Conceptions of university students on microplastics in Germany.

Microplastics are a global challenge and a frequently studied environmental issue. Hence, the knowledge body about microplastics within the scientific community is growing fast and challenges an elaborated knowledge transfer from science to the general public. Just as well-informed people are the ba...

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Autores principales:	Patricia Raab, Franz X Bogner
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/f3f2bdca27124c11aae5e2a50154f9cd
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:f3f2bdca27124c11aae5e2a50154f9cd2021-12-02T20:14:13ZConceptions of university students on microplastics in Germany.1932-620310.1371/journal.pone.0257734https://doaj.org/article/f3f2bdca27124c11aae5e2a50154f9cd2021-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257734https://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203Microplastics are a global challenge and a frequently studied environmental issue. Hence, the knowledge body about microplastics within the scientific community is growing fast and challenges an elaborated knowledge transfer from science to the general public. Just as well-informed people are the basis for reducing microplastics' impact on the environment, knowledge of the audience's conceptions is the basis for an accurate and successful dissemination of scientific findings. However, insights into the publics' perceptions of microplastics are still rare. The present study aimed to capture students' conceptions about microplastics based on their individual experiences following qualitative inductive, exploratory research. Therefore, 267 students of a state university in Germany responded to a paper-and-pencil questionnaire containing open and closed questions on microplastic-related conceptual understanding, risk perception, information behavior, sources, and sinks. The inductive classifying of all responses by a qualitative content analysis revealed six basic concepts: 1) Microplastics are mainly understood as small plastic particles. 2) Microplastics are closely associated with its negative consequences. 3) The most labeled source in households is plastic packaging. 4) Compared to other water bodies, microplastics are rarely suspected in groundwater. 5) A high threat awareness exists in classifying microplastics as very dangerous and dangerous. 6) Media such as TV or the Internet are the most crucial information sources while the school has less importance in acquiring information. It is precisely this pattern that indicates the need for profound science communication to establish a joint and scientifically sound knowledge base in society. Knowledge about conceptions of potential "customers" allows tailor-made scientific knowledge transfers to shape public awareness, initiate changes in thoughts and prepare the field for collaborative behavior.Patricia RaabFranz X BognerPublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleMedicineRScienceQENPLoS ONE, Vol 16, Iss 9, p e0257734 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Patricia Raab Franz X Bogner Conceptions of university students on microplastics in Germany.
description	Microplastics are a global challenge and a frequently studied environmental issue. Hence, the knowledge body about microplastics within the scientific community is growing fast and challenges an elaborated knowledge transfer from science to the general public. Just as well-informed people are the basis for reducing microplastics' impact on the environment, knowledge of the audience's conceptions is the basis for an accurate and successful dissemination of scientific findings. However, insights into the publics' perceptions of microplastics are still rare. The present study aimed to capture students' conceptions about microplastics based on their individual experiences following qualitative inductive, exploratory research. Therefore, 267 students of a state university in Germany responded to a paper-and-pencil questionnaire containing open and closed questions on microplastic-related conceptual understanding, risk perception, information behavior, sources, and sinks. The inductive classifying of all responses by a qualitative content analysis revealed six basic concepts: 1) Microplastics are mainly understood as small plastic particles. 2) Microplastics are closely associated with its negative consequences. 3) The most labeled source in households is plastic packaging. 4) Compared to other water bodies, microplastics are rarely suspected in groundwater. 5) A high threat awareness exists in classifying microplastics as very dangerous and dangerous. 6) Media such as TV or the Internet are the most crucial information sources while the school has less importance in acquiring information. It is precisely this pattern that indicates the need for profound science communication to establish a joint and scientifically sound knowledge base in society. Knowledge about conceptions of potential "customers" allows tailor-made scientific knowledge transfers to shape public awareness, initiate changes in thoughts and prepare the field for collaborative behavior.
format	article
author	Patricia Raab Franz X Bogner
author_facet	Patricia Raab Franz X Bogner
author_sort	Patricia Raab
title	Conceptions of university students on microplastics in Germany.
title_short	Conceptions of university students on microplastics in Germany.
title_full	Conceptions of university students on microplastics in Germany.
title_fullStr	Conceptions of university students on microplastics in Germany.
title_full_unstemmed	Conceptions of university students on microplastics in Germany.
title_sort	conceptions of university students on microplastics in germany.
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/f3f2bdca27124c11aae5e2a50154f9cd
work_keys_str_mv	AT patriciaraab conceptionsofuniversitystudentsonmicroplasticsingermany AT franzxbogner conceptionsofuniversitystudentsonmicroplasticsingermany
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Conceptions of university students on microplastics in Germany.

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