The Swedish mass experiments – a way of encouraging scientific citizenship?

Citizen science lies at the heart of VA’s annual mass experiments, run with the help of school pupils across Sweden and linked to the Swedish Researchers’ Night.

Our experience is shared in an essay published in the Journal of Science Communication that discusses how mass experiments can stimulate scientific literacy and an interest in science while generating scientific output.

Abstract:

Since 2009 Vetenskap & Allmänhet (Public & Science, VA) coordinates an annual mass experiment as part of ForskarFredag — the Swedish events on the European Researchers’ Night. Through the experiments, thousands of Swedish students from preschool to upper secondary school have contributed to the development of scientific knowledge on, for example, the acoustic environment in classrooms, children’s and adolescents’ perception of hazardous environments and the development of autumn leaves in deciduous trees. The aim is to stimulate scientific literacy and an interest in science while generating scientific output. The essay discusses how the mass experiments can contribute to encouraging scientific citizenship.