February 1st, 2001 | RESEARCH
As part of a focus group exploratory study into the feasibility of presenting to the public an on-going review of new findings or issues in major fields of science research, 128 adult participants noted which two of ten contemporary science research areas they were most interested in. Of note is the fact that all classification variables (except gender) were unrelated to topic appeal. Interest in each research topic was not influenced by age; educational level; minority/majority grouping; total household income; occupational status; and perceived need for science knowledge in one's employment. Tentatively, we could conclude that the audience for contemporary science information is more homogeneous than media analysts might predict. However, recognition of the strong gender influence is important to recognize in designing effective media presentations for public understanding of current science research.
Document
GenderDiffsInScienceInterest_2001.pdf
Team Members
Barbara Flagg, Author, Multimedia ResearchCitation
Publication: The Leading Edge: Enhancing the Public Understanding of Research: Conference Proceedings at Museum of Science, Boston
Funders
Funding Source: NSF
Funding Program: ISE
Award Number: 0003893
Related URLs
Feasibility and Viability of Science Media Review Concept -- A Small Grant for Exploratory Research
Tags
Access and Inclusion: Women and Girls
Audience: Adults | Educators | Teachers | Evaluators | General Public | Learning Researchers | Museum | ISE Professionals
Discipline: General STEM
Resource Type: Audience Study | Conference Proceedings | Evaluation Reports | Reference Materials
Environment Type: Broadcast Media | Media and Technology | Websites | Mobile Apps | Online Media