Scientific Value and Educational Goals: Balancing Priorities and Increasing Adult Engagement in a Citizen Science Project

Sickler, Jessica; Cherry, Tammy Messick; Allee, Leslie L.; Smyth, Rebecca R.; Losey, John E.

doi:10.1080/1533015x.2014.947051

Cited by 17 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(23 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…One article presented outcomes assessed by the researchers; four articles presented both self-reported and assessed outcomes. In these five articles, outcomes were 'assessed' either through closed-ended (multiple choice) questions [52][53][54] or through closed-and open-ended questions [32]. Haywood et al [20] assessed identification skills through the verification of data submitted by participants.…”

Section: Methods Used In the Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The outcome most often addressed by researchers (eleven articles) was an increase in knowledge as a result of citizen science participation ( Table 5). Two different types of knowledge were addressed: most authors (eight) focused on environmental or ecological knowledge [20,30,49,[52][53][54]56,60]. Three articles also addressed science-related knowledge in addition to environmental knowledge [32,47,50].…”

Section: Participant Outcomes Investigated In the Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Participant Outcomes of Biodiversity Citizen Science Projects: A Systematic Literature Review

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Citizen science is becoming increasingly popular as a format in environmental and sustainability education. Citizen science not only allows researchers to gather large amounts of biodiversity-related data, it also has the potential to engage the public in biodiversity research. Numerous citizen science projects have emerged that assume that participation in the project affects participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. We investigated what evidence really exists about the outcomes of biodiversity citizen science projects on the side of the individual participants. For this purpose, we conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed research articles published up to and including 2017. We found evidence for various individual participant outcomes. The outcome reported most often was a gain in knowledge. Other outcomes, found in several articles, referred to changes in behavior or attitudes. Outcomes reported less often were new skills, increased self-efficacy and interest, and a variety of other personal outcomes. We discuss the research design and methods used in the reviewed studies und formulate specific recommendations for future research. We conclude that citizen science is a promising option for environmental and sustainability education focusing on biodiversity. Partnerships between natural and social scientists in the design and evaluation of projects would allow future biodiversity citizen science projects to utilize their full educational potential.

show abstract

Section: Methods Used In the Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Participant Outcomes Investigated In the Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Participant Outcomes of Biodiversity Citizen Science Projects: A Systematic Literature Review

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Indeed, citizen science evaluations have typically emphasized measuring gains in topical content knowledge as opposed to science process knowledge, with mixed results (Ballard and Huntsinger 2006;Bonney 2004;Braschler et al 2010;Brewer 2002;Devictor et al 2010;Evans et al 2005;Fernandez-Gimenez et al 2008;Jordan et al 2011;Kountoupes and Oberhauser 2008;Krasny and Bonney 2005;Phillips et al 2006;Sickler et al 2014;Trumbull et al 2000;Trumbull et al 2005). Overdevest et al (2004) did not find a significant increase in project participant knowledge about streams and water quality, probably because new volunteers were already highly knowledgeable about the subject matter.…”

Section: Content Process and Nature Of Science Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

A Framework for Articulating and Measuring Individual Learning Outcomes from Participation in Citizen Science

Phillips

Porticella

Constas

et al. 2018

CSTP

191

256

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Since first being introduced in the mid 1990s, the term "citizen science"-the intentional engagement of the public in scientific research-has seen phenomenal growth as measured by the number of projects developed, people involved, and articles published. In addition to contributing to scientific knowledge, many citizen science projects attempt to achieve learning outcomes among their participants, however, little guidance is available for practitioners regarding the types of learning that can be supported through citizen science or the measuring of learning outcomes. This study provides empirical data to understand how intended learning outcomes first described by the informal science education field have been employed and measured within the citizen science field. We also present a framework for describing learning outcomes that should help citizen science practitioners, researchers, and evaluators in designing projects and in studying and evaluating their impacts. This is a first step in building evaluation capacity across the field of citizen science. Knowledge, Awareness, Understanding: Measurable demonstration of assessment of, change in, or exercise of awareness, knowledge, understanding of a particular scientific topic, concept, phenomena, theory, or careers central to the project. Strand (2), Understanding: Come to generate, understand, remember, and use concepts, explanations, arguments, models, and facts related to science. Engagement, interest or motivation in science: Measurable demonstration of assessment of, change in, or exercise of engagement/interest in a particular scientific topic, concept, phenomena, theory, or careers central to the project. Strand (1), Interest and motivation: Experience excitement, interest and motivation to learn about phenomena in the natural and physical world. Skills related to science inquiry: Measurable demonstration of the development and/or reinforcement of skills, either entirely new ones or the reinforcement, even practice, of developing skills. Strand (3), Science Exploration: Manipulate, test, explore, predict, question, and make sense of the natural and physical world; and Strand (5): Participate in scientific activities and learning practices with others, using scientific language and tools Attitudes toward science: Measurable demonstration of assessment of, change in, or exercise of attitude toward a particular scientific topic, concept, phenomena, theory, or careers central to the project or one's capabilities relative to these areas. Attitudes refer to changes in relatively stable, more intractable constructs such as empathy for animals and their habitats, appreciation for the role of scientists in society or attitudes toward stem cell research. Related to Strand (6), Identity: Think about themselves as science learners, and develop an identity as someone who knows about, uses, and sometimes contributes to science. Also, related to Strand (4), Reflection: Reflect on science as a way of knowing; on processes, concepts, and institutions of science; and on t...

show abstract

“…; Sickler et al . ), and in some programs educator participants stated they would incorporate NBCS into their youth groups (Johnson et al . ; Merenlender et al .…”

Section: Can We Preach Beyond the Choir?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridging the nature gap: can citizen science reverse the extinction of experience?

Schuttler

Sorensen

Jordan

et al. 2018

Frontiers in Ecol & Environ

126

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Opportunities for people to interact with nature have declined over the past century, as many now live in urban areas and spend much of their time indoors. Conservation attitudes and behaviors largely depend on experiences with nature, and this “extinction of experience” (EOE) is a threat to biodiversity conservation. In this paper, we propose that citizen science, an increasingly popular way to integrate public outreach with data collection, can potentially mitigate EOE. Our review of the literature on volunteers’ motivations and/or outcomes indicates that nature‐based citizen science (NBCS) fosters cognitive and emotional aspects of experiences in nature. Although these experiences can change participants’ behaviors and attitudes toward the natural world, this field remains largely unstudied. As such, even though NBCS can complement efforts to increase opportunities for people to interact with nature, further research on the mechanisms that drive this relationship is needed to strengthen our understanding of various outcomes of citizen science.

show abstract

Scientific Value and Educational Goals: Balancing Priorities and Increasing Adult Engagement in a Citizen Science Project

Cited by 17 publications

References 23 publications

Participant Outcomes of Biodiversity Citizen Science Projects: A Systematic Literature Review

Participant Outcomes of Biodiversity Citizen Science Projects: A Systematic Literature Review

A Framework for Articulating and Measuring Individual Learning Outcomes from Participation in Citizen Science

Bridging the nature gap: can citizen science reverse the extinction of experience?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About