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Learning in Citizen Science: The Effects of Different Participation Opportunities on Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes

Author

Listed:
  • Josephine Berndt

    (Naturschutzjugend Nordrhein-Westfalen, Völklinger Straße 7-9, 40219 Düsseldorf, Germany)

  • Sandra Nitz

    (Institute for Science Education (InB), RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Biology Education, Fortstr. 7, 76829 Landau, Germany)

Abstract

Citizen science (CS) projects are becoming increasingly popular in schools. They promise to expand knowledge, promote scientific literacy, as well as improve environmental attitudes and behavior. However, studies on the educational potential of CS projects show varying results. These inconsistent findings can be attributed to differences in the design of CS projects. It is assumed that participants who are involved in more phases of the scientific process show greater learning outcomes than participants who are involved in fewer phases. Various models about participation in CS have been developed but have not been thoroughly empirically tested. Therefore, the research question of this study is as follows: How do different participation opportunities influence the educational outcome of CS projects for students? To answer this question, a CS project was carried out with three experimental groups, whereby the participation opportunities were varied, and 199 students were included. The students’ knowledge, attitudes toward science, as well as their environmental attitudes and behavior were evaluated three times (before, shortly after, and 2–3 months after the intervention). The analyses show only minor or no statistically significant influences of the participation opportunities on participants. These results are consistent with studies that also expressed doubts about whether the level of participation determines the educational potential of CS projects.

Suggested Citation

  • Josephine Berndt & Sandra Nitz, 2023. "Learning in Citizen Science: The Effects of Different Participation Opportunities on Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-16, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:16:p:12264-:d:1215054
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sauermann, Henry & Vohland, Katrin & Antoniou, Vyron & Balázs, Bálint & Göbel, Claudia & Karatzas, Kostas & Mooney, Peter & Perelló, Josep & Ponti, Marisa & Samson, Roeland & Winter, Silvia, 2020. "Citizen science and sustainability transitions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(5).
    2. Franz X. Bogner, 2018. "Environmental Values (2-MEV) and Appreciation of Nature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-10, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hessel Bos & Pieter Zwaan & Taco Brandsen, 2025. "After the Initial Start of Co-Production: A Narrative Review of the Development of Co-Production and Changes in Orientation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-22, January.
    2. Ana Teresa Neves & Diana Boaventura & Cecília Galvão, 2025. "Contribution to Sustainable Education: Co-Creation Citizen Science Project About Monitoring Species Distribution and Abundance on Rocky Shores," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-14, October.

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