Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Science and Mathematics Education Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

PDF

Citizen science

Discipline
Institution
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type

Articles 1 - 9 of 9

Full-Text Articles in Science and Mathematics Education

Development Of Sense Of Place Through An Urban Citizen Science Program, Cornelia Harris Dec 2021

Development Of Sense Of Place Through An Urban Citizen Science Program, Cornelia Harris

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Citizen science programs are a way for participants to develop a sense of place, which has been theorized to lead to pro-environmental behaviors. In this mixed-methods study, I document how a citizen science program encourages urban youth to connect with their place, and notice how both joy and wonder are developed as they experience a stunning migratory event with a unique organism, the American eel. Students were excited to be in a creek and to ‘discover’ a new creature in a place that they had walked past for years, one that was merely a backdrop to their lives prior to …


Biodiversity Monitoring And Volunteer Motivations: A Case Study On The Imagined Communities Of Citizen Scientists In Meinung, Taiwan, Serena May Calcagno May 2021

Biodiversity Monitoring And Volunteer Motivations: A Case Study On The Imagined Communities Of Citizen Scientists In Meinung, Taiwan, Serena May Calcagno

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Asia Pacific’s biodiversity is under threat. One significant step that can improve conservation is gathering data on what species exist in different areas over time, which can provide insight into ecosystem health. This is especially important in biodiversity hotspots, where high levels of endemism and anthropogenic risk overlap. Though it is one of the few places in the Pacific not classified as a biodiversity hotspot, Taiwan has an unusually high saturation in terms of biodiversity data points. Investigating the motives of biodiversity monitoring volunteerism is already a topic of growing scholarly interest, but relatively few studies have focused on …


High School Students As Citizen Scientists To Decrease Radon Exposure, Ellen J. Hahn, Craig Wilmhoff, Mary Kay Rayens, Nicholas B. Conley, Emily Morris, Angela Larck, Trista Allen, Susan M. Pinney Dec 2020

High School Students As Citizen Scientists To Decrease Radon Exposure, Ellen J. Hahn, Craig Wilmhoff, Mary Kay Rayens, Nicholas B. Conley, Emily Morris, Angela Larck, Trista Allen, Susan M. Pinney

Nursing Faculty Publications

Residents in rural Kentucky (KY) and suburban Ohio (OH) expressed concerns about radon exposure and lung cancer. Although 85% of lung cancer cases are caused by tobacco smoke, radon exposure accounts for 10–15% of lung cancer cases. Academic and community members from the University of KY and the University of Cincinnati developed and pilot-tested a family-centered, youth-engaged home radon testing toolkit. The radon toolkit included radon information, and how to test, interpret, and report back findings. We educated youth as citizen scientists and their teachers in human subjects protection and home radon testing using the toolkit in the classroom. Youth …


A Qualitative Case Study Research Investigation Of Youth Outcomes During An Appalachian Water-Quality Citizen Science Program, Jessica Kaplan Jan 2020

A Qualitative Case Study Research Investigation Of Youth Outcomes During An Appalachian Water-Quality Citizen Science Program, Jessica Kaplan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Citizen science has grown in the past decades to not only include everyday people in research, but also varying levels of engagement with diverse opportunities for participant learning and growth. However, few studies reflect the actual learning outcomes of educational citizen science specifically in youth. This single case study research study focuses on assessing learning and other outcomes of an environmental education, collaborative citizen science program with youth in Morgantown, West Virginia. In this study, a water quality monitoring citizen science program focused on Deckers Creek in Morgantown, WV was adapted for a high school afterschool club. Potential outcomes of …


Teaching With Citizen Science: An Exploratory Study Of Teachers' Motivations & Perceptions, Georgia Bracey Mar 2018

Teaching With Citizen Science: An Exploratory Study Of Teachers' Motivations & Perceptions, Georgia Bracey

Dissertations

With the continued emphasis in the United States on science teaching reform as a way to increase science learning and the scientific literacy of all, the integration of informal science learning activities like citizen science is emerging as a possible way to enhance formal science teaching and learning. There is a limited but growing number of studies indicating that the general public is learning science content and process from participating in citizen science, but research in this area is just beginning and the use of citizen science projects by teachers in formal classroom settings has barely been examined at all. …


Eight-Legged Encounters—Arachnids, Volunteers, And Art Help To Bridge The Gap Between Informal And Formal Science Learning, Eileen Hebets, Melissa Welch-Lazoritz, Pawl Tisdale, Patricia Wonch Hill Feb 2018

Eight-Legged Encounters—Arachnids, Volunteers, And Art Help To Bridge The Gap Between Informal And Formal Science Learning, Eileen Hebets, Melissa Welch-Lazoritz, Pawl Tisdale, Patricia Wonch Hill

Eileen Hebets Publications

Increased integration and synergy between formal and informal learning environments is proposed to provide multiple benefits to science learners. In an effort to better bridge these two learning contexts, we developed an educational model that employs the charismatic nature of arachnids to engage the public of all ages in science learning; learning that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas associated with Biodiversity and Evolution). We created, implemented, and evaluated a family-focused, interactive science event—Eight-Legged Encounters (ELE)—which encompasses more than twenty modular activities. Volunteers facilitated participant involvement at each activity station and original …


In Their Own Words: The Significance Of Participant Perceptions In Assessing Entomology Citizen Science Learning Outcomes Using A Mixed Methods Approach, Louise I. Lynch, Jenny Dauer, Wayne A. Babchuk, Tiffany Heng-Moss, Doug Golick Feb 2018

In Their Own Words: The Significance Of Participant Perceptions In Assessing Entomology Citizen Science Learning Outcomes Using A Mixed Methods Approach, Louise I. Lynch, Jenny Dauer, Wayne A. Babchuk, Tiffany Heng-Moss, Doug Golick

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

A mixed methods study was used to transcend the traditional pre-, post-test approach of citizen science evaluative research by integrating adults’ test scores with their perceptions. We assessed how contributory entomology citizen science affects participants’ science self-efficacy, self-efficacy for environmental action, nature relatedness and attitude towards insects. Pre- and post-test score analyses from citizen scientists (n = 28) and a control group (n = 72) were coupled with interviews (n = 11) about science experiences and entomological interactions during participation. Considering quantitative data alone, no statistically significant changes were evident in adults following participation in citizen science when compared to …


Women In Stem: The Effect Of Undergraduate Research On Persistence, Jodi Christine Wilker Jan 2017

Women In Stem: The Effect Of Undergraduate Research On Persistence, Jodi Christine Wilker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers constitutes a major issue in postsecondary science education. Perseverance of women in STEM is linked to a strong science identity. Experiential learning activities, such as undergraduate research, increase science identity and thus should help keep women in STEM. Most studies on research program development are from 4-year institutions, yet many women start at community colleges. The goal of this study was to fill this gap. Science identity and experiential learning theories provided the framework for this case study at a local institution (LECC). Semistructured interviews determined college science …


The Future Of Citizen Science, Michael P. Mueller, Deborah Tippins, Lynn A. Bryan Ph. D. Feb 2012

The Future Of Citizen Science, Michael P. Mueller, Deborah Tippins, Lynn A. Bryan Ph. D.

Democracy and Education

There is an emerging trend of democratizing science and schooling within science education that can be characterized as citizen science. We explore the roots of this movement and some current projects to underscore the meaning of citizen science in science and schooling. We show that citizen science, as it is currently conceptualized, does not go far enough to resolve the concerns of communities and environments when considered holistically and when compared with more dynamic and multidimensional ideas for characterizing science. We use the examples of colony collapse disorder (CCD) and emerging trends of nanotechnology as cases in point. Then we …