Talk:Knowledge gap hypothesis

knowledge gap hypothesis

hello. This hypothesis isn't economics or finance-related article. It's about sociology and media studies. The template which relates this article to economics articles isn't appropriate.--Sa.vakilian 04:13, 25 May 2006 (UTC)

You're right. I removed it.--Communicator1 09:54, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

Also, the correct spelling of the author is Tichenor, not Richenor Elpanek (talk) 18:53, 8 February 2011 (UTC)elpanek

Inferential distance

Is it about Inferential distance (lesswrong.com link) ? --Nashev (talk) 21:41, 4 September 2017 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: COMM 500 Theory and Literature of Communication

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 21 August 2023 and 15 December 2023. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): GS2325 (article contribs). Peer reviewers: Jenct93.

— Assignment last updated by Jenct93 (talk) 07:29, 3 December 2023

I learned how Wikipedia is structured and how the articles can be edited and reviewed by experts. Wikipedia did provide easy to follow training modules and the video clips help me understand the concepts. I approached critiquing the selected article with an open mind and after researching the topic of knowledge gap, I approached it with a critical eye and made sure the content was correct and timely for the article.

 Since my topic: Knowledge gap is still a hypothesis and not a fully recognized theory, I struggled to understand if and how it would become a verified theory. I selected pieces of content from different sources for example text books and peer-reviewed journal articles.

(UTC)The article does deal with one of Wikipedia's equity gaps: lower socioeconomic status. It should address the topics related to historically underrepresented populations but I was not sure how to convey it in the article. I wanted to use the following statement from the book, The Knowledge Gap: the hidden cause of America's broken education system, author Natalie Wexler states, that an education historian, Diane Ravitch argues there's nothing wrong with the American education system as a whole. Our more affluent students are doing fine; it's only the schools serving poor kids that need help - an insertion that has been challenged. But even assuming she is right, there's still the question of what kind of help to provide. Rather than focusing on the knowledge gap, she says that " poverty is a bigger problem than curriculum." And that standardized tests "reflect family income, not knowledge or learning." (Wexler, 116) GS2325 (talk) 06:25, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

Original Article sections

Foundations

Specification

Formal Summary

Hypothesis operationalization and initial support

Refining Hypothesis

Narrative Review and Meta-analytic support

Closing the Knowledge Gap with Web 2.0

Criticism and directions for future research

Competing hypothesisBig text

New Article Sections

Theoretical Concepts

Historical Background

Hypothesis operationalization

Narrative Review and Meta-Analytic Support

New Communication Technologies

GS2325 (talk) 06:25, 15 December 2023

(UTC) Did not include this section. Examples of Attempting to Close the Gap

Over the years, researchers have documented uses of mass media attempts to closing the Knowledge gap.

Joan Ganz Cooney, a television writer and producer, embarked on a project that changed educational television programming. According to the book, Sesame Street and the Reform of Children's Television, author Robert Morrow wrote, "On March 20, 1968, the Office of Education, Carnegie Corp, and the Ford Foundation held a press conference to announce the creation on the Children's Television Workshop. The joint press release summarized many of the major theme in the development of the project to that point. The text characterized the program as an experiment, partnership of television professionals and educators, psychologists, and other child development specialists "

The Children's Television Workshop first launched Sesame Street on November 10, 1969 GS2325 (talk) 06:25, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

Deleted a section that was not properly cited Corley, E. A., & Scheufele, D. A. (forthcoming). Outreach gone wrong? When we talk nano to the public, we are leaving behind key audiences. The Scientist.

In 2010 Elizabeth Corley and Dietram Scheufele conducted a study to investigate the widening knowledge gap with the example of nanotechnology. On the whole, public opinion research has shown that respondents with higher socioeconomic status (SES) acquire new information at a higher rate than low SES respondents. Their previous analyses of two large national surveys conducted in 2004 and 2007 found that respondents with at least a college degree displayed an increase in knowledge levels between 2004 and 2007 while respondents with education levels of less than a high school diploma had a significant decrease in nanotechnology knowledge levels. These results stress that the group that is most in need of help, low SES bracket, have not been helped through communication efforts and their nanotechnology knowledge levels have decreased over time.

Corley and Scheufele investigated a wide range of factors that may help to close knowledge gaps, including mass media. The researchers found that the number of days a week that respondents spent online was significantly correlated to knowledge levels about nanotechnology. Therefore, internet use helped those with less formal education to catch up to their counterparts.

The emergence of the Internet, and more specifically Web 2.0, may be playing a role in closing the knowledge gap. In fact, Corley and Scheufele explain that "the internet may finally live up to the hype … as a tool for creating a more informed citizenry by serving as a "leveler" of knowledge gaps." (2010, p. 2) This is widely due to the fact that information on Web 2.0 is written in layman's terms. The content is created by those individuals who have an understanding of the information, but who are also able to tailor the articles towards a more general audience.

Still, the knowledge gap may still exist even with the emergence of Web 2.0. The disenfranchised group, in this situation, the group with lower SES, must still be motivated to get the information to close the gap. Also, information about a given subject must be given. Without the content being provided, Web 2.0 will not be much of a help. However, if the content is provided, Web 2.0 has allowed the readers to be more interactive and talk with others online, through discussion boards, forums and blogs. The results of the research conducted by Corley and Scheufele are a clear call to action for researchers to investigate non-traditional ways of connecting with lay audiences about emerging technologies.

Overall, studies show the introduction of Web 2.0 may help in closing the knowledge gap because the content that traditionally those with lower SES could not reach, can now be understood because it is written in layman's terms. Web 2.0 has helped because:

The content on Web 2.0 is created by everyday people, for everyday people As a user, you can be interactive to find more information about a given subject (click through other links to find more information, search for theories and ideas you don't know on search engines, or read supplemented articles to get more information) GS2325 (talk) 06:47, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

I removed sections that were tagged as possible plagiarism. I did not add this content. It was already part of the article, I placed it into another as part of my edits. The Ithenticate report flagged it but it had the date of April 12, 2023. GS2325 (talk) 04:13, 18 December 2023 (UTC)