Populärvetenskapligt skrivande vidgar perspektivet och ökar förståelsen

<p>The capacity to explain subject matter to a non-specialist audience is one of the highest valued generic skills among science alumni of Lund University. Despite this fact, popular science communication is only poorly practiced during the undergraduate studies. In an earlier study we analyse...

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Main Author: Susanne Pelger
Format: Article
Language:Danish
Published: Cappelen Damm Akademisk NOASP 2011-06-01
Series:Högre Utbildning
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journals.lub.lu.se/index.php/hus/article/view/4754
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author Susanne Pelger
author_facet Susanne Pelger
author_sort Susanne Pelger
collection DOAJ
description <p>The capacity to explain subject matter to a non-specialist audience is one of the highest valued generic skills among science alumni of Lund University. Despite this fact, popular science communication is only poorly practiced during the undergraduate studies. In an earlier study we analysed the quality of popular science papers written by degree project students of biology. Our major observation was that most students had difficulties in changing perspectives, and in arguing the importance and relevance of their findings. In the project report we discussed the potential of popular science writing as a didactic tool. This is the main issue of the present article, which focuses on students’ own experiences of writing for the general public.</p><p>Through a web-based questionnaire 64 biology students have described what contribution the popular writing on their degree project has had to their learning. A vast majority expressed that the writing helped them change perspectives and see their discipline and project in a different light. Many of the students described that the popular science writing made it easier for them to see the bigger picture, to better understand the aim of their own work, and to realize what implications their results might have in the future. The students were also asked whether the popular science writing contributed to their understanding of the discipline. Even though less students were able to describe such a relationship, their answers altogether support the idea that the genre contributes to their understanding as well. My concluding remark is therefore that popular science writing is a useful tool for reflection, and that it would add significant value to the students’ capacity of changing perspectives, and accordingly to a deeper understanding of the discipline in a broad sense.</p>
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spelling doaj.art-de813242c3374c198ac2795d4888cdbd2023-09-02T18:07:35ZdanCappelen Damm Akademisk NOASPHögre Utbildning2000-75582011-06-01121011104381Populärvetenskapligt skrivande vidgar perspektivet och ökar förståelsenSusanne Pelger<p>The capacity to explain subject matter to a non-specialist audience is one of the highest valued generic skills among science alumni of Lund University. Despite this fact, popular science communication is only poorly practiced during the undergraduate studies. In an earlier study we analysed the quality of popular science papers written by degree project students of biology. Our major observation was that most students had difficulties in changing perspectives, and in arguing the importance and relevance of their findings. In the project report we discussed the potential of popular science writing as a didactic tool. This is the main issue of the present article, which focuses on students’ own experiences of writing for the general public.</p><p>Through a web-based questionnaire 64 biology students have described what contribution the popular writing on their degree project has had to their learning. A vast majority expressed that the writing helped them change perspectives and see their discipline and project in a different light. Many of the students described that the popular science writing made it easier for them to see the bigger picture, to better understand the aim of their own work, and to realize what implications their results might have in the future. The students were also asked whether the popular science writing contributed to their understanding of the discipline. Even though less students were able to describe such a relationship, their answers altogether support the idea that the genre contributes to their understanding as well. My concluding remark is therefore that popular science writing is a useful tool for reflection, and that it would add significant value to the students’ capacity of changing perspectives, and accordingly to a deeper understanding of the discipline in a broad sense.</p>http://journals.lub.lu.se/index.php/hus/article/view/4754naturvetenskappopulärvetenskapskrivandelärandedidaktik
spellingShingle Susanne Pelger
Populärvetenskapligt skrivande vidgar perspektivet och ökar förståelsen
Högre Utbildning
naturvetenskap
populärvetenskap
skrivande
lärande
didaktik
title Populärvetenskapligt skrivande vidgar perspektivet och ökar förståelsen
title_full Populärvetenskapligt skrivande vidgar perspektivet och ökar förståelsen
title_fullStr Populärvetenskapligt skrivande vidgar perspektivet och ökar förståelsen
title_full_unstemmed Populärvetenskapligt skrivande vidgar perspektivet och ökar förståelsen
title_short Populärvetenskapligt skrivande vidgar perspektivet och ökar förståelsen
title_sort popularvetenskapligt skrivande vidgar perspektivet och okar forstaelsen
topic naturvetenskap
populärvetenskap
skrivande
lärande
didaktik
url http://journals.lub.lu.se/index.php/hus/article/view/4754
work_keys_str_mv AT susannepelger popularvetenskapligtskrivandevidgarperspektivetochokarforstaelsen