Grounding a Program Theory to Enable Authentic Inquiry Through Citizen Science

TL;DRAbstract

Extension programs are well-suited to provide youth and adults with exposure
\nto science. However, designing programs to fully engage participants in
\ndeeper experience with science practice is a complicated challenge. Grounded
\ntheory is one research approach that Extension staff can use to explicate these
\nprogram models. The Driven to Discover: Enabling Student Inquiry through
\nCitizen Science project (D2D), funded by the National Science Foundation,
\ndemonstrates potential for using grounded theory to identify factors that
\nprovoke authentic inquiry by youth-adult research teams using citizen science
\nexperiences. Through a deductive coding approach, researchers are analyzing
\ndata from project participants to build understanding of elements that worked well and challenged the citizen science research teams. Preliminary analysis
\nhas identified 14 themes that describe important design elements across
\ncategories of the setting

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