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Citizen science engages members of the public in research design, data collection, and analysis - in asking and answering questions about the world around them. The United States, European Union, and Australia have placed citizen science at the forefront of national science policy. Journals such as Science, Nature and Bioscience regularly feature projects conducted by citizens. Citizen science engages millions of people worldwide. However, to date, population health science has not relied heavily on citizen contributions. Although community-based participatory action research remains a strong foundational method to engage those affected by public health problems, there is additional potential to mainstream population health through wider, less intensive opportunities to be involved in our science. If we are to tackle the complex challenges that face population health then new avenues are needed to capture the energy and attention of citizens who may not feel affected by public health problems, i.e. to engage the 'by-standers' in population health science. Particular types of citizen science methods have the potential to do this. But simply increasing the breadth and volume of scientific evidence will not be enough. Complex, intractable, macro-level problems in population health require change in how our journals and funding bodies respond to data generated by the public. Of course, democratisation of science and the potential decentralisation of scientific authority will bring deep challenges. But potentially it brings a future where population health science is better known, understood and respected, with benefits for the types of public policies that derive from this science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Culling kangaroos, Australia's most abundant marsupial, is a controversial practice in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The ACT government introduced a kangaroo management plan in response to the growing kangaroo population causing damage in grassland ecosystems. Although some groups (e.g., local government, some researchers) support implementation of this plan, critics claim it is inhumane and lacks concrete evidence. To examine media portrayal of this debate, this study conducted a content analysis of newspaper coverage between 2006 and 2016. Although ACT newspapers were impartial in their presentation of the debate, sources that previous studies found were typically considered trustworthy to speak on the scientific validity of the program were found to have conflicting messages and be less represented in the media. Thus, future research should explore if the messenger is more important than the message in determining influences on public perceptions about the use of lethal control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1985, the Science Circus program has recruited science graduates Australia-wide and provided them with science communication training leading to a university degree. On qualifying these graduates demonstrate highly diverse career paths reflecting the relevance of science communication training to other disciplines. Graduates, by their activities, have contributed to the growth of science communication as an academic discipline and an "industry"--both in Australia and abroad. It suggests that science communication training can have impact far beyond narrowly defined disciplines and skill sets, and this impact is worthy of further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports the pilot study which explores the possibility of using drawings to evaluate the effectiveness of transferring an educational theory by preservice teachers into subsequent professional teaching practice. It adapts the Draw-A-Science-Teacher Test to compare teachers' perceptions and strengths as science teachers. It presents drawings that have identified the disconnection between theory and practice in teaching.

This article examines the trial of participatory theater for disseminating new agricultural knowledge among subsistence farmers in Timor Leste, a small underdeveloped country in the Asia-Pacific region. The aim of the trial was to provide information on improved seed varieties and appropriate agronomic practices to maximize their yield among rural communities where rates of adult illiteracy are high and the reach of mass media forms of communication is low. The findings highlight the potential for entertainment-education forms to provide effective science communication tools in contexts where approaches more typical in developed countries are severely constrained. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Highlights: [•] One of very few self-efficacy studies of culturally foreign teachers. [•] Cultural adaptation may influence teaching efficacy. [•] Teaching context just as important as pedagogy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] The first comparison between public and private schools in Abu Dhabi. [•] Public schools generally more traditional in their teaching approach. [•] Private schools better science materials generally. [•] One cannot be deemed more superior than the other. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Media coverage plays a key role in shaping public and political attitudes towards policy interventions to improve health. We reviewed studies of news media to identify the arguments used to frame policies that address risk factors for chronic disease, and the impact of different arguments on attitudes to policy. Drawing on a previous scoping review, we identified a subsample of 49 studies of media framing of policies to address risk factors for lifestyle-related chronic disease for further analysis. We extracted and synthesised data to explore key themes. Of the limited research that has been undertaken, most studies have focused on tobacco policy, followed by alcohol, with a small number of studies of food and beverage policies. Studies have primarily used content analysis. Our synthesis demonstrated that advocates and opponents draw on five frames: health, social, economic, practical and ideological. Only a small number of studies have examined the impact of framing on public attitudes towards policy interventions, although such studies have tended to focus on the impact of how problems, rather than solutions (i.e. policies) are framed. Media research is crucial to understanding the complex ways in which attitudes towards policy interventions shape, and are shaped by, public discourses and can provide public health advocates with insights into strategies to successfully position policy arguments. This review highlights key insights and gaps in the hope that this will stimulate further research that will enhance public health advocates' abilities to promote effective public health policy. • Media studies of policy framing tend to focus on tobacco, alcohol and nutrition. • Arguments in support of policy often use health or societal frames. • Arguments opposing policies use economic, practical or ideological frames. • The effectiveness and impact of frames within different contexts is underexplored. • Understanding the influence of framing on attitudes will aid public health advocates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engaging public audiences with population health science necessarily requires a society level perspective; however, many existing communication strategies and programs tend to focus at the individual level. This paper describes a novel approach to engaging community members with the social determinants of health outcomes using an interactive exhibit within a science centre. The exhibit was capable of supporting understanding about social determinants of health in adults and children under the age of 15 within an average three-minute interaction. The presence of a facilitator who guided and supported discussions about the exhibit and its concepts with the visitors was also key to sustaining visitor engagement. These exploratory findings suggest the use of informal learning settings, such as science centres and museums, may provide a means to communicate population health and improve discourse about public health policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic dishonesty is a major challenge facing educational institutions worldwide. Within the context of undergraduate education in the Arabian Gulf, oral assessment can help validate the originality of student work, whilst simultaneously facilitating assessment in a mode highly resonant with the region’s own educational traditions and collectivist cultural norms. The present study aims to examine student perceptions of a group-based oral examination. This was introduced as an alternative to written examinations, and as an adjunctive assessment of a course essay. Three undergraduate sections (N = 75) of an introductory psychology course at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates sat the oral examination. Participants were later surveyed about their experience immediately after the exam (prior to knowing their grade). The dominant themes to emerge from the analysis were relief, satisfaction with the process and ecological relevance. Another theme was a perception of fairness and promotion of academic integrity. The group oral exam appears to provide a well-tolerated, culturally resonant means of assessment, which also promotes academic integrity within the present Arabian Gulf context. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Intersectionality contests that individuals have multiple characteristics in their identity that cannot be siloed or deemed exclusive to each other. Understanding and utilising an intersectional lens in organisations can increase inclusion of individuals and organisational performance. An educational package known as the Intersectionality Walk (IW) was developed by the authors, piloted, and evaluated in order to break down the commonly held descriptors of diversity silos that fragments inclusion, and to understand how various identity characteristics compound disadvantage. The paper outlines the need to transition from siloed views of diversity to a more intrinsic view of identity to achieve inclusivity. Methods: The IW was developed and trialled with a series of work-based scenarios and realistic multifaceted personas. Data collection occurred pre- and post-IW utilising a mixed methods approach. Responses to Likert scale surveys and open-ended questions were captured and analysed via inductive and grounded theory perspectives. Results: An improved awareness and understanding of individual knowledge, reflectivity and positionality relating to intersectionality and intersectional approaches was reported on completion of the IW. Furthermore, responses reported how and why organisations can approach and improve inclusivity via using intersectional approaches. Conclusions: The IW as an educational package has a positive impact and is a key linkage for all employers to build an inclusive culture and to harness the talent of all employees. Further research will occur to measure the implemented change in organisations following the IW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]