국내 원자력 홍보관의 전시물 탐색에 따른 원자력 및 방사선 전시교육 발전방향 모색

Abstract

Science education today aims to help students develop the rational decision-making abilities by perceiving problems in life with creative thinking skills based on scientific literacy and diverse experiences and knowledge. To enhance the scientific literacy and public understanding of science, informal educational institutions are considered increasingly important. Meanwhile, global issues such as climate change and natural disasters have been drawn much attention. Since the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011 resulting from a natural calamity, the world has perceived the risks of nuclear power plants. Understanding the nuclear energy in the context of nuclear accidents and alternative energy sources has engaged great public attention. The public need to build the awareness of such global and social challenges through objective information and actively engage in social concerns. Thus, it is necessary to improve the scientific literacy regarding social and global issues in line with the advancement of science technology and to exert efforts to increase the public understanding of science via informal educational institutions. Also, some convergent scientific literacy should be built for creative problem-solving based on critical thinking and awareness through science communication. The present study investigates the contents of exhibits and the exhibition panels relevant to nuclear power in the nuclear power information halls from the perspective of communication in order to seek a desirable direction for the exhibit education associated with nuclear power and radiation in Korea. Four local nuclear power information halls were included as target samples. Then, photographs and video images of exhibits were collected as the data. Likewise, the data collected from a nuclear power science center in Japan were analyzed not for a comparative study but as the reference data for the development of domestic exhibit education focused on atomic energy. The SCAT(Science Communication Analysis Tool) was used for data analysis. To facilitate the analysis, the PR materials relevant to nuclear power were categorized into concepts, science history, safety and daily life, which were in turn analyzed with the SCAT in terms of the extent to which science communication was reflected. The results of this study were as follows. Among the foregoing categories of exhibits in the four local nuclear power information halls, the‘conceptual’exhibits accounted for 78.3% on average, whereas those related to‘science history', 'safety' and 'daily life' accounted for 6.3%, 9% and 6.4%, respectively. In view of the components of science communication, the conceptual (CON) component accounted for 48.3%, whereas the nature of science(NOS), awareness(AW), enjoyment(ENJ), interest(INT) and opinion(OP) components accounted for 6.4%, 3.1%, 1.7%, 38.9%, and 1.6%, respectively. The Japanese exhibits related to 'daily life' outnumbered those in Korea. The concept(CON) and interest(INT) were found as the most dominating components of science communication in Japan as in Korea, whereas the other components were frequently found more relatively than that of Korea. The ‘conceptual exhibits’ were sub-classified into those intended to explain the scientific principles specified in the school curriculums, to describe nuclear power generation and relevant structures, to comparatively illustrate other types of power generation, to provide energy-related contents, to promote nuclear power and information halls, and to offer simple games. The exhibits corresponding to ‘science history’ were sub-classified into those associated with atomic energy and radiation, energy and science history in general. The exhibits related to ‘safety’ were sub-classified into those intended to describe the safe methods and structures of nuclear power generation and those to convey some self-reflection over the nuclear hazards and accidents. The exhibits related to ‘daily life’ were sub-classified into those intended to inform how nuclear power and radiation are used in everyday life and those to explain the relationship between nuclear power generation and environment. As for the aspects of science communication reflected in the exhibits, the conceptual(CON) aspect included science knowledge and concepts presented in the form of the exhibit-related information. Also, figures, graphs and models were used to help the visitors understand the concepts while invoking their interest(INT). Among the other science communication components limitedly presented, the nature of science(NOS) was presented in a manner of finding the examples of nuclear power and radiation applied into daily life, and also of explaining scientists' scientific attitudes or knowledge. The awareness(AW) component was intended to alert the visitors to be familiar with science positively or negatively. The enjoyment(ENJ) component was intended to present science as a type of entertainment and art, helping the public keep interested in science. Finally, the opinion(OP) component was intended to provide opportunities for visitors to form their own opinions and judgments with inquiries based on scientific and creative thinking skills. The components of science communication focused on enjoyment, awareness and opinions were more relatively found in the exhibits of nuclear science center in Japan in addition to the concept, interest and NOS. The present findings indicate the following suggestion. First, to address the limited science communication, the levels of the visitors need be considered, so that the differentiated media should be applied to exhibits, given the Japanese science center made diverse attempts via different media. For example, in Japan, the educational exhibits for children were separately presented from those for adults, indicating that the engaging model was taken into account to make the visitors remain interested in the exhibits. In Korea, it is necessary to boost the public interest in nuclear energy through science center in addition to information halls by developing and producing intriguing exhibits covering diverse information. In particular, the ‘STS' 'nature of science' based on the engaging model, enables visitors to actively become 'aware' of and they can be encouraged to provide their‘opinions’concerning nuclear energy in real life, which make more science communication rich in terms of ‘awareness’, ‘NOS’, and ‘opinions. Notably, given local information halls are largely used for PR per se, both positive and negative aspects of nuclear should be presented in a balanced and objective manner. Second, in contrast to the Japanese scienced center, the local counterparts lacked in the components applicable to everyday life as well as in science history. The public awareness of nuclear energy requires the public experience in real life, which underpins the objective position. That is, both positive and negative cases of nuclear power applied in real life should be exhibited to maximize the effects of educational exhibitions on the public awareness of nuclear energy. Lastly, the limited science communication should be fully reinforced by guides or commentators, which will be conducive to ideal public awareness of nuclear power based on objective knowledge.