI)

Measuring understanding of nanoscience and nanotechnology: development and validation of the nano-knowledge instrument (NanoKI)

Development of an Interactive Immersion Environment for Engendering Understanding about Nanotechnology

The Connection between the Local Chemistry Curriculum and Chemistry Terms in the Global News: The Glocalization Perspective

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