Step by step towards citizen science - deconstructing youth participation in BioBlitzes

Area of Science:

• Citizen science
• Biodiversity research
• Youth engagement in STEM

Background:

• BioBlitzes are common one-day citizen science events.
• These events offer public participation in data collection for research and conservation.
• Citizen science participation can promote deeper engagement with science.

Purpose of the Study:

• To observe youth participation in the five steps of creating a biological record during BioBlitzes.
• To identify barriers to youth engagement in citizen science data collection.
• To suggest improvements for BioBlitzes to enhance youth scientific engagement.

Main Methods:

• Observation of 81 youth across 15 BioBlitzes in the U.S. and U.K.
• Identification of five key steps in biological record creation: Exploring, Observing, Identifying, Documenting, and Recording.
• Analysis of youth engagement in each of the five identified steps.

Main Results:

• 67 out of 81 observed youth participated in at least one step of biological record creation.
• Youth participation was seldom observed across all five steps.
• Participation in the 'Recording' step, crucial for data contribution, was rare among youth.

Conclusions:

• BioBlitzes offer valuable opportunities for youth to engage with science.
• Current BioBlitz structures present barriers to complete youth participation, particularly in data recording.
• Reducing barriers to the 'Recording' step in BioBlitzes can enhance youth scientific engagement and data contribution.