Participatory design of citizen science experiments

Abstract

This article describes and analyzes the collaborative design of a citizen science research project through cocreation. Three groups of secondary school students and a team of scientists conceived three experiments on human behavior and social capital in urban and public spaces. The study goal is to address how interdisciplinary work and attention to social concerns and needs, as well as the collective construction of research questions, can be integrated into scientific research. The 95 students participating in the project answered a survey to evaluate their perception about the dynamics and tools used in the cocreation process of each experiment, and the five scientists responded to a semistructured interview. The results from the survey and interviews demonstrate how citizen science can achieve a “cocreated” modality beyond the usual “contributory” paradigm, which usually only involves the public or amateurs in data collection stages. This type of more collaborative science was made possible by the adaptation of materials and facilitation mechanisms, as well as the promotion of key aspects in research such as trust, creativity and transparency. The results also point to the possibility of adopting similar codesign strategies in other contexts of scientific collaboration and collaborative knowledge generation Este artículo describe y analiza el diseño colaborativo de un proyecto de investigación de ciencia ciudadana a través de la cocreación. Tres grupos de estudiantes de centros de educación secundaria y un equipo de científicos idearon de forma participada tres experimentos sobre comportamiento humano y capital social en espacios públicos y urbanos. El objetivo del estudio es abordar cómo pueden integrarse en una investigación científica el trabajo interdisciplinar y la atención a preocupaciones y necesidades sociales, así como la construcción colectiva de preguntas de investigación. Los 95 estudiantes participantes en el proyecto respondieron una encuesta para evaluar su percepción sobre las dinámicas y herramientas utilizadas en el proceso de cocreación de cada experimento, y los cinco científicos respondieron a una entrevista semiestructurada. Los resultados de las encuestas y entrevistas demuestran cómo la ciencia ciudadana puede alcanzar una modalidad «cocreada» más allá del paradigma habitual «contributivo», el cual únicamente suele implicar al público o amateurs en la recopilación de datos. Esta modalidad de ciencia más colaborativa con la ciudadanía fue posible gracias a la adecuación de materiales y mecanismos de facilitación, así como al fomento de aspectos clave en una investigación como pueden ser la confianza, la creatividad y la transparencia. Los resultados apuntan también hacia la posibilidad de adoptar estrategias similares de codiseño en otros contextos de colaboración científica y generación colaborativa de conocimiento

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