The Cross Ignorance Approach Can End the Conflict Between Scientists and Journalists and Contribute to the Public Understanding of Science Efforts

In the early 1960s, first in the USA and Britain and then in many countries, the debates initiated by scientists that the public's interest in scientific developments is gradually decreasing, the sense of trust in scientists is also weakening, which will endanger the future of the countries, has started to be influential in the world of science and politics. When the surveys conducted at that time began to confirm these concerns, it raised the question of how to find a solution to this problem. This issue has attracted the attention of almost every segment of society from academics to politicians. The concerns that the public is less and less interested in the developments in science and technology, that their trust in scientists is decreasing, and that this endangers the future of the countries, was expressed by scientists for the first time, and this problem started to be discussed in the context of science and politics. In the 1980s, some social scientists developed the "deficit model", in other words the "knowledge deficit" model, to help to solve this problem. The Knowledge Deficit model is based on the assumptions that the public is unaware of the basic scientific facts, therefore exhibits negative attitudes towards science and some scientific applications, they distrust scientists, and if the basic scientific facts are taught to the public, they will develop attitudes that support science and scientific practices, and will start to trust scientists. In this study, the Cross Ignorance approach, which examines the assumptions on which the Knowledge Deficit model is based, in terms of different variables is proposed. The Knowledge Deficit model, which asserts that there is an information gap in the public and that if this gap is filled, attitudes will develop in the public to support scientific developments and scientists, has not considered the possibility that there may be an information gap in scientists and journalists who are are expected to play an important role in filling the supposed information gap in the public. This paper proposes the Cross Ignorance approach, which claims to contribute to developing attitudes in the public to support science and to build trust in scientists. The Cross Ignorance approach looks at this issue from a different perspective than the Knowledge Deficit model does. The Cross Ignorance approach is important in terms of proposing a different perspective to researchers, which can contribute to the elimination of the scientist-journalist conflict, and ultimately to Public Understanding of Science efforts

Çapraz Bilgisizlik Yaklaşımı, Bilim İnsanları ve Gazeteciler Arasındaki Çatışmayı Sona Erdirebilir ve Bilim Çabalarının Halk Tarafından Anlaşılmasına Katkıda Bulunabili

1960'ların başında önce ABD ve İngiltere'de, daha sonra birçok ülkede bilim adamlarının başlattığı, halkın bilimsel gelişmelere olan ilgisinin giderek azaldığı, bilim insanlarına duyulan güven duygusunun da zayıfladığı, bunun da ülkelerin geleceğini tehlikeye atacağı yönündeki tartışmalar, bilim ve siyaset dünyasında etkili olmaya başlamıştır. O dönemde yapılan anketlerin de bu endişeleri doğrular nitelikte sonuçlar vermeye başlaması, bu soruna nasıl çözüm bulunacağı konusunu gündeme getirmiştir. Bu konu akademisyenlerden, politikacılara kadar toplumun hemen her kesiminin ilgisini çekmiştir. Halkın bilim ve teknolojideki gelişmelere gittikçe daha az ilgi gösterdiği, bilim adamlarına olan güveninin azaldığı ve bunun da ülkelerin geleceğini tehlikeye attığı endişeleri ilk kez bilim adamları tarafından dile getirilmiş ve bu sorun bilim ve siyaset bağlamında tartışılmaya başlamıştır. 1980'lerde bazı sosyal bilimciler bu sorunu çözmeye yardımcı olmak için "eksiklik modeli", diğer bir deyişle "bilgi eksikliği" modelini geliştirmiştir. Bilgi Eksikliği modeli, halkın temel bilimsel gerçeklerden habersiz olduğu, bu nedenle bilime ve bazı bilimsel uygulamalara karşı olumsuz tavırlar sergilediği, bilim adamlarına güvenmediği ancak halka temel bilimsel gerçekler öğretilirse, bilimi ve bilimsel uygulamaları destekleyen ve bilim adamlarına güven duyan tutumlar geliştireceği varsayımına dayanmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, Bilgi Eksikliği modelinin dayandığı varsayımları farklı değişkenler açısından inceleyen Çapraz Bilgisizlik yaklaşımı önerilmektedir. Halkta bir bilgi eksikliği olduğunu ve bu boşluğun doldurulması halinde halkta bilimsel gelişmeleri ve bilim adamlarını destekleyecek tutumların gelişeceğini ileri süren Bilgi Eksikliği modeli, bu sözde boşluğun doldurulmasında önemli bir rol oynaması beklenen bilim adamları ve gazetecilerde de bilgi eksikliği olabileceği olasılığını göz önünde bulundurmamıştır. Konuya Bilgi Eksikliği modelinden daha farklı bir perspektiften bakan bu çalışma, halkta bilimi destekleyen ve bilim insanlarına güven duyan tutumlar geliştirmeye katkıda bulunacağını savunan Çapraz Bilgisizlik yaklaşımını önermektedir. Çapraz Bilgisizlik yaklaşımı, araştırmacılara, bilim insanı-gazeteci çatışmasının ortadan kaldırılması ve sonuçta, Halkın Bilim Anlayışı çalışmalarına katkıda bulunabilecek farklı bir bakış açısı önermesi bakımından önemlidir.

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