Participant Activities
The extent to which people participate in different parts of the scientific research process while doing CCS activities can vary widely across different kinds of projects (Shirk et al. 2012), and can influence what they’re learning throughout the project (Bonney et al, 2016).
Some research suggests that students take more ownership of the problems they are trying to solve, and are more accurate in their investigations, when they have opportunities to ask their own science questions, collect their own data and have opportunities to reason scientifically (Chin & Chia, 2004; Duncan, 1993; Hug & McNeill, 2008). CCS projects can be excellent focal points for educators to facilitate strong science reasoning practices during many aspects of the scientific research process (Harris, Ballard & Passmore, in prep), with careful framing of the activities as shared inquiry among scientists and youth together.
In selecting or designing a project to support learning for youth, there are a variety of questions you can consider about the kinds of participant activities involved:
Do you have learning goals for youth that focus on data collection, data analysis, forming their own inquiry or research questions, or presenting and communicating their scientific findings?
Do you want to have youth engage in just one aspect of the science research process in the CCS project (most projects provide opportunities for data collection), or multiple science activities (data analysis, asking questions, sharing findings)?
What roles can youth take on when they participate in the CCS project, and what levels of responsibility can participants have in different aspects of the research process?
What kinds of training and support will youth need to effectively engage in these different kinds of activities?
There are many ways participants might engage in CCS projects. In some cases the roles youth can take on may be specified by the structure of the project, but educators may also have flexibility to design and specify roles for youth. In most projects, participants are asked to collect data as the primary activity, as with Monarch Larva Monitoring Project. Other projects, such as The East Bay Academy for Young Scientists (EBAYS), involve youth in many other steps of the scientific inquiry process including developing research questions, analyzing data and sharing findings with outside audiences. Some projects ask participants to process data, such as photos of galaxies or the bottom of the ocean floor, through online platforms such as Zooniverse, which is an important part of the science process youth don’t often get to participate in.
Analyze Data
Collect Data
EBAYS
Vital Signs
BirdSleuth K-12
Nature’s Notebook
LiMPETS
GLOBE
BioSITE
Science Action Club
Christmas Bird Count
for Kids
Monarch Larva
Monitoring Project
Celebrate Urban Birds
(CUBS)
YardMap
CoralWatch
American Eel
Research
BeeSpotter
Washington
NatureMapping
Tracking Climate
in Your Backyard
GLOBE at Night
Project FeederWatch|
Monarchs in the
Classroom
iNaturalist
Project Squirrel
Lost Ladybug Project
Develop research questions
Process data
ZooTeach
Whales As
Individuals (Zooniverse)
The Plastic Tide
(Zooniverse)
Share findings
References
Bonney, R., Phillips, T. B., Ballard, H. L., & Enck, J. W. (2016). Can citizen science enhance public understanding of science?. Public Understanding of Science, 25(1), 2-16.
Chin, C., & Chia, L. G. (2004). Problem‐based learning: Using students’ questions to drive knowledge construction. Science Education, 88(5), 707-727.
Dunbar, K. (1993). Concept discovery in a scientific domain. Cognitive Science, 17, 397-434.
Hug, B., & McNeill, K. L. (2008). Use of First‐hand and Second‐hand Data in Science: Does data type influence classroom conversations?. International Journal of Science Education, 30(13), 1725-1751.
Shirk, J., Ballard, H., Wilderman, C., Phillips, T., Wiggins, A., Jordan, R., … & Bonney, R. (2012). Public participation in scientific research: a framework for deliberate design. Ecology and Society, 17(2).
