Ramifications of Türkiye’s public engagement with polar regions

Limon O., CAYMAZ E., Gürdal Limon E., Demirayak Ö., DAL A., Özsoy B.

International Journal of Science Education, Part B: Communication and Public Engagement, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)

Özet

This study examines how Türkiye’s National Polar Science Programme (NPSP) and the National Polar Science Symposium (NPSS) define and implement public engagement within the country’s emerging polar research framework. Situating Türkiye’s experience within broader international debates on public engagement in emerging and internationally governed scientific domains, the analysis draws on core science communication theories, including deficit–dialogue–participation models, typologies of public engagement, and co-production perspectives. Methodologically, the study employs qualitative document analysis of ten NPSP Monitoring and Assessment Reports (2018–2022) and seven NPSS abstract books (2017–2023), using an iterative and theory-informed coding process. The findings indicate that public engagement is predominantly shaped by informational and visibility-oriented strategies, while dialogic elements are gradually emerging through education- and youth-focused initiatives. However, institutionalised participatory mechanisms enabling public influence on research agendas remain limited. The study concludes that Türkiye’s public engagement trajectory reflects a hybrid and incremental configuration shaped by institutional development within an internationally governed research context. By treating the Turkish case as an analytically comparative example rather than a context-specific exception, the article contributes to international discussions on how public engagement is structured and institutionalised in emerging polar and climate research programmes.