Urban Youth Participation in Community and Citizen Science

环境保护者是一个为期四年的项目，总部设在加州大学伯克利分校的劳伦斯科学大厅。该项目旨在探索非正式科学教育规划模式的教育和发展影响，该模式为居住在城市社区的有色人种青年提供社区和公民科学活动。该项目基于这样一种假设，即以CCS为中心的体验会产生学习成果，使有色人种青年能够更有效地参与科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）相关的教育、职业和公民活动。每年，在全国三个经济困难的城市社区，14至18岁的有色人种青年将参加为期一个月的夏季或学期的课外活动。这些计划将以CCS相关活动为特色，包括收集、分析、解释和展示数据，以解决当地紧迫的环境质量问题，如土壤铅污染和空气颗粒物污染。该项目将综合使用定性和定量数据收集和分析，以评估青年参与这些CCS活动的影响。总的来说，通过实施该项目，该项目旨在为全国范围内的努力提供有用的信息，这些努力旨在确定有效的战略和方法，有助于提高有色人种青年对STEM的理解和兴趣。A）有什么方法可以增加那些在社区和公民科学（CCS）中代表性不足的人的STEM参与特别是研究项目和一般的STEM？B）当青年参与CCS时，观察到哪些成果与他们的科学机构和科学活动有关？观察到的与参与和学习的益处有关的其他未预料到的结果是什么？（C）科学活动如何在参与CCS的青年中发展？D）项目实施的差异如何影响青年成果。具体而言，该项目探讨了特定CCS活动（例如，项目设计，数据分析和解释，数据呈现）影响青年“科学机构”，定义为包括科学身份（即，作为科学思想家的自我意识），科学价值（即，对应用科学实践解决关键社区健康和环境问题的潜在益处的认识）和科学能力信念（即，他们认为自己是有能力的科学实践者）和“科学行动主义”，定义为感知行为控制和个人显着性的结合。通过它的执行，该项目将完善学习理论，使这些结构之间的明确联系。从项目执行中获得的信息将有助于更深入地了解CCS项目作为城市地区和一般科学教育环境的关键组成部分的潜力。该服务于实践的研究项目由推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划资助，它旨在（a）推进新的方法和基于证据的理解，在非正式环境中设计和开发STEM学习;（B）提供多种途径，以扩大获得和参与STEM学习经验的机会;（c）推进非正式环境中STEM学习的创新研究和评估;以及（d）该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

Environmental Protectors is a four-year project based at the University of California at Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science. The project is designed to explore the educational and developmental impact of an informal science education programming model that features Community and Citizen Science (CCS) activities for youth of color residing in urban communities. The project is grounded in hypothesis that CCS-focused experiences result in learning outcomes that better position youth of color to more effectively engage in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related educational, occupational, and civic activities. Each year, in three economically challenged urban communities located throughout the country, youth of color between the ages of 14 and 18 will participate in month-long summer or semester-long afterschool programs. These programs will feature CCS-related activities that include collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data that addresses local, pressing environmental quality concerns, such as soil lead contamination and air particulate matter pollution. The project will use a mix of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis to assess the impact of youth engagement in these CCS activities. Overall, through its implementation the project aims to generate information useful in nationwide efforts designed to identify effective strategies and approaches that contribute to increasing STEM understanding and interest among youth of color.Project research is guided by the following questions: A) What are ways to increase STEM engagement among those who have typically been underrepresented in Community and Citizen Science (CCS) research projects in particular and STEM in general? B) When youth are engaged in CCS, what outcomes are observed related to their science agency and science activism? What other unanticipated outcomes are observed related to benefits of participation and learning? C) How does science activism develop in youth participating in CCS?; and D) How do differences in program implementation impact youth outcomes. In particular, the project explores the manner in which particular CCS activities (e.g., project design, data analysis and interpretation, data presentation) impact youth “Science Agency,” defined as a combination of constructs that include Science Identity (i.e., sense of themselves as science thinkers), Science Value (i.e., awareness of the potential benefits of applying scientific practices to addressing critical community health and environmental issues) and Science Competency Beliefs (i.e., belief of themselves as competent science practitioners) and “Science Activism,” defined as a combination of perceived behavioral control and personal salience. Through its execution the project will refine a theory of learning that makes explicit connections between these constructs. Information derived from the execution of the project will contribute to deeper understanding of the potential for using of CCS projects as a key component of science education environments in urban areas and in general.This Research in Service to Practice project is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which seeks to (a) advance new approaches to and evidence-based understanding of the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments; (b) provide multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences; (c) advance innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments; and (d) engage the public of all ages in learning STEM in informal environments.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.