Scientific Literacy and the Competition for Public Attention and Understanding

Paisley, William

doi:10.1177/1075547098020001009

Cited by 27 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Published definitions or explanations of general computer literacy 9,19,22 were not considered in the articles reviewed. Oenema and colleagues 33 defined computer literacy as the sum of individuals' frequency and ease of computer use; Thumboo et al 32 presented a scale which seemed to measure computer skills but was also referred to as a measure of computer literacy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do we need to understand the technology to get to the science? A systematic review of the concept of computer literacy in preventive health programs

Dominick

Friedman

Hoffman‐Goetz

2009

Health Education Journal

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Objective To systematically review definitions and descriptions of computer literacy as related to preventive health education programs. Method A systematic review of the concept of computer literacy as related to preventive health education was conducted. Empirical studies published between 1994 and 2007 on prevention education programs with a computer literacy component were found using medical/health, communication, information science and education databases. Results A total of 464 citations were retrieved from 12 databases using specific search terms. Six articles met the inclusion criteria of: search terms in title, abstract and/or key words; peer-reviewed; original empirical research; and written in English. Conclusion Findings show limited and inconsistent definitions of com puter literacy in the literature on computer-based prevention inter ventions. Without a clear construct of computer literacy, it 297 will be difficult to determine the impact of such programs on health information seeking and, ultimately, health status. IntroductionHealth information has become much more accessible to the general population with the availability of the Internet. Internet access has increased by 36.7 per cent over the past 6 years with 54.7 per cent of computer owners having access in 2003 compared with only 18.0 per cent in 1997 1 . A 2006 national study reports that 20 per cent of Americans consider the Internet to be their primary source for science news; 80 per cent of US adults search for health information online, mostly about specific diseases and medical conditions 2,3 . A relevant study by Hesse and colleagues 4 found that although individuals preferred going to their physicians for specific health information, close to 50.0 per cent reported going online first; only 10.9 per cent approached their doctors before consulting Internet resources; these individuals who consulted their doctors first tended to be seniors aged 65 years and older.Internet users have diverse backgrounds. A growing number of ethnic minority groups are going online. For example, over 50.0 per cent of African-Americans searched for health information online in 2000 5 . Ten per cent more African-Americans than whites (45 per cent versus 35 per cent) said the Internet helped them with their healthcare information needs. It should be noted, however, that a digital divide still exists: Internet use is lower for whites (32 per cent), Hispanics (31 per cent) and African-Americans (25 per cent) who did not graduate from high school 6 . While Internet use has increased for seniors over time, the majority of older adults aged 65 and older (66 per cent) are still not using this technology 2 . Health/medical websites need to include plain language and age and culturally appropriate resources for diverse users 7 .Having access to online information does not imply that consumers also possess the necessary skills to seek out and locate accurate and credible health or science related resources 8,9 . Three-quarters of online individuals reported checking ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do we need to understand the technology to get to the science? A systematic review of the concept of computer literacy in preventive health programs

Dominick

Friedman

Hoffman‐Goetz

2009

Health Education Journal

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“…For example, Paisley (1998) identified at least forty-five topical literacies in journals, including sexual or historical literacy and computer or statistical literacy. They all claim a share of public attention and understanding.…”

Section: Figure 2 a Processual Model Of Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

PEP/IS: A New Model for Communicative Effectiveness of Science

Kim

2007

Science Communication

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Public engagement with a problem or an issue relative to science (PEP/IS) is suggested as an alternative and complementary model for understanding the communicative effectiveness of science. PEP/IS is conceptualized as the process of individual and collective problem solving in relation to science and exemplified with South Korean exploratory data. Finally, further steps for improving PEP/IS and related research capability are suggested with communicative effectiveness being anticipated.

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“…Th is type of provision has favoured the growth of initiatives for the popularization of science in several European countries, including with the creation of numerous Public Understanding of Science (PUS) programmes (Paisley 1998;Laugksch 2000). In addition, the various community directives on biotechnologies adopted later by the member states emphasize the role of information delivered by public authorities to citizens.…”

Section: Biotechnologies and Democratic Processes: An Interpretive Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biotechnologies and Communication: Participation for Democratic Processes

Pellegrini

2009

Comp Sociol

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Th e emergence of biotechnologies in the broader context of the so-called risk society requires consideration, comprehension and management of a series of social questions. Th is is necessary in order to justify decisions on potentially risky phenomena, and not only with accurate measurements or probabilistic calculations of the possible eff ects. Equally important are detailed examinations of the political and communicative processes able to represent and refl ect upon the various sensitivities and attitudes of the actors involved.

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Scientific Literacy and the Competition for Public Attention and Understanding

Cited by 27 publications

References 4 publications

Do we need to understand the technology to get to the science? A systematic review of the concept of computer literacy in preventive health programs

Do we need to understand the technology to get to the science? A systematic review of the concept of computer literacy in preventive health programs

PEP/IS: A New Model for Communicative Effectiveness of Science

Biotechnologies and Communication: Participation for Democratic Processes

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