scholarly journals Citizen science project characteristics: Connection to participants’ gains in knowledge and skills

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0253692
Author(s):  
Maria Peter ◽  
Tim Diekötter ◽  
Kerstin Kremer ◽  
Tim Höffler
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
The Public ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Project Characteristics ◽  
Citizen Science Project ◽  
Participant Outcomes

Background Biodiversity is being lost rapidly and its conservation is thus one of the most urgent tasks today. For biodiversity conservation to be successful, the public needs to gain an awareness and understanding of biodiversity and its importance. Moreover, species experts are needed who have the skills necessary for identifying and recording biodiversity. Previous research showed that citizen science projects can contribute to educating the public about biodiversity. However, it is still unclear how project characteristics connect to participants’ knowledge and skills and how citizen science projects should be designed if they are to foster participants’ learning. Aim We aimed to investigate specific characteristics of biodiversity citizen science projects that could potentially influence participants’ learning. We explored the following project characteristics from both the project coordinators’ and the participants’ perspectives: information and training provided to participants, social interaction among participants, contact between participants and staff, and feedback and recognition provided to participants. Methods and results In order to examine the extent to which these project characteristics are connected to participants’ gains in knowledge and skills, we conducted a comprehensive study across 48 biodiversity citizen science projects in Europe and Australia. We found that participants’ perceived gains in knowledge and skills were significantly related to the five project characteristics as reported by the participants: information received by the participants, training received by the participants, social interaction among participants, contact between participants and staff, and feedback and recognition received by the participants. Conclusion We conclude that by deliberately designing citizen science projects to include features such as interaction and feedback, these projects could achieve higher learning outcomes for the participants. Thereby, suitable modes of communication between projects and their participants are crucial. We provide specific suggestions for the design of biodiversity citizen science projects and for future research on project characteristics and participant outcomes.

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

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Peter ◽  
Tim Diekötter ◽  
Kerstin Kremer
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Sustainability Education ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Related Data ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Individual Participant ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Educational Potential ◽  
Participant Outcomes

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.

scholarly journals Participants’ motivations to contribute to biodiversity citizen science projects

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Lotfian ◽  
Jens Ingensand ◽  
Olivier Ertz ◽  
Sarah Composto ◽  
Mathias Oberson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Science Project ◽  
Intrinsic Nature ◽  
The Public ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Citizen Science Project

The public participation in scientific projects (citizen science) is significantly increasing specially with technology developments in recent years. Volunteers play an essential role in citizen science projects, therefore understanding their motivations, and understanding how to sustain them to keep contributing to the project are of utmost importance. This paper presents the analysis of volunteers’ characteristics and their motivations to contribute to a citizen science project, which aims at encouraging citizens to take action for biodiversity. The results from the online survey illustrate that people are more motivated by intrinsic nature-related motives rather than extrinsic motivations.

scholarly journals Aligning Needs: Integrating Citizen Science Efforts into Schools Through Service Requirements

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ginger Tsueng ◽  
Arun Kumar ◽  
Steven M. Nanis ◽  
Andrew I Su
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Science Project ◽  
The Public ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Formal Science ◽  
Citizen Science Project

AbstractCitizen science is the participation in scientific research by members of the public, and it is an increasingly valuable tool for both scientists and educators. For researchers, citizen science is a means of more quickly investigating questions which would otherwise be time-consuming and costly to study. For educators, citizen science offers a means to engage students in actual research and improve learning outcomes. Since most citizen science projects are usually designed with research goals in mind, many lack the necessary educator materials for successful integration in a formal science education (FSE) setting. In an ideal world, researchers and educators would build the necessary materials together; however, many researchers lack the time, resources, and networks to create these materials early on in the life of a citizen science project. For resource-poor projects, we propose an intermediate entry point for recruiting from the educational setting: community service or service learning requirements (CSSLRs). Many schools require students to participate in community service or service learning activities in order to graduate. When implemented well, CSSLRs provide students with growth and development opportunities outside the classroom while contributing to the community and other worthwhile causes. However, CSSLRs take time, resources, and effort to implement well. Just as citizen science projects need to establish relationships to transition well into formal science education, schools need to cultivate relationships with community service organizations. Students and educators at schools with CSSLRs where implementation is still a work in progress may be left with a burdensome requirement and inadequate support. With the help of a volunteer fulfilling a CSSLR, we investigated the number of students impacted by CSSLRs set at different levels of government and explored the qualifications needed for citizen science projects to fulfill CSSLRs by examining the explicitly-stated justifications for having CSSLRs, surveying how CSSLRs are verified, and using these qualifications to demonstrate how an online citizen science project, Mark2Cure, could use this information to meet the needs of students fulfilling CSSLRs.

Surveying the citizen science landscape

First Monday ◽  
2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Wiggins ◽  
Kevin Crowston
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Data Quality ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Project Design ◽  
Science Project ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Combined Features ◽  
Citizen Science Project

Citizen science has seen enormous growth in recent years, in part due to the influence of the Internet, and a corresponding growth in interest. However, the few stand-out examples that have received attention from media and researchers are not representative of the diversity of the field as a whole, and therefore may not be the best models for those seeking to study or start a citizen science project. In this work, we present the results of a survey of citizen science project leaders, identifying sub-groups of project types according to a variety of features related to project design and management, including funding sources, goals, participant activities, data quality processes, and social interaction. These combined features highlight the diversity of citizen science, providing an overview of the breadth of the phenomenon and laying a foundation for comparison between citizen science projects and to other online communities.

scholarly journals A Framework for Classifying Participant Motivation that Considers the Typology of Citizen Science Projects

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 704
Author(s):  
Maryam Lotfian ◽  
Jens Ingensand ◽  
Maria Antonia Brovelli
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Motivational Factors ◽  
Science Project ◽  
The Public ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Comprehensive Knowledge ◽  
Technological Developments ◽  
Citizen Science Project

Citizen science, the participation of the public in scientific projects, is growing significantly, especially with technological developments in recent years. Volunteers are the heart of citizen science projects; therefore, understanding their motivation and how to sustain their participation is the key to success in any citizen science project. Studies on participants of citizen science projects illustrate that there is an association between participant motivation and the type of contribution to projects. Thus, in this paper, we define a motivational framework, which classifies participant motivation taking into account the typologies of citizen science projects. Within this framework, we also take into account the importance of motivation in initiating and sustaining participation. This framework helps citizen science practitioners to have comprehensive knowledge about potential motivational factors that can be used to recruit participants, as well as sustaining participation in their projects.

scholarly journals Participants’ motivations to contribute to biodiversity citizen science projects

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Lotfian ◽  
Jens Ingensand ◽  
Olivier Ertz ◽  
Sarah Composto ◽  
Mathias Oberson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Science Project ◽  
Intrinsic Nature ◽  
The Public ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Citizen Science Project

The public participation in scientific projects (citizen science) is significantly increasing specially with technology developments in recent years. Volunteers play an essential role in citizen science projects, therefore understanding their motivations, and understanding how to sustain them to keep contributing to the project are of utmost importance. This paper presents the analysis of volunteers’ characteristics and their motivations to contribute to a citizen science project, which aims at encouraging citizens to take action for biodiversity. The results from the online survey illustrate that people are more motivated by intrinsic nature-related motives rather than extrinsic motivations.

scholarly journals Educational practice of citizen science by ICT for the purpose of biodiversity conservation through domestic and international collaboration

Impact ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (3) ◽  
pp. 73-75
Author(s):  
Hiromi Kobori
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Public Involvement ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Sustainable Society ◽  
The Public ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Living Things ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Citizen Science Project

Citizen Science is on the rise. It involves members of the public taking part in research and collecting datasets that can be used by academic institutions and can help foster innovations. Numerous Citizen Science projects are underway in the UK and US but the concept isn't as widespread in Japan. In recent times, though, there have been efforts to engage the Japanese public in Citizen Science by demonstrating its benefits to society. Dr Hiromi Kobori, Tokyo City University, Japan, is exploring ways that Citizen Science innovations can boost the socialisation of science. This involves enabling open science and encouraging citizens to proactively engage in the scientific process. The idea is to involve citizens in multiple research processes and foster a sense of co-creation between citizens and scientists. Kobori's Citizen Science project is contributing to overcoming issues facing the natural and social environment and also involves the use of smartphones, which is an effective way to boost public involvement in science. Specifically, Kobori is involved in a project focusing on biodiversity and how its health can be restored and preserved. Her goal is to re-establish the connection between living things and nature and form a sustainable society.

scholarly journals Citizens, Scientists, and Enablers: A Tripartite Model for Citizen Science Projects

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 309
Author(s):  
Rhian A. Salmon ◽  
Samuel Rammell ◽  
Myfanwy T. Emeny ◽  
Stephen Hartley
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Nature Of Science ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Tripartite Model ◽  
Science Project ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Emerging Issues ◽  
Citizen Science Project

In this paper, we focus on different roles in citizen science projects, and their respective relationships. We propose a tripartite model that recognises not only citizens and scientists, but also an important third role, which we call the ‘enabler’. In doing so, we acknowledge that additional expertise and skillsets are often present in citizen science projects, but are frequently overlooked in associated literature. We interrogate this model by applying it to three case studies and explore how the success and sustainability of a citizen science project requires all roles to be acknowledged and interacting appropriately. In this era of ‘wicked problems’, the nature of science and science communication has become more complex. In order to address critical emerging issues, a greater number of stakeholders are engaging in multi-party partnerships and research is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary. Within this context, explicitly acknowledging the role and motivations of everyone involved can provide a framework for enhanced project transparency, delivery, evaluation and impact. By adapting our understanding of citizen science to better recognise the complexity of the organisational systems within which they operate, we propose an opportunity to strengthen the collaborative delivery of both valuable scientific research and public engagement.

scholarly journals Exploring citizen science in post-socialist space: Uncovering its hidden character in the Czech Republic

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 241-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbora Duží ◽  
Robert Osman ◽  
Jiří Lehejček ◽  
Eva Nováková ◽  
Pavel Taraba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Representation ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
High Level ◽  
Search Approach ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Citizen science is a relatively new phenomenon in the Czech Republic and currently a general overview of existing citizen science projects is not available. This presents the challenge to uncover the ‘hidden’ citizen science landscapes. The main objective of this paper is to explore the (public) representation of citizen science (CS) projects and to describe their heterogeneity. The study aims to answer the question of what type of projects in the Czech Republic meet the definition of citizen science. Based on a specific methodological data-base search approach, we compiled a set of CS projects (N = 73). During the classification process, two general citizen science categories were identified. The first group (N = 46) consists of “pure” CS projects with a prevalence towards the natural sciences, principally ornithology, and thus corresponding to general European trends. Citizens usually participate in such research in the form of data collection and basic interpretation, and a high level of cooperation between academia and NGOs was detected. The second group of “potential” CS projects (N = 27) entails various forms of public participation in general, frequently coordinated by NGOs. Based on these results, we discuss the position of citizen science in the Czech Republic, including socially-oriented citizen science. Further research is strongly encouraged to achieve a more in-depth insight into this social phenomenon.

scholarly journals Enhancing community preparedness: an inventory and analysis of disaster citizen science activities

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramya Chari ◽  
Elizabeth L. Petrun Sayers ◽  
Sohaela Amiri ◽  
Mary Leinhos ◽  
Virginia Kotzias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
System Response ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Science Models ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Science Activities

Abstract Background Disaster citizen science, or the use of scientific principles and methods by “non-professional” scientists or volunteers, may be a promising way to enhance public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) and build community resilience. However, little research has focused on understanding this emerging field and its implications for PHEP. To address research gaps, this paper: (1) assesses the state of disaster citizen science by developing an inventory of disaster citizen science projects; (2) identifies different models of disaster citizen science; and (3) assesses their relevance for PHEP. Methods We searched the English-language peer-reviewed and grey literature for disaster citizen science projects with no time period specified. Following searches, a team of three reviewers applied inclusion/exclusion criteria that defined eligible disasters and citizen science activities. Reviewers extracted the following elements from each project: project name and description; lead and partner entities; geographic setting; start and end dates; type of disaster; disaster phase; citizen science model; and technologies used. Results A final set of 209 projects, covering the time period 1953–2017, were included in the inventory. Projects were classified across five citizen science models: distributed or volunteer sensing (n = 19; 9%); contributory (n = 98; 47%); distributed intelligence (n = 52; 25%); collaborative research (n = 32; 15%); and collegial research (n = 8; 4%). Overall, projects were conducted across all disaster phases and most frequently for earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes. Although activities occurred globally, 40% of projects were set in the U.S. Academic, government, technology, and advocacy organizations were the most prevalent lead entities. Although a range of technologies were used, 77% of projects (n = 161) required an internet-connected device. These characteristics varied across citizen science models revealing important implications for applications of disaster citizen science, enhancement of disaster response capabilities, and sustainability of activities over time. Conclusions By increasing engagement in research, disaster citizen science may empower communities to take collective action, improve system response capabilities, and generate relevant data to mitigate adverse health impacts. The project inventory established a baseline for future research to capitalize on opportunities, address limitations, and help disaster citizen science achieve its potential.

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