- Convenors:
-
Aida Papikyan
(American University of Armenia)
Franziska Stressmann (ECSA)
Send message to Convenors
- Chairs:
-
Franziska Stressmann
(ECSA)
Aida Papikyan (American University of Armenia)
- Format:
- Panel
Short Abstract
This panel explores how citizen science shapes participants’ environmental values, behaviors, and sense of agency. We invite dialogue on the social impact of citizen science projects and aim to examine methods used to assess these impacts, drawing from social sciences, education, and psychology.
Description
While CS is increasingly recognized for its contributions to environmental monitoring and data collection, less attention has been paid to its transformative impact on the citizen scientists themselves. Moreover, the integration of robust measurement methods to capture this impact is often lacking, due to methodological challenges or the mismatch in project timelines. This panel aims to explore how participation in CS projects influences individuals’ environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, and to map the existing studies and methodologies used in conducting impact assessment.
We invite an interdisciplinary discussion drawing from social sciences, environmental psychology, and education to examine the “internal” effects of participatory monitoring. Key questions include: What changes occur in participants’ perceptions and environmental values? How do these shifts translate into longer-term behavior or community action? What role does CS play in cultivating a sense of ownership and agency in local environmental issues?
The idea for this panel emerged from discussions at the OTTERS final conference (Portugal, May 2024), an EU-funded Mission Ocean project that aims to “change hearts and minds” through hands-on environmental engagement. Echoing calls raised during the event, this panel seeks to highlight the need for more robust qualitative and quantitative approaches to measure social and behavioral impacts in CS.
The session will feature brief flash talks by panelists followed by interactive group discussions. We welcome practitioners, researchers, educators, and community organizers to join us in advancing the dialogue on how CS not only generates data but also shapes the environmental values of communities.
Accepted papers
Short Abstract
In CoFish we engaged Lake Geneva fishers and scientists to co-design research related to study the sustainability of fish. We studied the societal outcomes which reveal community empowerment, gains in procedural and content knowledge and self efficacy, but not motivation or epistemic knowledge.
Abstract
CoFish was a co-designed citizen science project (2021-2024) where we engaged with Lake Geneva commercial fishers, anglers and scientists in order to co-design a project on the sustainability of lake fish populations. In response to fishers’ concerns about declining fish populations, we conducted 4 monitoring campaigns to measure the spatial variability of lake phosphorus. We were further interested in investigating the societal and more specifically the learning outcomes of fishers. We conducted interviews with 10 fishers at the start and end of their participation in the project to capture the diversity of societal outcomes. We analysed the data using the Action framework (Passani et al. 2022) and report a gain in community empowerment.
We further analysed the learning outcomes using the OECD PISA Science framework (2025) and found a gain in procedural knowledge, particularly in the way they communicate about science as well as changes in self efficacy. The nature of their discourse when talking about science changed from mainly focusing on tacit knowledge to including more factual content knowledge. Unsurprisingly, there were no major changes in motivation as participants were already highly motivated to participate. There was a slight decrease in their epistemic knowledge indicating the complex nature of learning.
We summarise the societal outcomes in a submission to a disciplinary ecology journal to highlight the importance of capturing and reporting these outcomes. We hope to discuss different frameworks and challenges associated with capturing societal outcomes.
Short Abstract
Using “Urban Gaps” (vacancy mapping in Germany’s Upper Middle Rhine Valley), we trace how citizen science builds skills, trust, and local agency. A Quintuple Helix lens and mixed methods reveal shifting motivations—including political ones—and propose indicators for social impact.
Abstract
This paper investigates how social-science-based citizen science generates hard-to-measure social effects for participants and communities. We analyse “Urban Gaps,” a one-year vacancy-mapping project in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Germany co-produced by citizens, municipal actors, and university researchers. Combining participant observation, interviews, a post-project survey, and media/document analysis, we track changes in motivations, roles, and perceived competencies across the project cycle. Using the Quintuple Helix as an analytical scaffold, we map impacts on individual learning (methods literacy, policy awareness), civic efficacy (responsibility for local development, willingness to act), and collective outcomes (trust, collaboration across community factions, data infrastructures for planning). Beyond established drivers (community benefit, interest in place, support for research), we identify political motivation as a distinct, dynamic category that shapes interactions. We propose a practical indicator set for “intangible” impacts—participation continuity, role diversification, cross-helix ties, openness of data/use in planning, and reflexive trust measures—along with protocols for motivation mapping and transparency. The presentation will also reflect on universities’ Third Mission roles as neutral knowledge brokers and regional change agents, and we'll show how careful design can turn intangible social effects into traceable, policy-relevant outcomes.
Short Abstract
This study applies a Theory of Change to assess how school-based river monitoring in Armenia affects students’ water-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. It shows that citizen science raises awareness and knowledge, but lasting behavioral change needs longer-term engagement.
Abstract
Citizen science has gained growing recognition over the past decade for its contributions to research and policy, yet its social impacts on participants—such as students, teachers, and local communities—remain underexplored (Stevenson et al., 2021; Wehn et al., 2021; Carroll et al., 2025). Understanding how citizen science influences knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors is crucial for assessing its broader impact in promoting environmental stewardship and education.
This study employs a Theory of Change approach (Anderson, 2005) to investigate how citizen science interventions for measuring river water quality influence pro-environmental behavioral change in school communities in Gegharkunik Province, Armenia. Nine schools participated in the “RIVERS” project (Recording Impacts on Vital Ecosystems through Responsible Water Stewardship), implemented within the EU-funded OTTERS project and supported by the ProBleu initiative. Over a period of 4–5 months, students and teachers engaged in water monitoring fieldwork.
The objective of the study was to examine whether citizen science can foster cognitive, emotional, and behavioral changes towards water. Research questions addressed interest in STEM subjects, peer relationships, environmental care and awareness, knowledge acquisition, behavior shifts, and the development of a sense of agency.
A mixed-methods approach combined pre- and post-surveys with students and teachers, interviews with teachers, and student focus group discussions. This design enabled a comprehensive assessment of changes linked to participation in citizen science.
Findings suggest that citizen science activities in schools can foster positive shifts in knowledge, attitudes, and engagement with local environmental issues, highlighting the potential of such initiatives to contribute to both science and society.
Short Abstract
Citizen science is claimed to boost knowledge, nature connection, and support for nature-positive actions, yet few studies rigorously test these impacts. We present a cross-national, mixed-methods approach using controls, surveys, and art-based methods to assess short- and medium-term effects.
Abstract
Citizen science has emerged as a participatory approach to environmental monitoring and knowledge co-production, fostering pro-environmental attitudes, diverse forms of learning, behaviour change, and engagement with societal and policy-relevant issues. Despite this, its societal impacts remain poorly evidenced and inconsistently measured. Key challenges include the lack of standardised indicators and theoretical coherence, difficulties in attributing observed changes to participation rather than pre-existing dispositions, and a reliance on short-term, self-reported measures that often overlook affective and relational dimensions of impact.
In the Horizon Europe project NATALIE, we address these gaps using a cross-national, mixed-methods design to assess the effects of citizen science on nature connection, knowledge of nature-based solutions, and acceptance of nature-positive interventions. Four one-day community monitoring events will be held at newly implemented sites in Latvia, Romania, France, and Italy (16 events total throughout 2026 and 2027). Local community members unable to attend but who register interest will serve as a control group. Participants will receive task instructions framed either in “nature-noticing” language designed to enhance affective engagement or in standard scientific language, allowing analysis of framing effects. Data will be collected via pre-, post-, and six-week follow-up surveys, complemented by art-based methods.
By integrating quantitative and creative approaches, this study aims to: (i) assess the extent to which short-term participation influences knowledge of nature-based solutions, nature connection, and acceptance; (ii) determine the effect of “nature-noticing” versus standard framing on these impacts; and (iii) investigate mechanisms of learning, emotional engagement, and behavioural intentions across cultural and ecological contexts.
Short Abstract
A scoping review mapping out how gamification can support citizen science outcomes, such as promoting behaviour change. It synthesises game elements, impact measures, and insights for assessing their reported social impacts and effects on behaviour change outcomes.
Abstract
Gamification, or the application of game design elements in non-game contexts, is often applied in citizen science (CS) to improve participation and data collection. However, CS projects often have goals beyond the collection of data, such as promoting behaviour change for supporting sustainability goals. While gamification has been shown to promote positive behaviours in fields such as digital health and education, there is a limited understanding of gamification’s ability to support behaviour change within CS. This gap stems from a lack of synthesis of existing studies on gamified citizen science.
This scoping review aims to map out the evidence available in the field of gamified citizen science, identify the game elements employed, and examine how their impact, particularly on behaviour change, has been assessed. Following the JBI guidelines, it targets qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method studies published in Scopus, Web of Science, PsychINFO, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, JSTOR and Medline databases. All English language studies focused on examining a game-based approach to citizen science are included.
The review synthesises patterns in gamification strategies, highlights measurement approaches, and assess their reported social impacts and effects on behaviour change outcomes. By clarifying how gamification has been used and evaluated in citizen science, this study informs the design of future projects seeking to leverage gamification to advance both scientific participation and social impact in the form of sustainability-oriented behaviour change.
Short Abstract
Case study of a citizen science project on seagrass ecosystems off the coasts of Galicia, Spain. The social impact on participants and communities was examined from the perspective of the epistemology and sociology of science, through semi-structured interviews and content analysis.
Abstract
The proposed paper is a case study of a citizen science project on seagrass ecosystems off the coasts of Galicia, Spain. The project was coordinated by oceanographic scientists and environmental educators who worked in conjunction with relevant social groups: high school students, family members, teachers, and fishing communities. The social impact on participants and communities was examined from perspectives of epistemology and sociology of science through semi-structured interviews and content analysis of project products. There was a marked affective impact on young participants regarding their sense of identification with the environment; a significant shift occurred from previous attitudes of indifference to ownership of investigated sites. The intellectual component was more of a vehicle than an end given that the most reported experience was a newfound affection for surrounding environments, while scientific literacy took a secondary role. It was young participants themselves who were responsible for raising awareness amongst adults about the ecological importance of biodiversity on their beaches. At least in one of the sites, community transformation occurred in that relevant social groups decided to conserve and protect a seagrass ecosystem that would otherwise have been dredged. The social function of dialogue and deliberation amongst groups should be emphasized in future experiences; in the case at hand, dialogue occurred only tangentially between groups with different socioeconomic interests (fishermen, shellfish farmers, beach goers), different environmental values (extractivism vs. protectionism vs. seagrass management), and interpretations of necessary actions. Sociological and epistemological approaches are recommended for the difficult task of measuring the intangible.
Short Abstract
This study documented individual- and community-level ripple effects of bike commuters participating in a citizen science intervention, where they monitored particulate matter and noise with personal sensors and compared real-time exposures across routes.
Abstract
Cycling provides health and environmental benefits, but cyclists are exposed to environmental stressors. The Urban Cycling Lab in Ljubljana applied a transdisciplinary CS approach to evaluate cyclists’ exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) and noise, while assessing how CS can foster behaviour change and community empowerment. This study documented psychosocial impacts at the individual level (behavioral adaptations) and community level (collective awareness and empowerment).
A two-week theory-driven intervention engaged 206 bike commuters in assessing particulate matter and noise using personal sensors. Participants accessed a digital platform to compare real-time, geo-coded exposure across their commuting routes. A mixed-methods evaluation combined an online survey, mobile “ride-along” interviews, and a participatory evaluation workshop, altogether aimed at capturing shifts in route choice, environmental health literacy, and potential ripple effects of participation.
Survey data indicated moderate concern about air pollution but limited awareness of health risks and low adoption of protective behaviours. Ride-along interviews showed that exposure data enhanced sensory awareness, motivated some participants to adapt routes, and highlighted preferences for quieter, greener commutes despite longer travel times. Workshop discussions revealed community-level impacts, with participants reporting that the project gave visibility to cycling issues from a scientific perspective and provided new opportunities for dialogue with peers and decision-makers.
Exposure to environmental data can foster behaviour change, environmental health literacy, and civic engagement among cyclists. Embedding participatory evaluation into CS interventions captures these intangible social impacts and shows how robust environmental data collection can be coupled with community empowerment to advance more equitable urban mobility systems.
Short Abstract
Deep Time demonstrates how citizen science transforms landscapes and lives. Across 9 missions, 6,500 participants mapped heritage and habitats over 5,300 km², producing professional-grade, national-scale data and reporting improved wellbeing, eco-agency, connection to place and climate anxiety.
Abstract
Deep Time demonstrates that citizen science can transform both landscapes and lives. Designed by DigVentures, this UK-wide platform trains citizens to analyse satellite and LiDAR data, mapping heritage and habitats at a scale previously achievable only by professionals. Across nine missions covering 5,300 km² of priority landscapes, 6,500 participants created 70,000 validated data points supporting reforestation, climate resilience, and nature-recovery planning with partners including Natural England, the National Trust, and National Landscapes.
A mixed-methods evaluation (n = 6,500) measured environmental attitudes, behaviours, and wellbeing before and after participation. Ninety-two percent reported new pro-environmental choices; 68 percent felt stronger connection to place; and nearly a quarter experienced reduced climate anxiety. Half were first-time heritage or ecology volunteers, with balanced gender representation and 15 percent from non-white backgrounds.
By integrating Earth Observation data with collective intelligence, Deep Time created a national model for citizen-powered landscape intelligence. Its training ecosystem, accessible GIS tools, and live impact dashboards show how digital citizen science can produce professional-grade data while cultivating environmental agency and inclusion. These findings directly address this panel’s call to measure the “intangible” outcomes of participation—demonstrating how citizen science converts climate anxiety into agency and connects global citizens to the landscapes they help restore.
https://digventures.com/projects/deep-time/
Short Abstract
Based on a ten years-long citizen science project in Italy, this study explores environmental attitudes, motivation, and identity of the engaged volunteers, revealing the social and behavioural transformations behind sustained citizen engagement
Abstract
How may participation in biodiversity conservation citizen science projects influence volunteers’ attitudes, motivation, and sense of agency? This contribution presents insights from the long-term Italian CS initiative “InNat”, focused on monitoring protected insect species and habitats, which engaged more than 1,600 volunteers between 2014 and 2024 across national territory.
A dedicated survey conducted in 2022 explored the social drivers of participation and factors supporting sustained engagement. The analysis combined socio-demographic variables, environmental attitudes, and interest in scientific topics to model levels of commitment. Volunteers were grouped into two categories—Consistent and Non-Consistent participants—to identify enablers of long-term involvement, and results indicate that, although participants share similar demographic profiles, motivations and self-perceptions diverge. In fact, consistent volunteers exhibit stronger pro-environmental values, a deeper sense of contributing to science, and an active interest in promoting citizen science within their communities.
These findings demonstrate that successful citizen science initiatives can build upon environmental awareness, agency, and identity among participants. Results show that integrating motivational and attitudinal analysis can provide leverage for citizen science projects to become transformative social connections between people, scientific knowledge, and nature.
Short Abstract
This paper introduces a three-loop organisational learning framework, based on relational signals, that helps citizen science teams redress power imbalances, scale collective meaning-making, and govern community knowledge. AI underpins synthesis while enforcing community data sovereignty.
Abstract
This paper presents a new conceptual framework that helps citizen science teams address three common organisational problems: unequal power between communities and decision makers, scaling up meaning-making, and establishing fair rules for using community knowledge. We explain how AI can act as a simple organisational infrastructure that supports careful synthesis while keeping communities in charge, guided by community data principles.
Drawing from organisational learning theory, we present relational signals as a multi-level framework that transforms citizen science into collective sense-making systems. The framework addresses scaling challenges through three interconnected learning loops.
Surface signals capture immediate organisational responses through standardised feedback mechanisms, enabling rapid pattern recognition across diverse project contexts. These authentic emotional and cognitive reactions create organisational memory that can be systematically used and compared across initiatives.
Rooted signals emerge through structured narrative synthesis processes where participants co-construct meaning from their experiences. This represents double-loop learning where communities question underlying assumptions about environmental stewardship, shifting to active knowledge co-creators. The framework facilitates identity transformation at both individual and collective levels, building organisational capacity for sustained engagement.
Branching signals track emergent actions months after project completion, demonstrating how learning transfers beyond project boundaries into autonomous community-driven initiatives. This third-order learning creates self-replicating organisational patterns that scale naturally through networks rather than top-down mandates.
AI serves as a coordinating infrastructure by automating pattern recognition across signals while preserving community agency through transparent algorithms and participatory governance protocols. The framework implements community data sovereignty principles, ensuring communities retain control over their knowledge.