The Research And Analysis On The Democratic Model Of Science Communication In China

Integrated the theories and practices of science communication at home andabroad, currently there are three typical model of science communication: centerbroadcast model, deficit model, democratic model (also called dialogue model). Thethree important models may not have appeared in chronological order, but do havesome certain evolutionary relationship, and now are co-existing. Researches onscience communication in these three classic models are becoming popular at homeand abroad. Compared with the central broadcast model, which is the mosttraditional model of top-down command and teaching, and the deficit model thatconsiders the public as a “bystander”, democratic model nowadays is much moredeveloped and efficient for the science communication.Since the1990s, science café, one of the practice forms of democratic model inscience communication, has become popular. Now, there are more than400sciencecafes around world. Science caféis not only a new method to spread the knowledgeof science, but also a platform for the public to exchange the idea about science withthe scientists, governors and etc. and participate in the scientific policy decisions.This article selected “Xinmin Science Café” as an example to study the effectivenessof the democratic model of science communication.Through the case-study research by doing survey, science communication inchina promotes from "public understanding of science" to "public participating inscience" nowadays. Xinmin Science cafe, one of the practices of the democracymodel, is the transformation example from the traditional top-down communicationto the two-way communication. Research also shows that today’s sciencecommunication promote from first-order communication to the second-ordercommunication. Xinmin science cafe is not only a platform for dissemination ofscientific knowledge, but also provides the public real opportunities to participate inscience decision-making. This case study helps to eliminate the spreading possibilityof the practice of democracy model in Shanghai and China.