How Does Participation Matter? Participation, Empowerment and Development of Science Identity

Few studies have examined how participation in citizen science affects participants’ perceptions of their roles in, use of, and contributions to science, particularly across different types of citizen science models. In our... [ view full abstract ]

Few studies have examined how participation in citizen science affects participants’ perceptions of their roles in, use of, and contributions to science, particularly across different types of citizen science models. In our first year of a 3-year study, we explored the relationship between quality of participation during citizen science and the development or reinforcement of specific aspects of science identity across a wide spectrum of citizen science projects. Quality here refers to the qualitative aspects of participation, including the amount of power and agency participants have in any given stage of the research or monitoring process.

Across diverse projects within the U.S. focused on birds, precipitation, air and water quality monitoring, pollinators and eels, we conducted over 75 interviews with participants representing low, medium, and high level or “degree” of engagement, as collectively defined by the leaders of the 6 citizen science projects. Using previous research on science identity and activity theory, we focused analysis on understanding how their participation in citizen science helped to develop and/or reinforce specific aspects of science identity, including their feelings of competence in science, interest in science, recognition from others as someone who understands science, and self-efficacy and empowerment regarding understanding and contributing to science.

Our initial findings indicate that depending on the quality of participation and participants’ interests, the development or reinforcement of science identity is possible at all levels of engagement. Whether leading a local air quality monitoring team, or sporadically submitting monarch larvae monitoring data, many participants expressed deep feelings of empowerment and self-efficacy in their ability to contribute to and use science to address environmental problems. This work has implications for the design and evaluation of citizen science projects, as well as better understanding of how science learning and identity development occurs in informal settings.