Public understanding of science: from contents to processes

Public understanding of science is commonly seen in terms of lay persons' understanding of the contents of science. This article argues that it may be more salient to consider public understanding of the internal processes of science ‐ of the nature of scientific knowledge and of the sorts of information that science can reasonably be expected to provide. Drawing on the reported statements of non‐scientists in the media following the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident, the article argues that the view of scientific knowledge that many people appear to hold is not one that can help them interpret and cope successfully with sts issues. The role that formal science education plays in sustaining this unhelpful view of science is discussed and some implications for practice are considered.     

Searching for randomised controlled trials and clinical controlled trials in Thai online bibliographical biomedical databases

Background: Thailand is a poor but highly literate country in South‐East Asia with over 60 million people. A lot of biomedical research is undertaken but dissemination is limited. Objectives: To identify relevant Thai bibliographic databases and investigate accessibility, functionality and content, particularly in relation to randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and clinical controlled trials (CCTs). Methods: A systematic search for institutions productive of research and the databases in their libraries. Search each accessible database in both Thai and English, recording the functionality and content. Assess accessibility of the retrieved RCTs or CCTs by comparing to Pub Med holdings. Results: We found 32 different databases (29 accessible in UK) of various sizes, coverage and functionality but many with unique records of RCTs and CCTs (total, n = 781). Two hundred and nine of 781 trials were accessible on Pub Med (27%). However, 641 of the 781 trial records contain text in both English and Thai (82%) and 112 records were solely English (14%). Conclusions: Those undertaking comprehensive searches for RCTs/CCTs should, in addition to a Pub Med , search the Thai Medical Index and Thai Index Medicus databases, and the Khon Kaen University Library Catalogue.     

POLARIZED PRIORITIES OR FLEXIBLE ALTERNATIVES? DIMENSIONALITY IN INGLEHART'S MATERIALISM--POSTMATERIALISM SCALE

Ronald Inglehart's Postmaterialism thesis has undoubtedly beenone of the most influential ideas in cross-national and cross-temporalresearch on political behavior over the past two decades. Thewide-ranging debate and criticism generated by the Inglehartthesis has focused both on theoretical issues concerning thenature of values and on methodological issues concerning themeasurement of Materialism and Postmaterialism, particularlythe method for ranking individual responses. Using a data setthat employed both the original ranking method for measuringvalues and an alternative rating method, we explore the dimensionalstructure of these values and discuss the implications of differencesbetween the two measurement strategies. The two-dimensionalsolution provided by the rating method is, we argue, a moretheoretically appropriate way of understanding Materialist andPostmaterialist values than the notion of a single conflictdimension, since it allows for a more flexible and realisticaccount of the choices made by most social actors—choiceswhich may represent both Materialism and Postmaterialism.     

The role of "children's hearings" in child abuse and neglect

The juvenile justice system established in Scotland in 1971, in which lay volunteers play a central part, provides a framework for making decisions about children in need of care and protection as well as those who have committed delinquent acts. Although cases of child abuse and neglect have come increasingly to the attention of children's hearings in recent years, they nevertheless constitute a small fraction of a workload dominated by cases of delinquency and truancy. A recent Scotland-wide study of the hearings system therefore gave only limited attention to the processing of abuse and neglect referrals. As a step towards rectifying this imbalance, a separate enquiry was carried out in 1981, when 43 such hearings were systematically observed and the participating panel members interviewed. Examination of these results indicates a heavy dependence on social workers' recommendations, a reluctance to open up sensitive areas for discussion, even though these may be of central importance, and an apparent lack of curiosity about the arrangements made for children removed from their homes, and the implications of these. In general, it is concluded that the anxiety generated by child abuse and neglect has prevented panel members from recognizing the distinctive features of their role in the decision-making process and has led them to fall back on an inappropriate model of practice derived from delinquency hearings. An alternative model is outlined.     

Management training and national sport organization managers: Examining the impact of training on individual and organizational performances

Within sport, a tremendous amount of effort is committed to the on-the-field performance of athletes and coaches, neglecting the off-the-field performance and development of sport managers. This study examines the impact of human resource training on the performance of five Canadian national sport organizations (NSO) and their managers (N = 22). Data were collected on three outcome variables (learning, individual performance, organizational performance) and three mediating variables (motivation to transfer, training design, organizational climate) at three time measures (pretraining, post-training¹, post-training²). Results indicate that training improves the learning and individual performance of sport managers, as well as the organizational performance of NSOs. Varying relationships were found at each of the three time measures, demonstrating that a progression to training-related performance change exists. Implications and future research directions are discussed and highlighted the need for on-going training opportunities for Canadian sport managers.