title: Learning and the transformative potential of citizen science.
abstract: The number of collaborative initiatives between scientists and volunteers (i.e., citizen science) is increasing across many research fields. The promise of societal transformation together with scientific breakthroughs contributes to the current popularity of citizen science (CS) in the policy domain. We examined the transformative capacity of citizen science in particular learning through environmental CS as conservation tool. We reviewed the CS and social-learning literature and examined 14 conservation projects across Europe that involved collaborative CS. We also developed a template that can be used to explore learning arrangements (i.e., learning events and materials) in CS projects and to explain how the desired outcomes can be achieved through CS learning. We found that recent studies aiming to define CS for analytical purposes often fail to improve the conceptual clarity of CS; CS programs may have transformative potential, especially for the development of individual skills, but such transformation is not necessarily occurring at the organizational and institutional levels; empirical evidence on simple learning outcomes, but the assertion of transformative effects of CS learning is often based on assumptions rather than empirical observation; and it is unanimous that learning in CS is considered important, but in practice it often goes unreported or unevaluated. In conclusion, we point to the need for reliable and transparent measurement of transformative effects for democratization of knowledge production.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Social Science Research Group, H-1024 Rómer Flóris Street 38, Budapest, H-1024, Hungary. bela.gyorgyi@essrg.hu.
authors.forename: Györgyi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bela
authors.affiliation: Université Grenoble Alpes, Irstea, UR DTGR, 2 rue de la Papeterie-BP 76, St-Martin-d'Hères, F-38402, France.|Finnish Environment Institute, Yliopistokatu 7-PL 111, Joensuu, 80101, Finland.
authors.forename: Taru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Peltola
authors.affiliation: NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Edinburgh, EH26 0QB, U.K.
authors.forename: Juliette C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: Environmental Social Science Research Group, Rómer Flóris Street 38, Budapest, H-1024, Hungary.
authors.forename: Bálint
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Balázs
authors.affiliation: Université Grenoble Alpes, Irstea, UR DTGR, 2 rue de la Papeterie-BP 76, St-Martin-d'Hères, F-38402, France.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Arpin
authors.affiliation: Environmental Social Science Research Group, Rómer Flóris Street 38, Budapest, H-1024, Hungary.|Department of Decision Science, Corvinus University of Budapest, Fővám tér 8, Budapest, H-1093, Hungary.
authors.forename: György
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pataki
authors.affiliation: Department Ecosystem Services, UFZ- Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, Permoserstraße 15, Leipzig, 04318, Germany.|German Center for integrative Bioidversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hauck
authors.affiliation: Environmental Social Science Research Group, Rómer Flóris Street 38, Budapest, H-1024, Hungary.
authors.forename: Eszter
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kelemen
authors.affiliation: Mechelininkatu 34a, P.O. Box 140, 00251 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kopperoinen
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Brussels, Kliniekstraat 25, 1070 Anderlecht, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Herzele
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Brussels, Kliniekstraat 25, 1070 Anderlecht, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Keune
authors.affiliation: Department Ecosystem Services, UFZ- Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, Permoserstraße 15, Leipzig, 04318, Germany.|German Center for integrative Bioidversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hecker
authors.affiliation: Estonian University of Life Sciences, Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwaldi 1, Tartu, 51014, Estonia.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suškevičs
authors.affiliation: NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, OX10 8BB, U.K.
authors.forename: Helen E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.affiliation: Mechelininkatu 34a, P.O. Box 140, 00251 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Itkonen
authors.affiliation: Estonian University of Life Sciences, Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwaldi 1, Tartu, 51014, Estonia.
authors.forename: Mart
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Külvik
authors.affiliation: Technical University in Zvolen/Institute of Landscape Ecology of SAS, Stefanikova 3, P.O. Box 254, Bratislava, 814 99, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Miklós
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: László
authors.affiliation: CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
authors.forename: Corina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Basnou
authors.affiliation: Univ Autònoma Barcelonas, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Spain.|CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pino
authors.affiliation: Department Ecosystem Services, UFZ- Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, Permoserstraße 15, Leipzig, 04318, Germany.|German Center for integrative Bioidversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.|Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger-Strasse 159, Jena, 07743, Germany.
authors.forename: Aletta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonn
mesh_terms: D003256:Community Participation; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003625:Data Collection; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D012106:Research; D014838:Volunteers
keywords: aprendizaje transformador; biodiversidad; biodiversity; collaborative assessment; interacciones; participación; participation; política ciencia-sociedad; science-society-policy interactions; transformative learning; valoración colaborativa