DIY Citizen Science: Participatory Linguistics Outreach for Improving Science Trust
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Date
2021-05
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Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
A troubling gap of trust exists between the general public and professional scientists
across disciplines and settings; this gap only continues to widen as the politicization of scientific
issues continues to dissolve existing trust in science (Fiske & Dupree, 2014). Citizen science
programs have historically sought to improve this disconnect by involving everyday people in
the gathering and processing of data for standing research projects (Bonney et al., 2009).
However, these programs are not created with the goal of improving science attitudes as their
primary focus, and their content is often limited to the physical sciences. Instead, language
science is a model field for such a program with goals related to science trust, covering topics
and ideas that have low barriers to entry for basic understanding, as well as maintaining a solid
connection to the humanities and public interest (Honda, 1994).
This project describes a novel approach to citizen science methodologies. Rather than
including participants in the collection and analysis of data from existing projects, language
science studies can instead be designed alongside the public from start to finish as an educational
tool providing insight to each step of the scientific process, answering a question they suggest
with methods and analyses they help design. A preliminary run of such an outreach program was
conducted over a ten-week period in the summer of 2020. Digital materials were designed for
continued interaction over this span of time on an interactive website, and participants created
and directed a language science experiment of their choosing. Outcomes from this trial include
tracking results from website interactions and participant demographics. Shortcomings and
suggestions for improving this method are discussed, and future steps for continued programs are
detailed.
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Keywords
Citizen Science, Informal Education, Linguistics Communication, Language, Participatory Research, STEM Outreach