Barbara Soukup (University of Vienna) from the Sparkling Science project "VisibLL" and Silke Schweiger (Natural History Museum Vienna) from "WILDLIFE CRIME" presented their projects and lessons learned in the webinar. The role of various motivational factors was highlighted, and the participants discussed which forms of recognition can be effective in different project phases.
Lessons learned
Both speakers emphasized that the motivation of citizen scientists - in particular pupils and teachers - is an important scientific factor in citizen science projects because it influences the quality of the data collected and the results of the work. In the school context, different methods could help to motivate the participants.
Barbara Soukup reported that a competition was introduced in the "VisibLL" project, which prompted pupils to collect more data on foreign languages in public spaces and to analyze it more precisely. The presence and motivation of the teachers was also a decisive factor.
Silke Schweiger explained how the close personal exchange between researchers and pupils in the "WILDLIFE CRIME" project helped to ensure that the collaboration was productive and focused. The students are also actively involved in the publication of the scientific project results, for example in the creation of a conference poster that will be presented at the European Citizen Science Conference (ECSA) in April 2024.
More information from the projects, lessons learned and tips can be found in the recording (in German).
Upcoming Spotlights
Spotlights in the "Inside Sparkling Science 2.0" series take place on the second Thursday of each month from 12:00 to 13:00. Make a note and register now!
- March 14, 2024, 12:00-13:00, Sparkling Science Spotlight with the projects "u3Green" and "Be PART of it!" Further information
- April 11, 2024, 12:00-13:00, Sparkling Science Spotlight with the projects "MAJA" and "Snow2School" Further information
- May 08, 2024, 12:00-13:00, Sparkling Science Spotlight with the projects "LIDAL" and "DIGIdat" Further information
- 13 June 2024, 12:00-13:00, Sparkling Science Spotlight with the projects "This is (not) Rocket Science!" and "FEIN-FÜHLEN durch Mentalisieren" Further information
The recordings of all previous lectures can be found here.
