Nancy Longnecker
Biographic Data
| ID | 161502 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nancy Longnecker |
| GIVEN NAMES | Nancy |
| FAMILY NAME | Longnecker |
| SIGNATURE | LONGNECKER N |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Otago |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2798-6389 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
From Worldviews to Transformation: Staff Epistemologies and Institutional Change in an Aotearoa New Zealand Science Centre
This study investigates the epistemological, pedagogical, and cultural frameworks that guided the redevelopment of Tūhura Otago Community Trust Science Centre, a major science centre in Aotearoa New Zealand. Through semi-structured interviews with floor staff and museum decision makers conducted before and after the transformation, the study explores staff ideas regarding science, science communication and how their worldviews shaped exhibit desi…
Trusted storytellers as freshwater restoration knowledge brokers: Individual and collective voices can both be effective
Aotearoa New Zealand's aquatic ecosystems are declining despite widespread awareness of mitigation needs. This study employs storytelling to address this issue, testing the role of the messenger in encouraging freshwater restoration in rural catchment communities. We quantified peer‐to‐peer knowledge exchange on three cognitive processes (retention and extraction of information, motivation to reproduce modelled restoration behaviour, and recall o…
Science, fiction, and Santa Claus: Hollywood creator and consultant perceptions of fictional science in film and television
Introduction From the high-stakes operating room of a Seattle hospital, to the shattered remains of a planet in a galaxy far, far away, Hollywood is often critiqued for its representations of scientific knowledge, methods, and/or technology. Existing research into Hollywood representations of science focuses primarily on those that do not align with expert consensus, and on how audiences engage with these representations — such as how misinformat…
Collective storytelling as a river restoration tool: The role of catchment communities in inspiring environmental change
In Aotearoa New Zealand, catchment communities have been actively working to restore the health of their rivers, in some cases for many decades. Their knowledge offers a valuable resource that could motivate and empower other groups to do the same, making river restoration more effective at large scales. We spoke to five catchment groups across Aotearoa New Zealand to conceptualize and define how knowledge sharing through storytelling could be us…
Intensive, Short-Term Presenting With a Science Outreach Program Enhances Positive Science Attitudes and Interest in Lifelong Learning About Science
This study investigated impacts of intensive, short-term participation as a science outreach presenter on attitudes towards science and interest in lifelong learning about science. Participants included high school and university students who volunteered to assist as presenters over 1 week when Science Caravan—an extensive science outreach program in Thailand, run by the National Science Museum—visited their locality. This study employed mixed me…
A missing piece of the puzzle of on-farm freshwater restoration: What motivates land managers to record and report land management actions
Worldwide, progress has been made toward managing productive lands more sustainably to improve freshwater health. However, a lack of national guidance for environmental reporting and recording means that it is not possible to quantify consistently which land management actions that help improve water quality have been implemented, where, when, and to what extent. This situation suggests that information on the effectiveness of these actions is mi…
Formal Learning in Informal Settings—Increased Physics Content Knowledge After a Science Centre Visit
Over the past 50 years, the prevalence of interactives in museums and science centres has increased dramatically, with interactive learning proliferating around the world. With a current estimated visitation of 300 million people each year, free-choice learning through museums and related venues has become a major source of human learning over the course of a lifetime. While many studies of visitor experience have examined positive changes in aff…
Aotearoa New Zealand: Participatory science and bicultural knowledge communication
Cameras for conservation: Wildlife photography and emotional engagement with biodiversity and nature
Biodiversity loss is a major ecological threat, but relatively few people are directly engaged with the problem. In this exploratory research, we studied relationships between photographing wildlife and engagement with biodiversity and nature. In an online survey, we randomly assigned participants (n = 182) to photograph wildlife, observe wildlife without photographing, or do nothing (Control). Participants responded to items measuring engagement…
Drinking patterns and attitudes about alcohol among New Zealand adolescents
Questionnaires about alcohol use were administered to consenting Year 10 students at 10 secondary schools located in regions of Southland, Otago and Hawkes Bay ( n = 579) to examine drinking patterns and attitudes about alcohol of 14–15‐year‐olds. The average age of first drink was 12.6 years, two years younger than previously reported, with no difference in age of first drink for different socioeconomic statuses or ethnicities. Fifty‐four per ce…
Envisioning future travel: Moving from high to low carbon systems
Objects as Stimuli for Exploring Young People's Views about Cultural and Scientific Knowledge
An object-based activity-science and culture story box-was designed, developed, and used to explore young people's views about cultural knowledge and scientific knowledge. In informal education spaces (e.g., museums and science centers), culture is often presented via representations of easily observable features of ethnicity such as music or dress. The development and application of knowledge in culturally diverse communities can be difficult to…
Class blogs as a teaching tool to promote writing and student interaction
Blogs are a useful teaching tool for improving student writing and increasing class interaction. However, most studies have looked at individual blogs rather than blogs maintained by a whole class. We introduced assignments involving participation in class blogs to four science communication classes with enrolments of between 15 and 36 students. We administered paper-based surveys to obtain student perceptions of the value of the blogging assignm…
The State of Science Communication Programs at Universities Around the World
Building on discussions at two workshops held at the recent 10th International Conference on the Public Communication of Science and Technology during June 2008 in Malmö, Sweden, this article proposes specific steps toward achieving a common understanding of the essential elements for academic programs in science communication. About 40 academics, science communication professionals, and students from at least 16 countries participated in this pr…
Envisioning future travel: Moving from high to low carbon systems
Drinking patterns and attitudes about alcohol among New Zealand adolescents
Questionnaires about alcohol use were administered to consenting Year 10 students at 10 secondary schools located in regions of Southland, Otago and Hawkes Bay ( n = 579) to examine drinking patterns and attitudes about alcohol of 14–15‐year‐olds. The average age of first drink was 12.6 years, two years younger than previously reported, with no difference in age of first drink for different socioeconomic statuses or ethnicities. Fifty‐four per ce…
The State of Science Communication Programs at Universities Around the World
Building on discussions at two workshops held at the recent 10th International Conference on the Public Communication of Science and Technology during June 2008 in Malmö, Sweden, this article proposes specific steps toward achieving a common understanding of the essential elements for academic programs in science communication. About 40 academics, science communication professionals, and students from at least 16 countries participated in this pr…
The State of Science Communication Programs at Universities Around the World
Building on discussions at two workshops held at the recent 10th International Conference on the Public Communication of Science and Technology during June 2008 in Malmö, Sweden, this article proposes specific steps toward achieving a common understanding of the essential elements for academic programs in science communication. About 40 academics, science communication professionals, and students from at least 16 countries participated in this pr…
Class blogs as a teaching tool to promote writing and student interaction
Blogs are a useful teaching tool for improving student writing and increasing class interaction. However, most studies have looked at individual blogs rather than blogs maintained by a whole class. We introduced assignments involving participation in class blogs to four science communication classes with enrolments of between 15 and 36 students. We administered paper-based surveys to obtain student perceptions of the value of the blogging assignm…
Objects as Stimuli for Exploring Young People's Views about Cultural and Scientific Knowledge
An object-based activity-science and culture story box-was designed, developed, and used to explore young people's views about cultural knowledge and scientific knowledge. In informal education spaces (e.g., museums and science centers), culture is often presented via representations of easily observable features of ethnicity such as music or dress. The development and application of knowledge in culturally diverse communities can be difficult to…
Cameras for conservation: Wildlife photography and emotional engagement with biodiversity and nature
Biodiversity loss is a major ecological threat, but relatively few people are directly engaged with the problem. In this exploratory research, we studied relationships between photographing wildlife and engagement with biodiversity and nature. In an online survey, we randomly assigned participants (n = 182) to photograph wildlife, observe wildlife without photographing, or do nothing (Control). Participants responded to items measuring engagement…
Drinking patterns and attitudes about alcohol among New Zealand adolescents
Questionnaires about alcohol use were administered to consenting Year 10 students at 10 secondary schools located in regions of Southland, Otago and Hawkes Bay ( n = 579) to examine drinking patterns and attitudes about alcohol of 14–15‐year‐olds. The average age of first drink was 12.6 years, two years younger than previously reported, with no difference in age of first drink for different socioeconomic statuses or ethnicities. Fifty‐four per ce…
Envisioning future travel: Moving from high to low carbon systems
Aotearoa New Zealand: Participatory science and bicultural knowledge communication
Formal Learning in Informal Settings—Increased Physics Content Knowledge After a Science Centre Visit
Over the past 50 years, the prevalence of interactives in museums and science centres has increased dramatically, with interactive learning proliferating around the world. With a current estimated visitation of 300 million people each year, free-choice learning through museums and related venues has become a major source of human learning over the course of a lifetime. While many studies of visitor experience have examined positive changes in aff…
Intensive, Short-Term Presenting With a Science Outreach Program Enhances Positive Science Attitudes and Interest in Lifelong Learning About Science
This study investigated impacts of intensive, short-term participation as a science outreach presenter on attitudes towards science and interest in lifelong learning about science. Participants included high school and university students who volunteered to assist as presenters over 1 week when Science Caravan—an extensive science outreach program in Thailand, run by the National Science Museum—visited their locality. This study employed mixed me…
A missing piece of the puzzle of on-farm freshwater restoration: What motivates land managers to record and report land management actions
Worldwide, progress has been made toward managing productive lands more sustainably to improve freshwater health. However, a lack of national guidance for environmental reporting and recording means that it is not possible to quantify consistently which land management actions that help improve water quality have been implemented, where, when, and to what extent. This situation suggests that information on the effectiveness of these actions is mi…
Science, fiction, and Santa Claus: Hollywood creator and consultant perceptions of fictional science in film and television
Introduction From the high-stakes operating room of a Seattle hospital, to the shattered remains of a planet in a galaxy far, far away, Hollywood is often critiqued for its representations of scientific knowledge, methods, and/or technology. Existing research into Hollywood representations of science focuses primarily on those that do not align with expert consensus, and on how audiences engage with these representations — such as how misinformat…
Collective storytelling as a river restoration tool: The role of catchment communities in inspiring environmental change
In Aotearoa New Zealand, catchment communities have been actively working to restore the health of their rivers, in some cases for many decades. Their knowledge offers a valuable resource that could motivate and empower other groups to do the same, making river restoration more effective at large scales. We spoke to five catchment groups across Aotearoa New Zealand to conceptualize and define how knowledge sharing through storytelling could be us…
Trusted storytellers as freshwater restoration knowledge brokers: Individual and collective voices can both be effective
Aotearoa New Zealand's aquatic ecosystems are declining despite widespread awareness of mitigation needs. This study employs storytelling to address this issue, testing the role of the messenger in encouraging freshwater restoration in rural catchment communities. We quantified peer‐to‐peer knowledge exchange on three cognitive processes (retention and extraction of information, motivation to reproduce modelled restoration behaviour, and recall o…
From Worldviews to Transformation: Staff Epistemologies and Institutional Change in an Aotearoa New Zealand Science Centre
This study investigates the epistemological, pedagogical, and cultural frameworks that guided the redevelopment of Tūhura Otago Community Trust Science Centre, a major science centre in Aotearoa New Zealand. Through semi-structured interviews with floor staff and museum decision makers conducted before and after the transformation, the study explores staff ideas regarding science, science communication and how their worldviews shaped exhibit desi…
Sociology (8 works) · Computer Science (6 works) · Political science (6 works) · Psychology (6 works) · Aotearoa (4 works) · Pedagogy (4 works) · Public relations (4 works) · Science education (4 works) · Art (3 works) · Business (3 works)