Learning and transformative potential of citizen science
Potentiel d'apprentissage et de transformation des sciences participatives
Résumé
This paper critically analyses the transformative capacity of citizen science (CS), and in particular, the issue of learning in the context of CS. A narrative review focussed on CS and social learning literature was conducted collaboratively, followed by a case study review to evaluate learning aspects in fourteen CS projects from across the European Union. A template approach to explore learning arrangements in CS projects was used to explain how the desired changes can be achieved in a learning context offered by CS. Based on this assessment these are concluded that: 1) recent studies aiming to define CS for analytical purposes often fail to improve the clarity of conceptualisation 2) CS programmes may have transformative learning potential, especially contributing to the development of individual level skills, while such transformation is not necessarily occurring at organisational and institutional levels, 3) there is existing fair evidence on simple and visible learning outcomes, whereas the assessment of transformative effects of learning is often based on assumptions rather than empirical observation, 4) learning in CS is unanimously considered as important but in practice is often forgotten and rarely evaluated.