Sage on the Stage or Guide on the Side: Linking Graduate Students' Perspective on Science Communication and Prior Training Experiences

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research in Progress Roundtable Session Two
  In Roundtable Session: Interrogating the Graduate Student Experience: Identity, Family Support, Academics, and Teaching (Table 10)

Abstract

Science communication, or scicomm, is increasingly recognized as a critical component to scientific research; yet, it is difficult for scientists to obtain the skills and training necessary to effectively communicate their science with broader audiences. Accessibility to training and opportunities to communicate science is even more complicated for graduate students still in the process of learning to navigate academia. Understanding graduate students' perceptions as it relates to scicomm is critical in preparing the future generation of scientists to effectively communicate science with the public. Their experiences, however, are critically underexplored in the current research literature. This study expands on a recent survey of graduate students across the US and abroad, gathering data on their scicomm experiences. In further analyzing these data, we were able to (1) identify profiles of graduate students based on how they categorized scicomm related activities and (2) compare how their perceptions related to their prior participation in scicomm and experiences as teaching assistants. The findings from this study reinforce the need to understand graduate student scicomm perceptions to provide them with better opportunities to effectively engage the public.

Author

• Brenda Guerrero, Florida International University
  Presenting Author