Frame Shift of a Guest Speaker in a Science Café

Abstract

In recent years, the importance of having dialogues between experts and citizens over science and technology has increased. This research examined how a guest speaker, an expert in the field of science, deals with laypersons "questions that the expert cannot answer or has difficulty answering" during one such dialogue at a science cafe. The examination revealed that the guest speaker responded to the questions that fall under a "scientific knowledge frame" using knowledge in the corresponding scientific knowledge frame, and shifted to a "social discussion frame" for the questions that he could not answer or had difficulty answering. However, when that shift to the "social discussion frame" invoked a conflict with the participants' views, he turned to a "personal opinion frame" upon the facilitator's intervention. This frame shift appeared to be the guest speaker's strategy to avoid conflict with participants and maintain communication with them. What this suggests is that the guest speaker potentially changed his status as a "guest speaker" to a "mere participant" by maneuvering through these three frame shifts.