Pub: Environmental Science Agency in YCCS
Ballard, Heidi L., Colin Dixon & Emily Harris (2016) Youth-focused citizen science: Examining the role of environmental science learning and agency for conservation. Biological Conservation
Citizen science by youth is rapidly
expanding, but very little research has addressed the ways
programs meet the dual goals of rigorous conservation science and
environmental science education. We examined case studies of
youth-focused community and citizen science (CCS) and analyzed
the learning processes and outcomes, and stewardship activities
for youth, as well as contributions to site and species
management, each as conservation outcomes. Examining two programs
(one coastal and one water quality monitoring) across multiple
sites in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA, in- and out-of-school
settings, we qualitatively analyzed in-depth observations and
pre- and post-program interviews with youth and educators. First,
we examined evidence from the programs’ impacts on conservation
in the form of contribution to site and species management. We
found that youth work informed regional resource management and
local habitat improvement. Second, we examined the youth
participants’ environmental science agency (ESA). ESA combines
not only understanding of environmental science and inquiry
practices, but also the youths’ identification with those
practices and their developing belief that the ecosystem is
something on which they act. We found that youth developed
different aspects of environmental science agency in each
context. We identify three key CCS processes through which many
of the youth developed ESA: ensuring rigorous data collection,
disseminating scientific findings to authentic external audiences,
and investigating complex social-ecological systems. Our findings
suggest that when CCS programs for youth support these processes,
they can foster youth participation in current conservation
actions, and build their capacity for future conservation
actions.
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