iNaturalist: citizen science for teaching and learning sciences.
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.25267/Rev_Eureka_ensen_divulg_cienc.2025.v22.i3.3201Info
Authors
- José Blanco-Salas (ES) University of Extremadura https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6525-4448
- Miriam Andrea Hernández-Barco (ES) Departamento de Física y Matemáticas, Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid. España https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3196-0421
Abstract
The phenomenon known as plant blindness, sometimes defined as the inability of people to perceive, recognise and appreciate plants, has been described as one of the biggest challenges we face as science educators in tackling the socio-ecological crisis we live in these times. Fostering positive human-plant relationships is the responsibility of teachers. A didactic intervention was designed, implemented and evaluated. The aim was to bring the world of botany closer to future teachers (University of Extremadura). During a whole semester, the participants took photos of different botanical species using the mobile application iNaturalist. This activity, which was voluntary and evaluable, involved 61 students (87 % female), 80.3% of the total enrolled, who contributed a total of 1829 observations (mostly of plants). Of these, 156 have so far reached research grade, which means that they have become scientific contributions with potential use for scientific knowledge. The student’s evaluation, carried out by using a rubric (attached), gave very positive results for this activity. Finally, we reflect on the potential benefits of integrating citizen science into formal education.
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Copyright (c) 2025 José Blanco-Salas, Miriam Andrea Hernández-Barco
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