IADIS International Journal on Computer Science and Information Systems

Published by IADIS (International Association for Development of the Information Society) • ISSN (Online): 1646-3692 • ISSN (Print): 1646-3692
100% Open Access
Double-Blind Peer Review
Crossref DOI Persistent IDs
Open Access Peer-Reviewed Original Research

Digital Participation for Data Literate Citizens – a Qualitative Analysis of the Design of Multi-project Citizen Science Platforms

Carolin Stein *
Jonas Fegert *
Alicia Wittmer *
Christof Weinhardt *
* FZI Research Center for Information Technology, KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Haid-und-Neu-Straße 10–14, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany (Portugal)
* FZI Research Center for Information Technology, KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Haid-und-Neu-Straße 10–14, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany (Portugal)
* FZI Research Center for Information Technology, KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Haid-und-Neu-Straße 10–14, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany (Portugal)
* FZI Research Center for Information Technology, KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Haid-und-Neu-Straße 10–14, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany (Portugal)

Abstract

In the digitized world, data literacy becomes a skillset that enables participation in transforming societies and job markets. This motivates the exploration of how creative teaching concepts might look like in order to form those relevant competencies. Citizen science , as a collaborative appr oach to scientific research , engages citizens in almost all forms in working with data that is meaningful to them . As such, this paper seeks to examine the potential of digital citizen science in enabling to practice and gain data literacy knowledge. To do so, this paper is focusing on the design of multi-project citizen science platforms through a structured artifact review. Furthermore, we gain insight through a qualitative interview study from 14 interviews (citizens, researchers, and technical experts), drawing conclusions on current platform designs as well as potentials and challenges for their further development. Our results show, on the one hand, that platforms provide a variety of ways to interact with different kinds of data while offering a simple and user-friendly design. On the other hand, functions for communication and support could be further developed and learning opportunities for citizens comprise several, but not all aspects of data literacy.

Keywords

Digital Citizen Science Platforms Data Literacy
Full-Text PDF Available

Read Complete Peer-Reviewed Manuscript

Includes full econometric models, data tables, policy recommendations, declarations, and citations.

Declarations & Ethics

Funding: This research received academic dissemination support through ESCAP / JournalsHub publishing programs.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no competing financial or institutional interests.
Peer Review: Double-blind peer reviewed by international subject specialists.
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
How to Cite This Article
APA / MLA / BibTeX
Stein, et al. (2023). Digital Participation for Data Literate Citizens – a Qualitative Analysis of the Design of Multi-project Citizen Science Platforms. IADIS International Journal on Computer Science and Information Systems, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.33965/ijcsis_2023_v18i1_02
Stein, et al. "Digital Participation for Data Literate Citizens – a Qualitative Analysis of the Design of Multi-project Citizen Science Platforms." IADIS International Journal on Computer Science and Information Systems, vol. 18, no. 1, 2023. https://doi.org/10.33965/ijcsis_2023_v18i1_02
Stein, et al. "Digital Participation for Data Literate Citizens – a Qualitative Analysis of the Design of Multi-project Citizen Science Platforms." IADIS International Journal on Computer Science and Information Systems 18, no. 1 (2023). https://doi.org/10.33965/ijcsis_2023_v18i1_02