Going Squirrelly: Evaluating Educational Outcomes of a Curriculum-aligned Citizen Science Investigation of Non-native Squirrels
We report on the educational outcomes of the Newfoundland Squirrel Project (NSP), a citizen science project conducted by schoolchildren in Newfoundland, Canada. The NSP was developed with the charitable organization Let’s Talk Science (LTS), and involved students surveying non-native red squirrels (...
Published in: | Citizen Science: Theory and Practice |
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Ubiquity Press
2020
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Online Access: | https://research.library.mun.ca/14779/ https://research.library.mun.ca/14779/1/275-3383-1-PB.pdf https://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.275 |
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ftmemorialuniv:oai:research.library.mun.ca:14779 2023-10-01T03:57:32+02:00 Going Squirrelly: Evaluating Educational Outcomes of a Curriculum-aligned Citizen Science Investigation of Non-native Squirrels Spicer, Heather E. Nadolny, Daniel Fraser, Erin 2020 application/pdf https://research.library.mun.ca/14779/ https://research.library.mun.ca/14779/1/275-3383-1-PB.pdf https://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.275 en eng Ubiquity Press https://research.library.mun.ca/14779/1/275-3383-1-PB.pdf Spicer, Heather E. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Spicer=3AHeather_E=2E=3A=3A.html> and Nadolny, Daniel <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Nadolny=3ADaniel=3A=3A.html> and Fraser, Erin <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Fraser=3AErin=3A=3A.html> (2020) Going Squirrelly: Evaluating Educational Outcomes of a Curriculum-aligned Citizen Science Investigation of Non-native Squirrels. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, 5 (1). ISSN 2057-4991 cc_by_nc Article PeerReviewed 2020 ftmemorialuniv https://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.275 2023-09-03T06:49:54Z We report on the educational outcomes of the Newfoundland Squirrel Project (NSP), a citizen science project conducted by schoolchildren in Newfoundland, Canada. The NSP was developed with the charitable organization Let’s Talk Science (LTS), and involved students surveying non-native red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) and eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) using silent observation, call broadcasts, and interviews of the general public. We aimed to (1) provide equitable access to this science outreach opportunity for classes across rural Newfoundland, regardless of remote location; (2) evaluate the likelihood that participants would have firsthand encounters with live animals; and (3) investigate changes in students’ perceptions that participation in science satisfies the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, which are all components of motivation. We further tested whether these changes correlated with changes in enjoyment of and future intentions towards participating in science. The proportion of participating schools classified as rural did not differ from that of all Newfoundland schools, suggesting that rurality did not impede participation. Participants commonly encountered squirrels. There were limited changes in participants’ perceptions of science as satisfying psychological needs. Increases in perceived science competence predicted increases in future intentions to participate in science. We conclude that aligning the NSP with the school curriculum was an effective way to deliver science outreach to students in rural environments and that squirrel surveys provide an impactful experience, as participants often closely encounter these animals. We recommend further research exploring how participation in citizen science impacts participant perceptions of science competence and pursuit of future science activities. Article in Journal/Newspaper Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland: Research Repository Canada Citizen Science: Theory and Practice 5 1 14 |
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Memorial University of Newfoundland: Research Repository |
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ftmemorialuniv |
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English |
description |
We report on the educational outcomes of the Newfoundland Squirrel Project (NSP), a citizen science project conducted by schoolchildren in Newfoundland, Canada. The NSP was developed with the charitable organization Let’s Talk Science (LTS), and involved students surveying non-native red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) and eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) using silent observation, call broadcasts, and interviews of the general public. We aimed to (1) provide equitable access to this science outreach opportunity for classes across rural Newfoundland, regardless of remote location; (2) evaluate the likelihood that participants would have firsthand encounters with live animals; and (3) investigate changes in students’ perceptions that participation in science satisfies the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, which are all components of motivation. We further tested whether these changes correlated with changes in enjoyment of and future intentions towards participating in science. The proportion of participating schools classified as rural did not differ from that of all Newfoundland schools, suggesting that rurality did not impede participation. Participants commonly encountered squirrels. There were limited changes in participants’ perceptions of science as satisfying psychological needs. Increases in perceived science competence predicted increases in future intentions to participate in science. We conclude that aligning the NSP with the school curriculum was an effective way to deliver science outreach to students in rural environments and that squirrel surveys provide an impactful experience, as participants often closely encounter these animals. We recommend further research exploring how participation in citizen science impacts participant perceptions of science competence and pursuit of future science activities. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Spicer, Heather E. Nadolny, Daniel Fraser, Erin |
spellingShingle |
Spicer, Heather E. Nadolny, Daniel Fraser, Erin Going Squirrelly: Evaluating Educational Outcomes of a Curriculum-aligned Citizen Science Investigation of Non-native Squirrels |
author_facet |
Spicer, Heather E. Nadolny, Daniel Fraser, Erin |
author_sort |
Spicer, Heather E. |
title |
Going Squirrelly: Evaluating Educational Outcomes of a Curriculum-aligned Citizen Science Investigation of Non-native Squirrels |
title_short |
Going Squirrelly: Evaluating Educational Outcomes of a Curriculum-aligned Citizen Science Investigation of Non-native Squirrels |
title_full |
Going Squirrelly: Evaluating Educational Outcomes of a Curriculum-aligned Citizen Science Investigation of Non-native Squirrels |
title_fullStr |
Going Squirrelly: Evaluating Educational Outcomes of a Curriculum-aligned Citizen Science Investigation of Non-native Squirrels |
title_full_unstemmed |
Going Squirrelly: Evaluating Educational Outcomes of a Curriculum-aligned Citizen Science Investigation of Non-native Squirrels |
title_sort |
going squirrelly: evaluating educational outcomes of a curriculum-aligned citizen science investigation of non-native squirrels |
publisher |
Ubiquity Press |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://research.library.mun.ca/14779/ https://research.library.mun.ca/14779/1/275-3383-1-PB.pdf https://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.275 |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
Newfoundland |
genre_facet |
Newfoundland |
op_relation |
https://research.library.mun.ca/14779/1/275-3383-1-PB.pdf Spicer, Heather E. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Spicer=3AHeather_E=2E=3A=3A.html> and Nadolny, Daniel <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Nadolny=3ADaniel=3A=3A.html> and Fraser, Erin <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Fraser=3AErin=3A=3A.html> (2020) Going Squirrelly: Evaluating Educational Outcomes of a Curriculum-aligned Citizen Science Investigation of Non-native Squirrels. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, 5 (1). ISSN 2057-4991 |
op_rights |
cc_by_nc |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.275 |
container_title |
Citizen Science: Theory and Practice |
container_volume |
5 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
14 |
_version_ |
1778528976454549504 |