A scientific communication model of the emergence of a hybrid research area was developed and tested in the field of developmental dyslexia, using multiple data sources concerning personal, professional, publication, and network aspects of seventy-four dyslexia researchers. Results suggest that societal concerns, federal research policy, and grant funding may play major roles in encouraging growth and change in a problem area, but that subject background and perceptions of past controversies also strongly influence researchers' involvement. The findings suggest the value of conceptualizing all of science communication, including the popularization of science, as a continuum within the larger society.
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