What's Happened with American Adult Understanding of Science Knowledge and Process: 1979-2014

美国成年人对科学知识和过程的理解发生了什么？随着时间的推移，我们对美国公众对科学技术的理解了解多少？在工业和后工业民主国家，公民经常参与科学技术的决策和实施。成年普通公众的公民科学技术素养，或公众理解，被默契地理解为有助于创造一种氛围，促进明智的政策讨论，支持“科学事业”，提高生活质量。总的来说，公众可能会抵制一些发展，例如转基因食品，而接受另一些发展，例如互联网。此外，许多利益相关者——家长、教育工作者、立法者和雇主——都担心美国在科学教育方面“落后”，或者未能培养出足够数量的标准与技术专业人员。考虑到对科学技术的参与和反应，有必要定期评估普通公众的科学知识，以及他们对科学是如何进行的理解。调查成年人的科技知识和态度可以帮助教育者制定更有效的课程；它还可能有助于鼓励科技领域的更大多样性。例如，比较工程师和科学家的刻板印象可以让我们了解年轻人选择更多的应用研究还是更多的理论研究。调查普通公众如何看待科学家之间的一致性（例如，关于全球变暖），可能会建议如何沟通科学中有争议或没有争议的问题，帮助公民更准确地评估来自不同专家的信息。该项目通过研究性别、种族和教育维度如何随时间和世代与公民科学技术素养相关，解决了其中的几个问题。该项目分析了1979 -2016年美国国家科学基金会公众科学技术认知调查（The NSF Surveys）的数据。美国国家科学基金会的调查对美国成年人进行了反复的横断面概率调查。最初（1981-2001）大多数是随机数字拨号电话采访。最近（2006-2016），综合社会调查（GSS）进行了亲自采访。问题涉及科学知识和态度、理解科学探究、信息技术获取、对科学家和工程师的刻板印象、对科学家活动的看法以及广泛的人口信息，特别是关于教育的信息。一些分析集中在基础科学知识如何与科学探究理解联系起来，以及两者如何与背景变量相关，以及如何随时间和世代而变化。例如，目前一些对老年人使用信息技术的分析混淆了年龄、时间段和年龄，因此可能会导致雇主对“精通技术”的员工存在隐性年龄歧视。这样的分析需要更新1979-2006年的数据档案，并将其与2008年、2010年、2012年、2014年和2016年更新的GSS调查合并。第二个数据库包含了关于成人对科学过程理解的深入项目，可以与青少年对国家教育进步评估的反应进行比较。本课题的统计分析包括回归分析、方差分析、验证性因子分析、结构方程模型、多重分类分析、loglinear模型，包括中介和调节因子。结果通过专业渠道传播，也在一般读者更容易获得的报告中传播。

What's Happened with American Adult Understanding of Science Knowledge and Process? 1979-2016 What do we know about American's public understanding of science and technology over time? In industrial and post-industrial democracies, citizens often participate in science and technology (S&T) decision-making and implementation. Civic science and technology literacy, or public understanding, among the adult general public is tacitly understood to help create a climate that facilitates intelligent policy discussions, supports the "science enterprise," and enhances quality of life. Overall, the general public may resist some developments, e.g., genetically modified foods, while adopting others, e.g., the Internet. In addition, many stakeholders--parents, educators, legislators, and employers--are concerned that the United States is "falling behind" in science education or failing to develop sufficient numbers of S&T professionals. Given engagement in and reaction to science and technology, it is imperative to periodically gauge S&T knowledge among the general public, as well as their understanding of how science is conducted. Examining S&T knowledge and attitudes among adults can help educators plan more effective coursework; it also may help encourage greater diversity in science and technology fields. For example, comparing engineer and scientist stereotypes may provide insight into young adult choices of more applied versus more theoretical research careers. Examining how general public adults perceive concordance among scientists (e.g., about global warming) may suggest how to communicate what is--or is not--controversial in science, helping citizens to evaluate more accurately information from diverse experts. The project addresses several of these concerns, by examining how gender, ethnicity, and dimensions of education, relate to civic science and technology literacy over time and by generation.The project analyzes data from The National Science Foundation Surveys of Public Understanding of Science and Technology (The NSF Surveys), 1979 -2016. The NSF Surveys examine repeated cross-sectional probability surveys of American adults. Initially (1981-2001) most were random digit dial telephone interviews. More recently (2006-2016) the General Social Survey (GSS) has conducted in-person interviews. Questions address science knowledge and attitudes, understanding science inquiry, information technology access, stereotypes about scientists and engineers, perceptions of scientists' activities, and extensive demographic information, especially about education. Several analyses center on how basic S&T knowledge links to science inquiry understanding, and how both relate to background variables, and changes over time and by generation. For example, some current analyses of older adults' use of information technology confound age, time period, and generation, and thus may contribute to covert age discrimination among employers who want "tech-savvy" workers. Such analyses require updating a data archive spanning 1979-2006, amalgamating it with newer GSS surveys from 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016. A second database incorporates in-depth items on adult understanding of science processes, making possible comparisons with responses from youth on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Statistical analyses on this project include regression, analysis of variance, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, structural equation models, Multiple Classification Analysis, and loglinear models, including mediators and moderators. Results are disseminated through professional channels and also in reports more accessible to general audiences.