COS 82-1 - The impacts of an invasive species citizen science training program on participant attitudes, behavior, and science literacy

Wednesday, August 8, 2012: 8:00 AM
D139, Oregon Convention Center
Alycia Crall1, Rebecca C. Jordan2, Kirstin Holfelder1, Greg Newman1, Jim Graham3 and Donald Waller4, (1)Natural Resource Ecology Laborary, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, (2)Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, (3)Natural Resource Ecology Laborary, Fort Collins, CO, (4)Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Background/Question/Methods

Citizen science can make major contributions to informal science education by targeting participants’ attitudes and knowledge about science while changing human behavior towards the environment.  We examined how training associated with an invasive species citizen science program affected participants in these areas.  

Results/Conclusions

We found no changes in science literacy or overall attitudes between tests administered just before and after a one day training program, matching results from other studies.  However, we found improvements in science literacy and knowledge using context-specific measures and in self-reported intention to engage in pro-environmental activities.  While we noted modest change in knowledge and attitudes, we found comparison and interpretation of these data difficult in the absence of other studies using similar measures.  We suggest that alternative survey instruments are needed and should be calibrated appropriately to the pre-existing attitudes, behavior, and levels of knowledge in these relatively sophisticated target groups.