The relationship between the meanings of science, technology and the environment and attitudes towards science, technology and the environment: A cross-cultural study

• Grant number: 17/23699-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: February 19, 2018
• End date: February 18, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Knobel
• Grantee: Ananias Queiroga de Oliveira Filho
• Supervisor: Pablo Jensen
• Host Institution: Núcleo de Desenvolvimento da Criatividade (NUDECRI). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: École Normale Supérieure, Lyon (ENS), France
• Associated to the scholarship: 15/17716-4 - Studies of public understanding Science and Technology, BP.PD

Abstract

cultural studyThis research is inside a broader project which intends to add for the indicators construction and expand the knowledge about the Public Understanding of Science (PUS). Thus, the principal aim of this study is to make a transcultural study and make a comparison between the researchers and the population in general in relation to the science, technology and environment meaning and in this way to understand the importance of the signification in the attitudes and practices in relation to Science, Technology and Environment in the Brazil and France's context.It is believed that the understanding of the meaning, socially constructed, are able to give a consistent base for a elaboration of indicators and contents for a handling of public politics (Pessoa & Pinheiro, 2005). Understanding the collective meanings of the concepts is a privileged way to learn how people relate and guide their conducts in relation to some themes (Sternberg, 2008) In order to achieve the objective proposed in this project the Natural Semantics Network technique analyses will be used (NSN).Step 01: To adapt and look for evidences of validity for the attitude questionnaire in relation to science and technology.Instruments: Three questionnaires will be used 1 - questionnaire of attitudes about science and technology; 2 - questionnaire about consume and interest in pieces of information related to science and technology; 3 - questionnaire of sample characterization.Data analyses: To evaluate the evidences of inner validity and check the number of factors in the questionnaire of attitudes a method of parallel analyses will be used (O'Connor, 2000) which keep just present factors own values higher than those which had been made by one matrix of matrix of data that are equivalent to random of experimental data. The item answer theory will be used for evaluating the questionnaire. In order to evaluate the quality of the items adjust indices infit and outfit will be used. Step 2: To do a comparison between the scientists and the general population in relation to the meaning of science, technology and environment and understand the importance of the meaning in the attitudes and practice in relation to science, technology and environment.Instruments: There are the descriptions of the instruments bellow:1- Based in the NSN model of Figueroa, Gonzáles e Solís (1981) the instrument will be composed by four pages the first giving pieces of information about the research and showing an example of expected answer. 2- Attitude scales of ecocentric and anthropocentric.3 - Questionnaire of attitude face to S & T 4- Knowledge evaluation about science, technology and environment;5- Questions about the consume and interest about science, technology and environment will also compose this research;6-sociodemographic profile of the participants and show questions about practices and environmental cares.Procedures: The instruments will be applied individually or collectively further the participants permission.Data analyses: Beyond to calculate the descriptive indicators (frequency, average, pattern deviation) It will be analyzed the NSN indicators (Reyes-Lagunes, 1993) Network size, Semantic weight, Network core, Quantitative semantic distance and affectionate charge. Step 3: Comparison of obtained results in Brazil and France.