Scientific and Lay Knowledge 1 Scientific and Lay Knowledge: The ...

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Scientific and Lay Knowledge 8 Tuatara, a phenomenon also experienced by researchers in different locations with different conservation threats (Ramstad et al., 2006, p. 456). Pinpointing theses common goals encourages more trust and makes collaboration more possible. Cooperative research is a method of involving non-scientists who possess knowledge on a topic in the research process. Teresa Johnson (2010) described a process of translating the knowledge of fishermen into scientific knowledge by means of a cooperative research project in the northeast U.S. (Johnson, 2010). As a result of the cooperative research, fishermen’s knowledge was incorporated into the management and decision-making process, fishermen found it easier to participate in management discussions, and both scientists and fishermen found increased levels of trust and understanding of each other’s motives (Johnson, 2010). Although the non-scientists still found their knowledge to be subject to legitimization by scientists, they gained the means to carry out future collaborations with scientists and resource managers concerning something that is important to their lifestyles (Johnson, 2010). Ramstad et al. determined that TEK provided a rich source of information on a highly threatened and little- studied organism, and discrepancies between natives’ knowledge of the Tuatara and scientific findings provided direction for further research on conservation of the species (Ramstad et al., 2006, p. 462). No single explanation of the world is complete, and by incorporating different worldviews in research, even if only through the collaboration of non-scientists in the research process beginning to end, it becomes easier to view the world holistically—not as a series of systems and theories but as a tapestry of relationships. The Role of Higher Education in Spanning the Boundary Higher education has a unique role in breaking down the barrier that has developed between scientific knowledge and lay knowledge. Higher educational institutions must first make
Scientific and Lay Knowledge 9 scientific literacy a goal as it allows individuals to understand, critically examine, and relate scientific findings. It even permits individuals to change the process of scientific research to incorporate collaboration with scholars of different disciplines and with the laypeople whom the research most directly affects. It also means individuals can participate fully in modern society, taking leadership positions in a world increasingly affected by science. Universities and colleges can train thinkers who are scientifically literate and possess the skills to ask proper questions, consider different viewpoints, problem-solve and communicate effectively on and for both sides of the science-lay divide. Individuals like these are whom Johnson (2010) calls “boundary spanners,” and they include scientists as well as non-scientists who possess thorough understandings of the complex issues at hand and language aptitude (Johnson, 2010, 267). These “boundary spanners” can then go on to facilitate continued discussions between scientists and the public. They can also teach the public formally (as in educational institutions) or informally (in workshops, council meetings, museums, etc.) in order to increase the scientific literacy of the public, thereby giving more power to the public to participate in resource management and decision-making processes that are relevant to them. Colleges and universities have been contributors to the idea that scientific knowledge is more legitimate or noteworthy than everyday knowledge by means of their place as the sole trainers of scientific researchers over the centuries as well as their ability to define scientific knowledge itself. This idea relates to the discussion by Gert Biesta (2007) of the Institute of Education at the University of Stirling of the “knowledge monopoly” of higher education, and requires that higher education institutions recognize their epistemological power (Biesta, 2007, p. 478). Training students to carry out work that is understandable and relatable to the lay
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