Educatio biologiae, Vol. 11. No. 1., 2025.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.32633/eb.11.1.1
Effects of citizen science activities on mosquito knowledge and research skills development in students
Irena Labak
orcid.org/0000-0001-9394-5131
; Odjel za biologiju, Sveučilište J. J. Strossmayera u Osijeku, Osijek, Hrvatska
*
Enrih Merdić
; Odjel za biologiju, Sveučilište J. J. Strossmayera u Osijeku, Osijek, Hrvatska
Nataša Bušić
orcid.org/0009-0008-0475-2660
; Odjel za biologiju, Sveučilište J. J. Strossmayera u Osijeku, Osijek, Hrvatska
Tea Gutić
; Odjel za biologiju, Sveučilište J. J. Strossmayera u Osijeku, Osijek, Hrvatska
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
Citizen science activities are increasingly recognized in educational contexts as a valuable pedagogical approach, as they enable students to participate in authentic research processes related to problems in their immediate environment and contribute to the development of scientific literacy. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of students’ participation in a citizen science activity on their knowledge of mosquitoes, the development of research skills, and the ability to transfer an inquiry-based approach to a new biological problem. The study was conducted on a convenience sample of primary school students from two Croatian counties, using a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design without a control group. During the activity, students participated in setting mosquito traps, collecting and recording data, and conducting basic data analysis. The effects of the activity were assessed using a written knowledge test administered before and after the activity, with tasks classified according to cognitive levels, as well as additional tasks in the posttest designed to assess research skills and the ability to transfer the inquiry-based approach. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired-samples t-tests, correlation analysis, and regression analysis. The results showed a statistically significant increase in students’ knowledge of mosquitoes after participation in the citizen science activity, with a large effect size (Cohenov d = 0,99).. Positive effects were observed across multiple cognitive levels, with greater improvement on tasks of moderate cognitive complexity. Analysis of the additional tasks indicated a partial but meaningful development of research skills, while correlation and regression analyses revealed that students’ knowledge was significantly associated with the level of research skills and the ability to transfer the inquiry-based approach. In conclusion, the findings confirm that citizen science activities represent an effective didactic approach in biology education and have considerable potential for developing students’ content knowledge and elements of scientific literacy within a formal educational context.
Ključne riječi
biology education; scientific literacy; inquiry-based learning; inquiry-based approach
Hrčak ID:
342985
URI
Datum izdavanja:
27.12.2025.
Posjeta: 638 *