Urban Youth Participation in Community and Citizen Science

“环境保护者”是加州大学伯克利分校劳伦斯科学馆的一个为期四年的项目。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，该模式以社区和公民科学（CCS）活动为特色，为居住在城市社区的有色人种青年提供服务。该项目基于这样一个假设，即以ccs为重点的经验会产生更好的学习成果，使有色人种青年更有效地参与科学、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，年龄在14至18岁之间的有色人种青年将参加为期一个月的夏季或长达一个学期的课外活动。这些项目将以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。该项目将混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。总体而言，通过实施该项目，旨在为全国范围内的努力提供有用的信息，旨在确定有助于提高有色人种青年对STEM的理解和兴趣的有效战略和方法。项目研究以以下问题为指导：A)如何提高那些在社区和公民科学（CCS）研究项目中代表性不足的人对STEM的参与程度，尤其是在整个STEM领域？B)当年轻人参与CCS时，观察到他们的科学能动性和科学行动主义的哪些结果？与参与和学习的好处有关的其他未预料到的结果是什么？C)参与CCS的青年科学行动主义是如何发展的？D)项目实施的差异如何影响青年的结果。特别是，该项目探讨了特定的CCS活动（例如，项目设计，数据分析和解释，数据展示）对青年“科学机构”的影响方式。定义为包括科学认同（即，自己是科学思考者的感觉）、科学价值（即，意识到应用科学实践来解决关键的社区健康和环境问题的潜在利益）和科学能力信念（即，相信自己是有能力的科学实践者）和“科学行动主义”的组合，定义为感知行为控制和个人突出性的组合。通过其执行，该项目将完善学习理论，使这些构念之间有明确的联系。从项目执行中获得的信息将有助于更深入地了解将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。这项服务于实践的研究项目由推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划资助，该计划旨在(a)推进非正式环境中STEM学习设计和开发的新方法和基于证据的理解；(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；(d)让所有年龄段的公众在非正式环境中学习STEM。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.