Let them participate! School students as citizen scientists and agents of change

Abstract

Through citizen science initiatives, school students have contributed substantially to scientific knowledge. Often, their contribution is limited to the collection of data and other processes of the research cycle such as developing a research question or disseminating research outputs that are not part of a citizen science initiative. In this article we present the involvement of school students in the citizen science program, Plastic Pirates, investigating plastic pollution of the environment. We project two collaboration opportunities beyond data collection and purely academic work: fitting citizen science initiatives to policy-making processes and engaging with local stakeholders and decision makers. This would ensure that school students as citizen scientists do not only create data and knowledge but experience self-efficacy and step into negotiation spaces, where they are able to act on and engage with the investigated topic at hand.

Keywords: school students, citizen science, self-efficacy, participation in research, decision-making processes