Table 1
Description of Phillips et al. (2018) definitions for three major learning outcomes with links to survey items., DEVISE: Developing, Validating, and Implementing Situated Evaluation Instruments Project.
| CONSTRUCT | DEFINITIONS AND BLUE THUMB EXAMPLES | DEVISE SCALES |
|---|---|---|
| Behavior and Stewardship | Measurable behaviors that result from engagement in citizen science projects but are external to protocol or skills of the specific citizen science project. | General Environmental Stewardship Scale |
| Interest in Science and Nature | The degree to which an individual assigns personal relevance to a topic or endeavor, and their actions taken toward pursuing that endeavor. | Interest in Science and Nature Scale |
| Motivation for Participation in Citizen Science Motivation for Doing and Learning Science | Factors that activate, direct, and sustain goal-directed behaviors and are the “whys” that explain what drives participation. | Motivation for Participation in Citizen Science Scale Motivation for Doing and Learning Science Scale |
Table 2
Demographic data between new (N = 41) and experienced volunteers (N = 33).
| DEMOGRAPHIC | NEW | EXPERIENCED | FULL SAMPLE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | |||
| Female | 26 | 22 | 48 |
| Male | 15 | 9 | 24 |
| Nonbinary | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Age | |||
| > = 24 | 19 | 8 | 27 |
| 25–39 | 12 | 8 | 20 |
| 40–60 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| 60+ | 4 | 7 | 11 |
| Education | |||
| K–12 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| High school | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Some college | 11 | 2 | 13 |
| Associates | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| Bachelors | 12 | 10 | 22 |
| Masters | 8 | 9 | 17 |
| Doctorate | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| Career | |||
| College professor | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| College student | 17 | 10 | 27 |
| Government employee | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Group/other | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Hobbyist | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| K–12 student | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| K–12 teacher | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Landowner | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Scientist | 8 | 5 | 13 |
Table 3
Comparison of all survey scores between new and experienced volunteers with a Mann-Whitney U test. N = new and E = experienced volunteers. Significance denoted by *. Behavior was scored 0–42, where higher scores indicate higher levels of pro-environmental behaviors. Interest was scored between 1 and 5, where scores closest to 5 indicate higher levels of interest in science. Intrinsic motivation scores were subtracted from extinction motivations where positive scores indicate predominately intrinsic motivations.
| OUTCOME | LEVEL | N | MEDIAN | STD. DEVIATION | Z | p-VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behavior and Stewardship | N | 41 | 28.3 | 0.93 | –1.66 | 0.10 |
| E | 33 | 31.58 | 1.26 | |||
| Interest in Science | N | 41 | 4.09 | 1.40 | –0.06 | 0.96 |
| E | 33 | 4.66 | 0.59 | |||
| Motivation for Citizen Science | N | 41 | 0.61 | 0.63 | –1.99 | 0.03* |
| E | 33 | 0.95 | 0.68 | |||
| Motivation for Doing/Learning Science | N | 41 | 1.50 | 0.90 | –0.10 | 0.92 |
| E | 33 | 1.55 | 0.85 |
Figure 1
General Environmental Stewardship Scale survey items response scores for all Blue Thumb volunteers.
Figure 2
Interest in Nature Scale survey items response scores for all Blue Thumb volunteers.
Figure 3
Motivation for Doing and Learning Science Scale survey items response scores for all Blue Thumb volunteers.
Figure 4
Comparison of Motivation for Participation in Citizen Science scale items response scores between new and experienced volunteers, where * denotes significant differences.
Table 4
Comparison of Motivation for Participation in Citizen Science Scale survey items response scores between new and experienced volunteers. Significance denoted by *.
| MOTIVATION PARAMETER | LEVEL | N | MEDIAN | STD. DEVIATION | p-VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intrinsic motivation | N | 41 | 4.62 | 0.46 | 0.86 |
| E | 33 | 4.60 | 0.48 | ||
| Extrinsic motivation | N | 41 | 4.01 | 0.64 | 0.02 |
| E | 33 | 3.65 | 0.65 | ||
| Motivation sum | N | 41 | 0.61 | 0.63 | 0.02* |
| E | 33 | 0.96 | 0.66 |
Table 5
Response categories of qualitative data describing all volunteers’ (N = 74) main motivations for participating in Blue Thumb.
| DESCRIBE YOUR MAIN MOTIVATION(S) FOR PARTICIPATING IN BLUE THUMB. | ||
|---|---|---|
| RESPONSES | EXAMPLE QUOTES | N |
| Interest in learning about water quality | “To learn about what factors in my local watershed influence stream health and share with the community the differences we can make” | 17 |
| “I want to learn more about water quality monitoring and gain an understanding about how things around me work” | ||
| Personal feelings and attachments | “I have a deep passion for the environment and feel a duty to monitor and preserve these fragile ecosystems” | 15 |
| “I was motivated because I thought it would be something fun to do and I enjoy fishing, science, and statistics” | ||
| Contribution | “I desire to contribute to sustainability through action” | 13 |
| “It’s empowering to feel like I’m having a direct impact on the environment around me” | ||
| Social relationships | “Personally engage in an established organization and surround myself with like-minded people” | 12 |
| “ I want to be an example to my family of how to do this… I want to be a part of a bigger community involved in water monitoring” | ||
| Conservation practices | “I want to contribute to water conservation in Oklahoma and see how water quality changes” | 12 |
| “It’s something to do that helps the environment […] promotes conservation” | ||
| Connection to land | “I want to help protect water quality on family land that we own” | 10 |
| “I love the stream […] It means a lot to me and my community” | ||
| Career experience/skills | “Eventually I want a career in something environmental so I thought this was a good place to get started” | 7 |
| “Interest in learning skills that could be useful in moving into a new career” | ||
| Education | “I want to help educate and create awareness of water quality issues” | 7 |