Citizen science and its potential for science education

Lüsse, Mientje; Brockhage, Frauke; Beeken, Marco; Pietzner, Verena

doi:10.1080/09500693.2022.2067365

Cited by 29 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…The benefits of citizen science to education systems and wider society are being actively investigated by international citizen science associations ( 29 ). However, previous citizen science projects applied in school settings have already established that a high level of participation is found to have greater impacts on learning outcomes ( 30 ). In Kefir4All, we conducted a citizen science project involving 123 citizen scientists in which scientific learnings and practices were applied in formal and informal learning environments ( 31 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kefir4All, a citizen science initiative to raise awareness of the roles that microbes play in food fermentation

Walsh,

Breselge,

Martin

et al. 2024

J Microbiol Biol Educ.

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Microorganisms are ubiquitous in nature and are central to human, animal, environmental, and planetary health. They play a particularly important role in the food chain and the production of high-quality, safe, and health-promoting foods, especially fermented foods. This important role is not always apparent to members of the public. Here, we describe Kefir4All, a citizen science project designed to provide the general public with an opportunity to expand their awareness, knowledge, and practical skills relating to microbiology, introduced through the medium of producing fermented food, i.e., milk kefir or water kefir. During the course of Kefir4All, 123 citizen scientists, from second-level school and non-school settings, participated in a study to track changes in the microbial composition of kefirs, by performing and recording details of milk kefir or water kefir fermentations they performed in their homes or schools over the 21-week project. At the start of the study, the citizen scientists were provided with milk or water kefir grains to initiate the fermentations. Both types of kefir grain are semi-solid, gelatinous-like substances, composed of exopolysaccharides and proteins, containing a symbiotic community of bacteria and yeast. The experimental component of the project was complemented by a number of education and outreach events, including career talks and a site visit to our research center (Kefir Day). At the end of the study, a report was provided to each citizen scientist, in which individualized results of their fermenting activities were detailed. A number of approaches were taken to obtain feedback and other insights from the citizen scientists. Evaluations took place before and after the Kefir4All project to gauge the citizen scientist’s self-reported awareness, knowledge, and interest in microbiology and fermented foods. Further insights into the level of citizen science participation were gained through assessing the number of samples returned for analysis and the level of participation of the citizen scientists throughout the project. Notably, the survey results revealed a self-reported, increased interest in, and general knowledge of, science among the Kefir4All citizen scientists after undertaking the project and a willingness to take part in further citizen science projects. Ultimately, Kefir4All represents an example of the successful integration of citizen science into existing education and research systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kefir4All, a citizen science initiative to raise awareness of the roles that microbes play in food fermentation

Walsh,

Breselge,

Martin

et al. 2024

J Microbiol Biol Educ.

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show abstract

“…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).…”

Section: Constructivism Learning Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the realm of education, citizen science is recognized as a means to foster science and environmental education (Bonney et al, 2016;Ballard et al, 2017;Bopardikar et al, 2021;Hsu & Lin, 2023;Lüsse et al, 2022;Roche et al, 2020). Citizen science acts as a liaison between scientists and the general public by providing close interactions with scientists, fieldwork opportunities, and participation in projects aimed at improving one's scientific literacy or environmental literacy (Bonney et al, 2009;Hsu et al, 2018Hsu et al, , 2019Jakositz et al, 2022;Merenlender et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revolutionizing informal education: Intersection of citizen science and learning theories

Hsu,

Kao,

Chai

2023

INTERDISCIP J ENV SCI ED

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In recent years, citizen science has emerged as a vital component of large-scale scientific research, relying on the collaboration of participants and scientists in gathering, analyzing, interpreting, and disseminating new discoveries. Research has shown that citizen science participants not only assist in data collection but also make significant contributions to their scientific and environmental education. However, the wide range of learning process and approach associated with citizen science has resulted in numerous studies using different theories to examine learning outcomes. This paper seeks to compile various learning theories that align with citizen science participation and engagement. The theories to be explored include experiential learning, sociocultural theory, social learning theory, free-choice learning, constructivism learning theory, and situated learning. By synthesizing these theories, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive reference for the growing body of research on learning with citizen scientists.

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“…Some gave the reasons for this directly and saw themselves, for example, as limited in their options because they cannot or do not want to do without a car due to their place of residence. The observation of little or only a few isolated behavioral changes was also made by Lüsse et al (2022a) in a review of various citizen science projects in formal school contexts. Phillips et al (2018) have outlined the extent to which behavior change can occur as a result of participation in citizen science.…”

Section: Regional Information and References (Two Citizens)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Citizens’ views on home experiments in the context of a chemistry citizen science project

Pietzner

Lüsse²,

Brockhage³

et al. 2022

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed

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Citizen science has gained importance in recent years and revealed great potential, especially regarding science learning and environmental education. However, little is known about ways of supporting individual learning processes within citizen science. With this in mind, a home experiment set, the Nitrogen Box, was developed within a chemistry citizen science project on nitrogen pollution of water bodies. The aim of the box was primarily to deepen the subject matter and to sensitize the citizens to the topic. To gain deeper insights into the usability and added value of home experiments in a citizen science context, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten citizens. Analysis of these interviews revealed that the nitrogen box contributed to a consolidation and deepening of knowledge of the nitrogen problem in Northwest Germany. Home experiment sets like Nitrogen Box can motivate and enable citizens to engage more deeply with the scientific topic in the future, to reflect on it and discuss it. We discuss how heterogeneity of the target group presents challenges for designing citizen science projects and provide recommendations for the future projects.

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Citizen science and its potential for science education

Cited by 29 publications

References 83 publications

Kefir4All, a citizen science initiative to raise awareness of the roles that microbes play in food fermentation

Kefir4All, a citizen science initiative to raise awareness of the roles that microbes play in food fermentation

Revolutionizing informal education: Intersection of citizen science and learning theories

Citizens’ views on home experiments in the context of a chemistry citizen science project

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