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Youth-focused community and citizen science (CCS) is increasingly used to promote science learning and to increase the accessibility of the tools of scientific research among historically marginalized and underserved communities. CCS projects are frequently categorized according to their level of public participation and their distribution of power between professional scientists and participants from collaborative and co-created projects to projects where participants have limited roles within the science process. In this study, we examined how two different CCS models, a contributory design and a co-created design, influenced science self-efficacy and science interest among youth CCS participants. We administered surveys and conducted post-program interviews with youth participation in two different CCS projects in Alaska, the Winterberry Project and Fresh Eyes on Ice, each with a contributory and a co-created model. We found that youth participating in co-created CCS projects reflected more often on their science self-efficacy than did youth in contributory projects. The CCS program model did not influence youths’ science interest, which grew after participating in both contributory and co-created projects. Our findings suggest that when youth have more power and agency to make decisions in the science process, as in co-created projects, they have greater confidence in their abilities to conduct science. Further, participating in CCS projects excites and engages youth in science learning, regardless of the CCS program design.
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"It disrupts power dynamics": Co-Design Process as a Space for Intergenerational Learning with Distributed Expertise
This paper examines co-design as a space for collaborative learning with distributed expertise across generations and roles. We address a fundamental need in co-design spaces: to develop and surface expertise relevant to the design task across a team. We examine how knowledge building is experienced in a design process that has asymmetric expertise among youth, educators, and researchers. We used co-design to engage educators and youth in collaboration towards designing an Artificial Intelligence unit that centers equity and justice. We structured for joint inquiry to facilitate collective learning. We conducted interviews with participants to understand how they experienced codesign. We found our approach allowed for collaborative learning and interactivity among participants with different kinds of expertise.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2019805
- PAR ID:
- 10497791
- Publisher / Repository:
- The International Conference of the Learning Sciences 2022
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- In Proceedings of The International Conference of the Learning Sciences 2022
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Proceeding:
- The DOI is not currently available.
