Balancing Research Goals and Educational Goals — the Adaptation in the "Nature, City, Emotion" Initiative

Dr. Keren Kaplan Mintz, a scientist with the “Nature, City, Emotion” project, faced a unique challenge. As with other citizen science projects in schools, this project aimed to advance research goals alongside educational ones. However, unlike projects in which students collect data on an external factor, here the students’ own experiences were the source of the data. They used a special app to document their emotional experiences over a two-week period. At the end of their participation, they received personalized feedback on the connection between the emotions they experienced and the physical environments in which they spent time. This aspect of the study created a challenge regarding the dual objectives: from a research perspective, the study, which examines the impact of different physical environments on emotions, required that, during data collection, there be no explicit information regarding how the environmental data might be related to emotions. At the same time, from an educational perspective, and based on the principles of citizen science, the project sought to provide students with an enriching and instructive learning experience while teaching them about the research principles of the study itself, which required explaining the rationale behind the research design. How was it possible to balance these two aspects? Keren and Shani Tzur, her partner in developing the project on behalf of the TCSS Center, put a great deal of thought into ensuring that the educational activities would not interfere with the data collection process; to this end, they made a significant adjustment to the program’s structure. Instead of incorporating reflection and data analysis while the app was in use, they postponed these learning stages until the end of the two-week period. Thus, of the seven lessons in the program, the first few provided students with background information and instructions, while the later lessons focused on data analysis and a deeper understanding of the findings. The change proved effective: the data was collected without external biases, and the students’ learning became more meaningful. They not only developed an awareness of the connection between their emotions and the environment, but also acquired significant research skills, strengthened their connection to the community and the environment, and learned how to integrate science with personal experience. It was a challenge successfully overcome—both for the research and for the educational process.