Citizen Science: Schoolteachers’ Motivation, Experiences, and Recommendations

Abstract

Citizen science offers teachers a way to bring authentic scientific research into their classrooms by providing both teachers and their students with opportunities to contribute to authentic research. The potential of citizen science for science education has already been highlighted in various fields and by various stakeholders. More and more studies underpin this potential by providing evidence for the learning outcomes achieved through participation in citizen science projects. In formal education settings, teachers are the gatekeepers for teaching innovations and, hence, the ones who decide whether to engage students in citizen science. However, the expertise of teachers who have already participated in citizen science with their students has not been studied on a broad international level. Therefore, to investigate their experience and learn from their expertise, this study employed a concurrent triangulation design and invited teachers to participate in a survey (N = 56) and an interview (N = 11), independent of their country of residence, their school type, and their teaching subject. The results provide insights into teachers’ motivation, the engagement techniques and types of activities they used, the challenges they faced, and their recommendations for implementing citizen science in formal education settings. The present findings have important implications for the design of professional development programmes and support networks for teachers in citizen science.

Forming bonds between molecules and communities through Project M

“…In Project M, conversations with teaching staff directly impacted the protocol and the strategy, where they shared the need for connections to the curriculum and science education learning outcomes (Kelemen-Finan et al, 2018;Scheuch et al, 2018;Roche et al, 2020;Aristeidou et al, 2022). The division between science education and science communication in the classroom and in research can imply that they have little in common, when the reality is that they fundamentally share the common goals of education, entertainment and engagement in and about science (Baram-Tsabari and Osborne, 2015).…”

“…Frequent reality checks are critical to ensure what you are proposing is possible for the target audience. There is often a gap between what people sign up for and what they think they are signing up for, as well as a gap between the expectation and reality of resource and time availability in schools (Aristeidou et al, 2022). This is particularly true when thinking about school laboratories/equipment or access to computers or printers.…”

Meaningful participation of schools in scientific research through contributory citizen science projects

“…Alongside learning of science content and practices, teachers often underscore additional beneficial effects of students' engagement with authentic science investigations. Teachers typically believe that helping to solve a real‐world scientific problem has an important role in: (a) motivating students (Aristeidou et al, 2022; Doyle et al, 2018, 2019; Kaplan Mintz et al, 2021), (b) enriching students' perspectives about their own identity and work (Bracey, 2018; Rushton & Reiss, 2019), (c) building students' science identity (Bracey, 2018; Doyle et al, 2019; Kaplan Mintz et al, 2021; Rushton & Reiss, 2019), and (d) enhancing students' capacity for agency and action (Atias et al, 2023; Bracey, 2018; Kaplan Mintz et al, 2021). The studies demonstrating these findings were conducted mostly in the context of contributory projects, illustrating that teachers expect and encounter such outcomes even as students participate in limited roles within the scientific research.…”

Revolutionizing informal education: Intersection of citizen science and learning theories

“…Citizen science projects provide both problem-oriented and project-oriented learning experiences that can be integrated into formal and non-formal education settings. Several studies have indicated that citizen science programs can be effective learning activities when incorporated into the classroom (Aristeidou et al, 2022;Godfrey et al, 2022;Lüsse et al, 2022). By incorporating citizen science into general education, educators can provide authentic research experiences while reducing resource consumption (Vitone et al, 2016).…”