Teacher experiences and understanding of citizen science in Australian classrooms

Abstract

Citizen science represents an important opportunity for school students to make real-world connections with science through context-based learning with the potential to increase their engagement, enjoyment and understanding of science. However, to date, citizen science has not experienced wide uptake in school settings and there is a paucity of information about its implementation in the classroom. Here we present a mixed-method approach investigating teachers' knowledge and use of citizen science in Australian classrooms. We explored teachers' experience and perceptions of citizen science, and opportunities and barriers to incorporate citizen science as an educational approach through an online questionnaire. Among the teachers surveyed, 45% (n = 295) had personally participated in citizen science outside of school and 41% (n = 283) had incorporated citizen science projects in classroom lessons. Teachers (45%, n = 295) reported participating in citizen science initiatives multiple times. Also, most projects that teachers were involved in (77%, n = 292) were related to ecological studies, such as species monitoring. Citizen science was reported to be a relatively new approach; used by teachers for less than a year on average. The main challenges included a lack of knowledge, time, confidence, and clarity regarding citizen science project alignment with the Australian curriculum. Additionally, 92% of respondents said they would be more encouraged to use citizen science in classrooms if projects were aligned to the curriculum. Identifying ways to increase teachers' openness to incorporate citizen science in their classrooms is crucial to its successful widespread, long-term, and meaningful implementation. Encouraging broader participation of teachers in citizen science based on their previous experiences could address their expectations and increase their confidence and feeling of ownership. These research findings suggest that meaningful and applicable citizen science programs could be co-created by addressing resource limitations and curriculum alignment challenges. Implementing solutions to these barriers is likely to contribute to the development of sustainable school-inclusive citizen science projects, with potential to positively impact science education in the long-term.

Fig 1. School type and category of participating teachers (N = 288).

Fig 2. School subjects taught by respondents (N = 297; teachers were able to select more than one subject).

Subjects are based on the subject areas for NSW. HSIE = Human Society and Its Environment; PDHPE = Personal Development, Health and Physical Education; TAS = Technological and Applied Studies.

Fig 3. School location and teacher’s use of citizen science in classrooms (N = 304).

Fig 4. Description of citizen science use in schools as reported by teachers in terms of A) Period of time, B) frequency, and C) school stage (n = 169).

Fig 5. Reasons for not participating in citizen science.

Teachers could select more than one option.

Fig 6. Barriers to citizen science access for teachers who have not used citizen science in their lessons (n = 167).

Fig 7. Factors that may influence school use of citizen science by teachers.

N = 248.