הגדלת ההון המדעי של תלמידים המתגוררים בפריפריה דרך השתתפותם במדע אזרחי – האם היא עשויה אף לתרום לניידות החברתית שלהם: [מתוך המדור חזית המחקר]

Science capital refers to people’s information about, attitudes towards, and engagement with science in their day-to-day lives. The current study examined the science capital and the learning experiences of school students from social and geographical periphery who participated in a citizen science project in their science lessons. The goal of the project was to map concentrations of Radon gas in buildings in Israel. As part of this initiative, students learned about Radon’s features and associated risks and took part in measuring and monitoring gas levels. Project participants were 137 Druze students from northern Israel who were studying in six different ninth-grade classes. Of these, 15 also participated in semistructured interviews. Data was analyzed using a qualitative approach. Findings revealed three components of science capital among the students: development of positive attitudes towards science; fostering of a science-related identity; and greater importance attributed to the study of science and environmental issues through citizen science. Furthermore, students reported positive academic, social and emotional learning experiences. These findings suggest that students’ participation in citizen science initiatives can enhance their science capital and support effective learning in the realm of environmental education. The science capital gained from such experience may encourage students from social and geographical periphery to actively engage in informed decision-making democratic processes related to ecological issues, which in turn can facilitate and pave the way to social mobility.