Research and education are inextricably linked when involving lay data collectors in scientific studies. The growing trend of public participation in research (PPR), including citizen science and volunteer monitoring partnerships, can reframe both how scientists think about their work and how the public thinks about science.

Although PPR projects are generally attentive to the interests of both scientists and volunteers, there is often tension between scientific and educational goals. When social dimensions of ecological issues come into play, further dilemmas arise regarding how to consider the needs and interests of constituents. Coordinating organizations have responded to these tensions differently, and resulting approaches to PPR range from supporting school curricula, to addressing local concerns, to advancing ecological theory.

When ecologists collaboratively engage the public in research partnerships, what kind of ecological thought is being advanced? More specifically, how can different approaches to engaging volunteers in research result in (or even draw from) different kinds of knowledge, both for science and for the public?

Results/Conclusions

I will present a theoretical model for PPR, developed in conjunction with the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s Citizen Science Toolkit Project. In light of current conceptions of ecological literacy and associated theories of learning and public participation, we will explore the anticipated knowledge outcomes of several different programmatic approaches. Dimensions to be discussed include whether the knowledge produced may be reliable, actionable, and/or relevant to different constituents.

An understanding of the knowledges likely to result from different approaches can help ecologists and educators coordinating PPR best target their efforts to advance ecological thinking.