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Abstract
Educational efforts to promote effective oral science communication at the undergraduate level tend to reinforce strategies related to impression management. Students are taught tactics that can be used to create the impression of competent science communication without reflectively considering epistemological beliefs. Deeper aspects of oral science communication, including underlying epistemic functions, are overlooked. In this article, we examine an undergraduate biology course that includes student reflection about the nature of science communication. Rather than treating science communication as a task of impression management, we prompted students to reflect on their views of science communication. Our findings show that students’ oral performances while they give presentations aligned with their personal views of what it means to communicate scientifically. Viewing science communication primarily as a verbal craft (i.e., an activity with a specialized verbal design) encouraged students to make effective use of verbal strategies during presentations. By contrast, students’ tendency to overlook visual communication in scientific exchanges led to visual performances in need of improvement. Our findings highlight the need for instructional approaches that offer students opportunities to engage in reflective discussions about what it means to communicate scientifically.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Alandeom W. Oliveira
Alandeom W. Oliveira ([email protected]) is a professor in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice at State University of New York at Albany. Adam O. Brown is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology and a cross-appointed professor in the Faculty of Education, Marissa Carroll is an undergraduate student in the Department of Biology, and Tiffany Bretzlaff is a doctoral student in the Department of Biology, all at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. Elizabeth Blenkarn is a policy analyst at Environment and Climate Change Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Bradley Austin is a research technician at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Adam O. Brown
Alandeom W. Oliveira ([email protected]) is a professor in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice at State University of New York at Albany. Adam O. Brown is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology and a cross-appointed professor in the Faculty of Education, Marissa Carroll is an undergraduate student in the Department of Biology, and Tiffany Bretzlaff is a doctoral student in the Department of Biology, all at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. Elizabeth Blenkarn is a policy analyst at Environment and Climate Change Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Bradley Austin is a research technician at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Marissa Carroll
Alandeom W. Oliveira ([email protected]) is a professor in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice at State University of New York at Albany. Adam O. Brown is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology and a cross-appointed professor in the Faculty of Education, Marissa Carroll is an undergraduate student in the Department of Biology, and Tiffany Bretzlaff is a doctoral student in the Department of Biology, all at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. Elizabeth Blenkarn is a policy analyst at Environment and Climate Change Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Bradley Austin is a research technician at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Elizabeth Blenkarn
Alandeom W. Oliveira ([email protected]) is a professor in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice at State University of New York at Albany. Adam O. Brown is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology and a cross-appointed professor in the Faculty of Education, Marissa Carroll is an undergraduate student in the Department of Biology, and Tiffany Bretzlaff is a doctoral student in the Department of Biology, all at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. Elizabeth Blenkarn is a policy analyst at Environment and Climate Change Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Bradley Austin is a research technician at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Bradley Austin
Alandeom W. Oliveira ([email protected]) is a professor in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice at State University of New York at Albany. Adam O. Brown is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology and a cross-appointed professor in the Faculty of Education, Marissa Carroll is an undergraduate student in the Department of Biology, and Tiffany Bretzlaff is a doctoral student in the Department of Biology, all at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. Elizabeth Blenkarn is a policy analyst at Environment and Climate Change Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Bradley Austin is a research technician at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Tiffany Bretzlaff
Alandeom W. Oliveira ([email protected]) is a professor in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice at State University of New York at Albany. Adam O. Brown is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology and a cross-appointed professor in the Faculty of Education, Marissa Carroll is an undergraduate student in the Department of Biology, and Tiffany Bretzlaff is a doctoral student in the Department of Biology, all at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. Elizabeth Blenkarn is a policy analyst at Environment and Climate Change Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Bradley Austin is a research technician at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.