Comparing the knowledge gap hypothesis in the United States and Singapore : the case of nanotechnology
This study examines the knowledge gap hypothesis in the United States and Singapore in the context of nanotechnology. This study proposes that academic discipline serves as a better indicator than education levels in predicting nanotechnology knowledge gaps. To reflect the contemporary media landsca...
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sg-ntu-dr.10356-1437522020-09-22T02:14:02Z Comparing the knowledge gap hypothesis in the United States and Singapore : the case of nanotechnology Ho, Shirley S. Looi, Jiemin Leung, Yan Wah Bekalu, Mesfin Awoke Viswanath, Kasisomayajula Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information Social sciences::Communication Knowledge Gap Hypothesis Mass Media This study examines the knowledge gap hypothesis in the United States and Singapore in the context of nanotechnology. This study proposes that academic discipline serves as a better indicator than education levels in predicting nanotechnology knowledge gaps. To reflect the contemporary media landscape, this study examines how attention to online media and documentaries alongside traditional news outlets affect individuals' nanotechnology knowledge. In both countries, online media and documentaries, as well as traditional news outlets, were related to nanotechnology knowledge to various extents. While the knowledge gap hypothesis was not observed in Singapore, results revealed that increased media attention and interpersonal discussion widened knowledge gaps between individuals from science and non-science disciplines in the United States. Education levels failed to reveal a consistent moderation effect. Taken together, the interaction analyses revealed that academic discipline predicted nanotechnology knowledge gaps more consistently than education levels in the United States. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Nanyang Technological University Accepted version This work was supported by the NTU-HSPH Initiative for Sustainable Nanotechnology (Grant Number 17002). 2020-09-22T02:14:02Z 2020-09-22T02:14:02Z 2020 Journal Article Ho, S. S., Looi, J., Leung, Y. W., Bekalu, M. A., & Viswanath, K. (2020). Comparing the knowledge gap hypothesis in the United States and Singapore : the case of nanotechnology. Public Understanding of Science, 1–20. doi:10.1177/0963662520952547 1361-6609 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/143752 10.1177/0963662520952547 32873159 1 20 en Public Understanding of Science © 2020 The Author(s) (Published by Sage Publications). All rights reserved. This paper was published in Public Understanding of Science and is made available with permission of The Author(s) (Published by Sage Publications). application/pdf |
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Social sciences::Communication Knowledge Gap Hypothesis Mass Media Ho, Shirley S. Looi, Jiemin Leung, Yan Wah Bekalu, Mesfin Awoke Viswanath, Kasisomayajula Comparing the knowledge gap hypothesis in the United States and Singapore : the case of nanotechnology |
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This study examines the knowledge gap hypothesis in the United States and Singapore in the context of nanotechnology. This study proposes that academic discipline serves as a better indicator than education levels in predicting nanotechnology knowledge gaps. To reflect the contemporary media landscape, this study examines how attention to online media and documentaries alongside traditional news outlets affect individuals' nanotechnology knowledge. In both countries, online media and documentaries, as well as traditional news outlets, were related to nanotechnology knowledge to various extents. While the knowledge gap hypothesis was not observed in Singapore, results revealed that increased media attention and interpersonal discussion widened knowledge gaps between individuals from science and non-science disciplines in the United States. Education levels failed to reveal a consistent moderation effect. Taken together, the interaction analyses revealed that academic discipline predicted nanotechnology knowledge gaps more consistently than education levels in the United States. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. |
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Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information |
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Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information Ho, Shirley S. Looi, Jiemin Leung, Yan Wah Bekalu, Mesfin Awoke Viswanath, Kasisomayajula |
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Article |
author |
Ho, Shirley S. Looi, Jiemin Leung, Yan Wah Bekalu, Mesfin Awoke Viswanath, Kasisomayajula |
author_sort |
Ho, Shirley S. |
title |
Comparing the knowledge gap hypothesis in the United States and Singapore : the case of nanotechnology |
title_short |
Comparing the knowledge gap hypothesis in the United States and Singapore : the case of nanotechnology |
title_full |
Comparing the knowledge gap hypothesis in the United States and Singapore : the case of nanotechnology |
title_fullStr |
Comparing the knowledge gap hypothesis in the United States and Singapore : the case of nanotechnology |
title_full_unstemmed |
Comparing the knowledge gap hypothesis in the United States and Singapore : the case of nanotechnology |
title_sort |
comparing the knowledge gap hypothesis in the united states and singapore : the case of nanotechnology |
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2020 |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10356/143752 |
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1681058087800143872 |