Impacts of integrating citizen science into the classroom on student learning

Citizen science is one way to engage community members with science by enlisting them to help collect data for scientific research projects. Citizen science also allows participants to gain hands-on experience in scientific research and data collection. Previous research has indicated that because participants are collecting data in their own community, it can foster positive feelings about the local ecosystem and animals living in it. Interest may motivate participation in citizen science projects. Research has found that there are two basic types of interest: situational (short term) or personal interest (long-term and of individual significance). Little research has been done about how participants gain knowledge from citizen science project. Finally, research suggests that contact with animals may improve attitudes towards them. The purpose of this study was to explore how secondary school students' participation in an urban rat citizen science project affected their perception of rats.

The students in this study participated in the Helsinki Urban Rat Project, which studied brown rats in an urban environment and human-rat relationships. To participate in the project, students were first trained on the procedures. Then, they were given plates that would show tracks if animals walked over, which could then be identified to determine if the tracks belonged to brown rats. Students selected where they put their plates; they could place them at home, for example. The authors selected this project because the brown rat typically elicits disgust and fear, and they were interested in how the perceptions of rats could change as a result of participating in the hands-on citizen science project. Specifically, the researchers wanted to know what aspects of the project were considered interesting, what facts or knowledge the students perceived to have learned, and how the project affected the participants' attitudes towards rats.

The study took place in Helsinki, Finland, from October 2018 to January 2019. The participants were secondary school students from different schools (aged 14-19). After completing the citizen science portion of the project, 29 students (2-4 from each class) participated in short interviews. During the interviews, participants were asked about their level of interest, perceived learning outcomes, and attitudes toward the rats. For this study, and based on Bloom's taxonomy, the authors classified knowledge into four categories—factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive knowledge. Factual knowledge, meaning the students understood and remembered facts about the rats. Conceptual knowledge, meaning the student understood the science profession and concepts. If students had procedural knowledge, they understood the research process and could even contribute to it. Lastly, metacognitive knowledge means the students understood the scientific process and project enough to plan. The researchers then analyzed the interviews for themes, such as type of interest or knowledge gained.

Overall, the study found that participating in the Helsinki Urban Rat Project increased students' interest and helped them learn about rats. Despite living in an urban environment with rats present, many participants reported that they had not considered the presence of the rats around them. The study also found that participants reported having more positive thoughts about rats because of the project.

Many students indicated situational interest in the project because they felt it served a larger purpose and was practical. Additionally, students remained interested during data collection if they saw animal tracks on their plates and were able to learn about animal presence in their home environment. Consequently, students who didn't observe animal tracks on their plates risked becoming discouraged or uninterested in the project. Overall, having the freedom to choose the study site increased the interest the students had in the project because students had the ability to learn about their nearby environment.

The researchers found that students reported gaining factual, procedural, and metacognitive knowledge, but did not report conceptual knowledge. For example, students reported gaining factual knowledge about the brown rat and procedural knowledge on how to collect the data for the study. Additionally, some students reported learned metacognitive knowledge. For example, a student suggested changing the time of year of the project so that snow did not cover the plates. However, unlike previous studies, participants did not report conceptual knowledge gains. Researchers believed this could be because they were able to choose where they placed their plate.

This study has limitations. Rather than measure attitudes and learning outcomes in students, participants reported their perceptions, which may not accurately reflect knowledge gains or attitudinal shifts. It is possible students who volunteered to participate were the most interested in and dedicated to the project and therefore learned more from it. Additionally, the results of this study are specific to the participants; a larger study completed in another location may have different results.

The researchers recommend using citizen science to help shift attitudes towards species that are disliked. Participating in these projects could result in more environmentally friendly behaviors that can lead to conservation and protection of these species. Furthermore, integrating citizen science into environmental education can promote broad engagement with science through hands-on experiences.