Learning in Citizen Science

Abstract

Citizen science is a promising field for educational practices and research. However, it is also highly heterogeneous, and learning happens in diverse ways, according to project tasks and participants’ activities. Therefore, we adopt a sociocultural view of learning, in which understanding learning requires a close analysis of the situation created both by the project tasks and the dynamics of engagement of the participants (volunteers, scientists, and others). To tackle the complexity of the field, this chapter maps learning in citizen science into six territories, according to where learning might take place: formal education (schools and universities); out-of-school education (science and nature clubs, summer camps, outdoor education, etc.); local and global communities (neighbourhood associations, activist associations, online communities, etc.); families; museums (science museums, art museums, zoos, and botanic gardens); and online citizen science. For each territory, we present key findings from the literature. The chapter also introduces our six personal journeys into the field of learning and citizen science, displaying their variety and the common lessons, challenges, and opportunities. Finally, we present four key tensions arising from citizen science projects in educational settings and look at training different stakeholders as a strategy to overcome some of these tensions.

A New Phase in the History of Education for Sustainability. The Emergence of Territorial Education in a Post-Covid Recovery Period

“…The objective was to develop a project ("The Edible Gardens") to investigate the inputs (labor, costs and water use), and outputs (produce yields and value) of urban food gardens. This type of approach is in line with projects that investigate the potentials of Citizen Science in agriculture (van de Gevel et al, 2020) and others that examine how learning processes emerge or evolve from research activities that involve citizens' participation (Kloetzer et al, 2021) From a territorial capacity perspective, what is being collectively learnt to make the city more sustainable emerges not from a set of knowledge divided into disciplines and previously defined, but from "a set of knowledge constructed through the elaboration of a narrative that is simultaneously an identity one" (Estrela & Smaniotto, 2019, p. 30). This narrative, in the context of our fight against the pandemic together with our will to make cities resilient and sustainable, need to be constructed carefully and collectively.…”

Expanding the Scope of Citizen Science: Learning and Engagement of Undergraduate Students in a Citizen Science Chemistry Lab

“…Our study investigated student learning processes through their participation in lab-based citizen science and highlights three aspects of the students learning trajectories-why, how, and what students learn. Although "how" and "what" are adequately addressed in the literature (e.g., Jennett et al 2016;Kloetzer et al 2021;Phillips et al 2018b), we believe that it is the value of the "why", provided by citizen science contexts, that is transformative for student learning. The novel approach to teaching, which encompassed real-world context and authentic research, served as a powerful motivator for students, increasing their learning outcomes and appreciation of science.…”

“…In an extension of the work of Jennett et al (2016) and as foreshadowed by Kloetzer et al (2021) we were keenly interested in exploring the impact of the unique project characteristics of Breaking Good, and the impact of these characteristics on the learning processes experienced by students. Investigating the "why" of learning requires an understanding of the project context, as seen from the perspectives of students, and it enabled us to explore the role this had in facilitating learning.…”

Citizen Science in Ireland

“…Integrating citizen science and education is key to unlocking the potential for citizen science to be a truly social innovation (Kloetzer et al, 2021). To provide further insight into the state of citizen science in Ireland as presented in Tables 1 and 2, a basic impression of the awareness levels of citizen science among educators in Ireland is provided in Table 3.…”