Power dynamics in Arctic community and citizen science: perspectives from youth, educators, and scientists

Abstract

Arctic research is shifting from a culture of scientist-driven inquiry and extractive relationships with Indigenous communities to a culture more conscious of local priorities and reciprocal research relationships. Today, Arctic research has dual goals of studying circumpolar issues through large-scale research and collaborating with local individuals and communities. The emergence of methods like community and citizen science (CCS), in which non-scientists participate in research, has risen in popularity to meet these priorities. The broad aims of CCS are to advance scientific understanding; aid decision-making; and support individual outcomes. I address the third aim by investigating three growing, yet understudied, groups in CCS research in the Arctic and sub-Arctic: youth, teachers, and scientists. In Chapter 2, I tested the effect of two CCS program models (contributory versus co-created) on youths’ science self-efficacy and science interest, finding that while the youths’ survey data did not detect post-program changes in either learning outcome, their interview data revealed substantial differences in youths’ science self-efficacy between program models. In Chapter 3, I examined how teachers supported their students’ development of critical environmental agency in a co-created CCS program. Teachers braided Indigenous knowledge and Western science, positioned their students as leaders in their projects, and helped them create projects to address community needs, which supported students’ critical environmental agency-linked identity development, relationship to place, and environmental action. Finally, in Chapter 4, I interviewed CCS practitioners about their engagement in CCS research. They identified benefits, challenges, and their motivations across six themes: actionable science, communication, cross-cultural engagement, data, multiple perspectives, and relationships. Across the three studies, the key theme emerged of how shifting power from scientists to youth, teachers, or communities changes the nature of the outcomes in CCS projects. Together, the chapters provide insights into how CCS is aiding the culture shift in Arctic research.