Active citizenship refers to forms of action that contribute to society. For students, such action provides an opportunity to operate beyond the physical and curricular boundaries of the school in ways that may, among other things, create meaning for school-based activity and connect it to complex issues that preoccupy contemporary society (for example, climate change or the decline of biodiversity). Research indicates that engagement in activities that enable students to act as contributing citizens may strengthen their self-perception as individuals who can exert influence in the world.
The aspiration to encourage students to become active citizens in society is widely accepted internationally, as reflected in documents of the United Nations and the OECD. The importance of active citizenship is also recognized across various educational fields, such as environmental education. Activities that promote active citizenship within environmental education may serve as a bridge between science education and environmental education. In order to foster active citizenship, it is desirable to integrate components that support it, such as participation in inquiry that includes data collection, dissemination of scientific knowledge (whether in the natural sciences, social sciences, or humanities) to external audiences such as the public or relevant authorities, investigation of complex socio-scientific issues, and personal commitment.
In citizen science projects (particularly in the areas of nature and environmental conservation), participation may provide students with opportunities to contribute to the community, society, and environment, beyond their contribution to scientific research. The use of technology in citizen science enables, among other things, the expansion of environmental data repositories and may thus contribute to the advancement of knowledge-based decision-making and policy. For example, following “the Iris” Project (see the story “What a Romantic Place! How to Encourage Student Activism”), students worked with the community and promoted the recognition of their research area as a nature reserve. In the “Great Bird Count” project, students built feeding stations and nesting boxes to conserve and increase biodiversity as a result of project activities. In the “Radon Gas” Project, students initiated research and data collection on radon levels in their homes and acted to raise community awareness of the dangers of prolonged exposure to radon gas (see the story “Radon Gas: Students Investigate and Influence”).
Deepening and Expansion ▼
Encouraging engagement in nature conservation
Ballard and colleagues (2017) examined outcomes of community-based citizen science projects involving youth volunteers in environmental conservation contexts (water quality monitoring and a shoreline project in the San Francisco Bay). The researchers conducted in-depth analyses of activity observations and pre- and post-interviews with youth and educators. Findings indicated a significant contribution to the environment as youth activities contributed to habitat improvement and site management. The study also examined impacts on youth agency, not only in terms of understanding environmental science and inquiry methods, but also in identification with and willingness to act for the environment. Youth were found to develop a sense of active citizenship that extended beyond the specific project context. Three key components of the community-based citizen science projects contributed to the development of agency: participation in data collection, dissemination of scientific knowledge to external audiences, and investigation of complex socio-scientific issues. One conclusion of this study is that, given appropriate design, citizen science projects can foster active citizenship among participants.
Socio-scientific issues as a bridge between science education and environmental education
Wals and colleagues (2014) suggest that the connection between science education (which emphasizes knowledge and skills) and environmental education (which emphasizes values education and behavior change) can be achieved through engagement with complex socio-scientific issues via citizen science. Public participation in citizen science can promote positive environmental behavior, while supporting the development of scientific literacy sought by science education. In addition, citizen science activities may also foster local community connections.
Citizen science and civic science
Dillon and colleagues (2016) wrote the introduction to a special issue of Conservation Biology that addressed the contribution of citizen science to conservation and synthesized insights from 11 articles published in the issue. They argued that citizen science is evolving into civic science. They identified three streams or types of citizen science: science-driven citizen science (projects that contribute data to science), policy-driven citizen science (projects in which public participation and scientific collaboration advance policy), and change-driven citizen science (addressing complex issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss). The latter focuses on questions, data collection, knowledge construction, and actions that are not directed by scientists or policymakers but are supported by them. Scientists and policymakers are involved in this type of citizen science as stakeholders equal to participants from other sectors of the public. The authors emphasize that addressing such complex problems requires the integration of (a) public agency, (b) scientific knowledge, and (c) local knowledge that the public brings with it. Actions aimed at leading change require learning that supports understanding the interests of diverse stakeholders in the issue.
Scientific literacy as a lever for active citizenship
The European Commission report on science education for responsible citizenship (Hazelkorn et al., 2015) argues that in an era characterized by complex realities and challenges on the one hand, and an abundance of technological opportunities on the other, citizens must better understand science and technology in order to take an active part in decision-making. Science education should respond to societal needs and aspirations and foster positive attitudes toward science. To this end, educators should expand the range of opportunities for learning science in both formal and informal settings. The report describes approaches that may support the public in participating actively, with and for society.
Additional Resources:
The Future of Education and Skills: “Education 2030” Project, Initiative, Center for Knowledge and Research in Education, Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. http://yozma.mpage.co.il/SystemFiles/23295.pdf
References ▼
Ballard, H. L., Dixon, C. G., & Harris, E. M. (2017). Youth-focused citizen science: Examining the role of environmental science learning and agency for conservation. Biological Conservation, 208, 65-75.
Dillon, J., Stevenson, R. B., & Wals, A. E. (2016). Introduction to the special section moving from citizen to civic science to address wicked conservation problems. Conservation Biology, 30(3), 450-455.
Hazelkorn, E., Ryan, C., Beernaert, Y., Constantinou, C. P., Deca, L., Grangeat, M., ... & Welzel-Breuer, M. (2015). Science education for responsible citizenship. Report to the European Commission of the expert group on science education.
Kali, Y., (2006). Collaborative knowledge-building using the Design Principles Database. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 1(2), 187-201.
Wals, A. E., Brody, M., Dillon, J., & Stevenson, R. B. (2014). Convergence between science and environmental education. Science, 344(6184), 583-584.
Active citizenship refers to forms of action that contribute to society. For students, such action provides...
Instruction that integrates engagement in authentic scientific research practices enables deep understanding...
radeon gas story
Active citizenship refers to forms of action that contribute to society. For students, such action provides...
In school-based learning initiatives that involve out of school experts, successful implementation requires...