Environmental citizen science and action in Hong Kong schools

My research investigates the impact of citizen science experiences on Hong Kong students' values, attitudes, knowledge and behaviour towards the natural environment. This study intersects citizen science, environmental and experiential education, environmental behavioural psychology, and citizenship action. My aim was to examine citizen science as a pedagogical tool to influence greater youth agency to tackle environmental issues. This investigation evaluates the impact of school-based citizen science, addressing known research gaps. Increased environmental knowledge from citizen science is well established in the literature from western studies, though less is conclusively known about its impact on values, attitudes and behaviours, especially from an Asian perspective.
Using a quasi-experimental mixed methods approach, I engaged with citizen science organisers, and teachers and students from eight schools in Hong Kong. Informed by environmental behaviour psychology, and environmental and experiential education theories, I modified an environmental behaviour model as my theoretical framework to guide the design of survey and semi-structured interview questions. My analysis is based on pre- and post-surveys from 187 students, and interviews with 46 students, 18 teachers and four citizen science organisers.
My findings suggest that citizen science experiences lead to increased environmental knowledge and self-reported pro-environmental behaviours, with a moderate positive correlation between behavioural intention and behaviour. Pro-environmental behaviour is most influenced by field trips and personal experiences in natural environments, one's connection to nature, and being exposed to environmentally positive actions. This illuminates the importance of 'nurture in nature for nurture of nature'. Teachers, students and citizen science organisers shared similar impressions about the value of environmental education and citizen science but differed about where and how citizenship action was incorporated in environmental education. My findings provide evidence about how to use citizen science as a catalyst to enhance environmental education and narrow the value-action gaps in Hong Kong youth.