Natural resource decisions require consideration at many levels, ranging from
how one invertebrate will be affected by a nearby road, to how an entire watershed
will be transformed by a massive clearcut. Considerations reach farther than just the
local ecological community-human communities, economies, and future impacts on
the communities and economies must also be considered. Integral to decision-making
is having the correct information, which best comes from effective communication.
Because scientific results are frequently used in natural resource decision-making,
communicating science effectively is particularly important.
In the context of natural resource decision-making, this study examines how
Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) scientists in the Pacific Northwest view
communication actions for disseminating scientific research results. Secondary survey
data were used with over 150 surveys returned for an 82% response rate. Perspectives
on the importance of communication were analyzed with data illustrating socio-demographic
information and theoretical scientific attitudes. The results support the
proposition that many scientists find more participatory, holistic communication
actions involving the extended peer community to be very important. Certain
variables, including age, theoretical attitude, and organization of employment,
significantly affect the degree of importance reported by the scientists and can be used
to predict responses for specific areas of communication. / Graduation date: 2004
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/30416 |
| Date | 26 August 2003 |
| Creators | Shaw, Christine Michelle |
| Contributors | Steel, Brent S. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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