Understanding Learning and Environmental Engagement in School-Based Citizen Science through Interrelationships among Participant Outcomes

Abstract

Citizen science has gained increasing recognition over the past decade, not only for its contributions to scientific research but also for its educational and transformative potential. While many studies have documented participant outcomes, the interrelationships among these outcomes remain underexplored. This study examines participant outcomes in Recording Impacts on Vital Ecosystems through Responsible Water Stewardship (RIVERS), a school-based water quality monitoring project involving nine communities in Gegharkunik Province, Armenia. It uses the Individual Learning Outcomes (ILO) framework as an analytical structure and explores interrelationships among these outcomes through complementary lenses of Experiential, Transformative, and Social Learning Theories. The study draws on qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with teachers and focus group discussions with students. Findings suggest that participants’ experiences aligned with the outcome categories proposed by the ILO framework. Environmental engagement, however, took several forms, ranging from changes in individual behavior to collective environmental action and a growing sense of civic responsibility. Other experiences revealed by this study, often treated as participant outcomes, supported learning and engagement. Thus, outcomes may also function as conditions for other outcomes. Hands-on monitoring increased participants’ understanding of local environmental problems and interest in science, while also prompting them to reconsider prior assumptions about pollution. Environmental engagement was most evident when these learning experiences were accompanied by heightened responsibility toward the environment, confidence that their actions could make a difference, and support from teachers and peers. These findings highlight the value of complementing outcome-based evaluation frameworks with a process-oriented perspective that captures how participant outcomes develop and interact throughout participation.