Do you see what I see? An examination of cues used in plant identification

Background/Question/Methods

Partnerships between scientists and citizens have the potential to generate large longitudinal data sets that facilitate hypothesis-driven research. The potential of such partnerships is even greater when scientists partner with students in the K12 classroom, but little is known of the efficacy of such partnerships in either generating accurate and reliable data or in impacting students’ content knowledge. Within the context of climate change and plant phenology, we investigated the accuracy of third-graders in identifying prairie plant species in situ, or, while on a field trip to a prairie ecosystem. Students were introduced to various native prairie plants, including an array of forbs, such as Lead Plant (Amorpha canescens) and grasses, like Big Blue Stem, (Andropogeon gerardii) through a field-based, demonstration lecture. Leaders described common identifying features, including color, odor, height, seed head characteristics, and feel of the plants. 3^rdgrade students were then asked to draw a specific prairie plant.  Using a visual cognition lens, the drawings were assessed based on the items (plant features chosen by the child to visually represent) included and the accuracy of the representations.

Results/Conclusions

Using a coding scheme taken from facial recognition research, we discovered trends of exaggeration in the plant drawings.  The features that students tend to exaggerate (either in size or number) are assumed, based on the theoretical model, to be cues that the student used as identifiers for the plant they were specifically drawing.  The exaggerated cues in the drawings serve to reinforce data collect in a previous study that indicated that color, smell and height are strong uses for novice observers.. These results suggest that students focus on color and smell, habits that may differ from how experts traditionally identify plants. Further, this research is the second project in an ongoing study to investigate the utility of using K12 students as citizen scientists to support university research projects. Our data show promise, but clearly underscore the need for directed curriculum, including the creation of age-appropriate identification guides with visual representations tuned to student needs.