The data lifecycle: extending participatory science beyond data collection to decisions and action¶
Design · All designs
Evidence · 2 claims (1 for, 1 mixed) · 1 study (1 qualitative),q2· 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study
Description¶
The article describes the data lifecycle as the full arc of participatory science work, from developing expertise and defining research questions through collecting, interpreting, and sharing data to making decisions and taking action, then evaluating outcomes and reassessing goals. It holds that "data alone do not contain instructions for which actions to take" and that decisions are expressions of preference shaped by identity. The authors used it as an instructional design process for centering youth agency in their bird-monitoring CCS project.
Design Implications¶
Context¶
Requirements¶
- Instructional designs must structure opportunities across all lifecycle stages, including expertise development, question definition, and data use for decisions, not only data collection
Constraints¶
- The article states the data lifecycle "does not provide instruction for how to make decisions about scientific practices or environmental decisions"
Target Learners¶
- elementary students (4th and 5th grade)
Learning Goals¶
- science learning through authentic data practices
- environmental decision-making and agency
Claims¶
- Students' differing values about a campus predator-prey problem produced no agreed definition of the issue and no agreed action [~M] — the decision stage depends on values the data do not settle, as the framework holds
- Seven of ten focal students explained they could help the birds by expanding their research efforts on campus and beyond [+M]
Patterns Used¶
- Inquiry-Based Learning: students move through the lifecycle from defining research questions to collecting, interpreting and acting on their own data
Related Designs¶
- A school-based CCS project enacting the full data lifecycle with youth-led decisions — the project design built on this framework
- Support youth as knowledge producers with rigorous criteria for evaluating their environmental decisions
Examples¶
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Key Sources¶
- Erin Bridges Bird · Heidi L. Ballard · Margaret Harte. (2023). Data to decision-making: how elementary students use their Community and Citizen Science project to reimagine their school campus. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-022-09612-6
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
design |
id |
data-lifecycle-framework-ccs |
title |
The data lifecycle: extending participatory science beyond data collection to decisions and action |
description |
The article describes the data lifecycle as the full arc of participatory science work, from developing expertise and defining research questions through collecting, interpreting, and sharing data to making decisions... |
status |
review |
generated |
by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-18 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — erin-bridges-bird-heidi-l-ballard-margaret-harte-2023 |
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