Abstract
The rise of advanced ICT technologies has made it possible to apply low-cost sensor systems for measuring air quality in citizen science projects, including education. High school students in Norway used these sensor systems in a citizen science project to design, carry out, and evaluate their own research projects on air quality. An impact assessment framework was designed to assess the impact of these activities, considering five areas of impact: scientific, social, economic, political, and environmental. In addition, the framework also considers the transformative potential of the citizen science pilot, i.e., the degree to which the pilot can help to change, alter, or replace current systems, and the business-as-usual in one or more fields such as knowledge production or environmental protection. Data for this assessment were gathered in the form of questionnaires that the students had to complete before starting and after finalizing the pilot activities. The results showed positive impacts on learning, a pro-environmental world view, and an increase in pro-science attitudes and interest in scientific and environmental-related topics at the end of the pilot activities. Only weak impacts were measured for behavioral change. The activities showed transformative potential, which makes the student activities an example of good practice for citizen science activities on air quality with low-cost sensors.
Highlights
The core idea of the citizen science pilot “Air quality measurements in high schools” was to introduce low-cost sensor systems in a high school education context, which would enable the students to actively engage with the topic of air quality
We focus on the dimensions that emerged as most relevant for the citizen science pilot “Air quality measurements in high schools”: (1) on the improvement of knowledge and skills; (2) on changes in the way of thinking, attitudes, and values; (3) on behavioral changes; and (4) on the transformative potential of the project
Before going into detail about the assessment results, it is important to consider that the impact assessment methodology we applied in this citizen science pilot was based on self-assessment and indicates perceived changes, not “objective” ones
Summary
Schools and local communities have a decisive role in this context by promoting knowledge, co-production, and citizen science [3]
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