Revitalising Empirical Research in Education with Citizen Science: From (Solving) Misinterpretations to (Embracing) Opportunities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.1825-8670/16383Keywords:
Citizen Science, Empirical Research, Educational Research, Statistics, StatactivismAbstract
Empirical research in education needs to be revitalised. However, there are some misunderstandings to solve: I) experts must refrain from expropriating the teachers from any possibility of voicing about scientific research that matters; II) considering scientific evidence as incontrovertible fact is erroneous; III) believing that the only research worth being conducted at school is that that delivers certainty and political/ethical impartiality is the last misconception. A couple of obstacles to counter these misunderstandings subsists: I) the teacher training, which does not equip teachers to comprehend and conduct scientific research; II) the practices of accountability of scientific production in academic institutions pushing researchers to publish low-quality/interest studies. In this context, Citizen Science (involvement of non-researchers in interactions with researchers as equals) can be a promising resolving direction.
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