Overcoming false public beliefs—possible strategies for improving environmental risk literacy

Risk communication researchers have pointed out repeatedly that successful risk communication can occur only when public risk perceptions and judgements are taken serious, and people are given risk information according to their needs. But how exactly this could be done, has been rarely addressed. Rowan (1988, 1990, 1991, 1992) has proposed that findings from research areas as diverse as instructional design, applied linguistics, educational psychology and, in particular, science education can be usefully applied to improve public knowledge of science, and technology. This paper introduces her theory of explanatory writing, and explores how false public beliefs about environmental risks can best be addressed by different explanatory strategies, and how people's cognitive undestanding of such issues can thus the enhanced and changed. In addition, the terms understanding and risk literacy are discussed, and preliminary definitions are proposed.

Key Words:

• Risk communication
• environmental literacy
• psychology
• education
• cognitive understanding