Citizen Science as Part of the Primary School Curriculum: A Case Study of a Technical Day on the Topic of Noise and Health

David Kocman, Tjaša Števanec, Rok Novak and Natalija Kranjec
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David Kocman: Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Tjaša Števanec: Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Rok Novak: Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Natalija Kranjec: National Institute of Public Health, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 23, 1-15

Abstract: In this paper, we summarise lessons learned conducting citizen science (CS) activities within the CitieS-Health H2020 project on the topic of noise exposure and health at a primary school in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Activities were organised in the form of a School Tech-Day Event (STDE) as part of the school’s curriculum involving second-grade pupils, ages 7–8. The STDE was aligned with the project’s methodological framework, which is based on co-creation and co-design principles. To this end, the pupils initially were involved in identifying noise-related issues and translation of selected topics into research questions. Next, together with mentors, they participated in the process of hypothesis formulation and the designing of data collection protocols. Finally, they participated in three focussed noise measurement experiments, as well as data analysis and presentation. We report and critically evaluate the whole chain of activities, focussing on the participant dimension using selected components of the citizen science evaluation framework. The event was very well-received by both pupils and teachers, and their active participation and hands-on experience with scientific processes contributed to their improved scientific literacy. Overall, the demonstrated concept of CS activities has great potential for ongoing inclusion in the school curriculum in its current format, or else adjusted according to specifics from other science and technology fields.

Keywords: citizen science; primary school; school curriculum; noise; health; SDG (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:23:p:10213-:d:458165

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