How knowledge acquisition shapes system understanding in small-scale fisheries

Klein, Sina A.; Broek, Karlijn L. van den; Luomba, Joseph; Owiti, Horace; Mbilingi, Bwambale; Akumu, J.

doi:10.1016/j.cresp.2021.100018

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…This finding is in line with previous research that has demonstrated that participants with higher levels of education tend to have more complex mental models of sustainable agriculture (Levy et al, 2018) and climate change (Varela et al, 2020). Furthermore, these findings are also in line with a recent study that showed that informal knowledge acquisition among Lake Victoria stakeholders resulted in different causal beliefs on the Nile perch stock than formal knowledge acquisition (Klein et al, 2021). This is likely because education provides individuals with input for their mental models and the ability to observe or seek out information about systems to further develop their mental model (Greca and Moreira, 2000;Rapp, 2005).…”

Section: Validity Of M-toolsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…We tested the usability and validity of M-Tool in two studies with Tanzanian fishers at Lake Victoria. According to local stakeholders, the key challenge in this region is the declining Nile perch fish stock, but the cause for this trend remains unclear, and perceptions on this seem to differ widely ( van den Broek, 2019 ; Klein et al, 2021 ). The importance and diverse views on the drivers of the Nile perch stock fluctuation make it a suitable topic for mental model elicitation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluating the Application of the Mental Model Mapping Tool (M-Tool)

et al. 2021

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Mental models influence how individuals think and act in relation to their external environment and have been identified as leverage points to address sustainability challenges. Given the importance of mental models, a new tool to assess mental models has been developed: the Mental Model Mapping Tool (M-Tool). M-Tool was designed to have a standardized format and to be user-friendly for low literacy populations, using pictograms and audio instructions. In this paper, we evaluate M-Tool’s application in two studies with Tanzanian fishers. In Study 1, we investigated M-tool’s convergent validity compared to standard interviewing methods (n = 30). Study 2 investigated M-Tool’s construct validity by relating mental model complexity to participants’ education level (n = 185), a relationship that has been well established. The findings show that (1) mental models produced with M-Tool are more complex than mental models obtained through interviewing techniques; (2) model composition is similar across the two methods; and (3) participants with higher levels of education tend to produce more complex mental models with M-Tool than participants with lower levels of education, in line with previous research. These findings suggest that M-Tool can successfully capture mental models among diverse participants. This tool offers researchers and practitioners an instrument to map and compare perceptions of (conservation) challenges across groups.

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Section: Validity Of M-toolsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the Application of the Mental Model Mapping Tool (M-Tool)

et al. 2021

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“…The results demonstrate the most detailed accounts of participants' mental models of the energy transition to date. Differences in mental models between experts and citizens may be due to different ways of obtaining information and learning about the energy transition, resulting in different system understandings (Klein et al, 2021). Alternatively, the mental model differences may reflect different stakes or roles in the transition, shaping attention processes that affect the development of mental models.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mental models were elicited with M-Tool (van den Broek, Klein, et al, 2021), a standardised tool with which participants create a visual representation of their mental models. Support for M-Tool's convergent and construct validity has been provided (van den , and the tool has previously been applied to capture mental models of the drivers of socio-ecological systems , COVID-19 transmission (de Ridder et al, 2022), and the plant-based protein transition (van den Boom et al, 2023).…”

Section: Mapping Mental Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expert and citizen perceptions of the energy transition: A mental model approach

van den Broek,

de Jager,

Doran

et al. 2024

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How actors perceive the transition pathways towards sustainable energy production and use is likely to influence their support in their everyday behaviour and political engagement toward the energy transition. Mapping actor’s mental models of the energy transition can provide key insights into such perceptions. The present study is the first to systematically map mental models of the energy transition, compare mental models between actor groups, and explain differences in mental models with political orientation and worry about climate change. We mapped mental models about the energy transition among a sample of experts (N=25), and representative samples of Dutch (N=299) and Norwegian citizens (N=313). Participants visualised their perceptions of the causal relations of energy transition pathways by drawing a diagram using a standardised tool to map mental models (M-Tool). The results demonstrate (1) a key focus in the mental models on renewable energy generation such as solar panels, wind farms, and hydropower, (2) that expert mental models are more focused on policy pathways compared to citizen mental models, (3) that mental models of more right-winged actors focus less on individual behaviour than left-winged actors, and (4) that climate change worry results in more focus on individual behaviour and policy pathways in the mental models. Policymakers could use these insights when developing communications concerning the energy transition, for example, by tailoring their messages to the mental models of the target group.

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