ERIC Number: EJ1356145
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1305-8215
EISSN: EISSN-1305-8223
Citizens' Views on Home Experiments in the Context of a Chemistry Citizen Science Project
EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, v18 n8 Article em2142 2022
Citizen science has gained importance in recent years and revealed great potential, especially regarding science learning and environmental education. However, little is known about ways of supporting individual learning processes within citizen science. With this in mind, a home experiment set, the Nitrogen Box, was developed within a chemistry citizen science project on nitrogen pollution of water bodies. The aim of the box was primarily to deepen the subject matter and to sensitize the citizens to the topic. To gain deeper insights into the usability and added value of home experiments in a citizen science context, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten citizens. Analysis of these interviews revealed that the nitrogen box contributed to a consolidation and deepening of knowledge of the nitrogen problem in Northwest Germany. Home experiment sets like Nitrogen Box can motivate and enable citizens to engage more deeply with the scientific topic in the future, to reflect on it and discuss it. We discuss how heterogeneity of the target group presents challenges for designing citizen science projects and provide recommendations for the future projects.
Descriptors: Citizen Participation, Scientific Research, Science Experiments, Chemistry, Adult Education, Pollution, Usability, Science Achievement, Foreign Countries
Modestum. No: 1 Windrush Road, Hilton Derbyshire, DE65 5LB, UK. e-mail: ejmste@ejmste.com; Web site: https://www.ejmste.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A