Theses and Dissertations Collection

Science communication programming is turning towards participatory models, shifting from models of public understanding of science (PUS) to public engagement with science (PES). PES invites publics into dialogue about issues of societal concern with scientific components in order to promote a mutual exchange of knowledge and perspectives between the scientific community (e.g., interpreters, informal science educators) and publics, representing a departure from models in which experts were seen as the sole knowledge holders, tasked with transmitting science to publics. In this interdisciplinary dissertation, I explore the potential and practice of participatory narrative approaches in PES models about wildland fire in the Inland Northwest region of the United States. Framed by critical cognitive and sociocultural theories of how people learn, I draw on narrative approaches because narrative is a universal and primary cognitive tool that humans use to make sense of their experiences and the world around them (Bruner, 1991), and narrative pedagogies have been shown to improve learning and engagement in science communication exchanges (e.g., Dahlstrom 2014). In the first study, I undertake a systematic literature review of narrative approaches in recent science communication publications, in order to better understand how narrative is situated in the shift towards participatory models of science communication. Findings suggest that narrative is still predominantly used to disseminate stories from experts to publics, with exceptions that suggest significant potential for more participatory approaches. In the second study, I apply critical sociocultural learning theory to explore residents’ stories of lived experiences with fire in the Inland Northwest and consider the value of their fire knowledge in PES models of science communication. Findings suggest that storied fire knowledge is human-centered, localized, and positions the storyteller in relationship with fire. I suggest that drawing on narrative in PES approaches may thus be effective in situating fire in salient local contexts, re-integrating affective and scientific dimensions of fire, and diversifying the ways of knowing that are valued in public dialogue about fire adaptation. The third study, conducted in collaboration with practitioners at four sites of interpretation in the Inland Northwest, designs a participatory storytelling approach that engages participants’ stories to co-create knowledge about wildland fire with interpreters. The study details iterations of the Participatory Storytelling Framework as it was developed, considering connections to learning theory as well as the framework’s viability in practice. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to investigate and advance narrative-based models of science communication supported by innovations in the learning sciences to meet the PES goal of mutual learning about science issues of societal relevance. Results of this work 1) illuminate how narrative is currently conceptualized in science communication, 2) describe features and the value of narrative epistemologies related to wildland fire, and 3) create an instructional approach for sharing those stories to co-create insights in interpretive programs about fire.