Knowledge-development in applied science: the case of range management

This study traces the evolution of the applied ecological discipline of range management in terms of the goals, methods, concepts, and criteria developed by range management for their science between 1897 and 1920. It argues, in contrast to the traditional view uÌ uat describes the knowledge-development process in applied science as just science applied to social problems, that wider social goals, values, concepts, and criteria play a definite role in shaping the applied science knowledge-development process. The first generation of range management allowed the primary users of the knowledge in the wider society, the stockmen in the West and Southwest, to have a direct influence on the knowledge-development process. The next generation of scientists eliminated the stockmen's direct influence on the knowledge-development process, yet the stockmen still influenced that process indirectly in various ways. This study concludes that an orientation towards the wider society that actually applies the knowledge is characteristic of range management and may be illustrative of illustrative of many applied sciences. Due to that orientation towards the wider society and to the wider society's influence on the scientist's choice of methods,concepts, and criteria, another characteristic of range management and possibly of other applied sciences is a tension in the knowledge development process between that orientation and the individual goals of scientists in their research.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Science and Technology Studies

Department dc:contributor.department

Science and Technology Studies

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

1989

Author dc:creator

• Heyboer, Maarten

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Downey, Gary L.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Burian, Richard M.
• Dunlap, Thomas R.
• Lux, David S.
• Paterson, Robert A.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

etd-11292012-040035

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/46039