The Debate

"The Debate - Research, Facts, Positions" - Accompanying Research on Innovative Science Communication Formats

Project Partners of Technische Universität Braunschweig

• Prof. Dr. Monika Taddicken
• Dr. Nina Wicke
• Dr. Laura Wolff
• Katharina Willems, M.A.

Project Partners of Wissenschaft im Dialog

• Markus Weisskopf
• Rebecca Winkels
• Nico Dannenberger

Participant of Science Media Center Germany

• Volker Stollorz

Description

The innovative, online/offline cross-disciplinary science communication format "Die Debatte" aims to enrich public discussions with scientific perspectives and to get controversial topics from science and research into society. Therefore, debating events with experts from various disciplines take place on current, socially relevant topics, which are embedded in the project's online presence. "Die Debatte“ offers potential for accompanying research into developments in the current transformation of science communication. This contributes to a better understanding of the benefits and design of the format or future science communication, i.e. determining the success and effects of formats like "Die Debatte". Empirically, several methodological modules will be implemented, dealing with the structure and motivation of participants, usage contexts as well as perceptions, expectations and evaluations of the format.

As part of the accompanying research of the online format "Die Debatte", students of the master program Media Technology and Communication participating in the module "New Media" in the summer semester of 2017 deal with the perception of an expert debate on the topic of autonomous driving. The focus here was on the expectations, perceptions and evaluations of the three debating (scientific) experts from the recipient's point of view - especially with regard to their comprehensibility and competence. Another subject of investigation were effects of the format on knowledge and attitudes toward autonomous driving. Methodically, this was implemented in an experimental setting: A real-time response measurement was embedded in a before-and-after survey with 70 test persons.

Duration

2016 - 2018

Funding

• Volkswagen Stiftung
• Stifterverband
• Schering Stiftung
• Klaus Tschira Stiftung

Links

Die Debatte

Wissenschaft im Dialog

Science Media Center Germany

Publications

• Wicke, N., & Taddicken, M. (2020). Listen to the audience(s)! Expectations and characteristics of expert debate attendants. Journal of Science Communication, 19 (04), A02. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.19040202
• Taddicken, M., Wicke, N., & Willems, K. (2020). Verständlich und kompetent? Eine Echtzeitanalyse der Wahrnehmung und Beurteilung von Expert*innen in der Wissenschaftskommunikation. [Comprehensible and competent? A real-time analysis of the perception and assessment of experts in science communication.] Medien & Kommunikationswissenschaft, 68 (1-2), 50-72. doi.org/10.5771/1615-634X-2020-1-2-50

Presentations

• Wicke, N., & Taddicken, M. (2021, September 6-9). Investigating the audience(s) of science communication: A typology of recipients considering their expectations [Presentation]. 8^th European Communication Conference (ECREA), University of Minho, Braga, virtual.
• Taddicken, M., Wicke, N., & Willems, K. (2021, September 6-9). Competent and comprehensible? A realtime response analysis of scientific experts [Presentation]. 8^th European Communication Conference (ECREA), University of Minho, Braga, virtual.

• Taddicken, M. (2020, September 17). Eine Frage der Erwartungen? Eine kommunikationswissenschaftliche Perspektive auf Qualitätsbewertungen [Keynote]. 23^rd Annual Meeting of DeGEval, virtual. The Keynote-Slides can be found here.

• Wicke, N., & Taddicken, M. (2020, October 2-5). Investigating the audience(s) of science communication: A typology of recipients considering their expectations [Presentation]. 8^th European Communication Conference, University of Minho, Braga (postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19).
• Wicke, N., Willems, K., & Taddicken, M. (2020, May 21-25). Comprehensible vs. competent? A real-time analysis of how experts are perceived and evaluated during science communication. Environmental Communication Top Papers Session [Presentation]. 70^th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), virtual – Top Faculty Paper Award of the Environmental Communication Division of the ICA -
• Taddicken, M., Wicke, N., & Willems, K. (2020, March 10-12). Verständlich vs. kompetent? Eine Echtzeitanalyse der Wahrnehmung und Beurteilung von Expert*innen in der Wissenschaftskommunikation [Poster-presentation]. 65^th Annual Conference of the German Communication Association (DGPuK), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany.
• Wicke, N., & Taddicken, M. (2019, May 9-11). Wissenschaftskommunikation für alle? Zum integrativen Potential einer beteiligungsorientierten Expertendebatte [Presentation]. Annual Conference of the German Communication Association (DGPuK), Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany.
• Wicke, N., & Taddicken, M. (2018, June 7-9). On the Perceptions and Effects of an Expert Debate - Potentials of an Innovative Participatory Science Communication Format [Presentation]. Interdisciplinary Symposium on Current Challenges to Mediatized Science Communication, University of Rostock, Germany.
• Taddicken, M., Wicke, N., Wolff, L., Hoffmann, E., Weißkopf, M., Witt, T., & Stollorz, V. (2017, April). Fakten, Forschung, Positionen-interaktiv? Evaluationen eines neuartigen Kommunikationsformates im Bereich Wissenschaftskommunikation [Presentation]. Annual Conference “Science Communication”, University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany.