Meteorological Citizen Science to Enhance Weather Education: A National-Scale Case Study from Estonian Primary Schools

Citizen science understood as public participation in scientific research, allows students to engage with real scientific questions and methods. It builds a bridge between formal education and scientific practice, creating meaningful opportunities for learning through participation. Formal education can strengthen observational and reasoning skills while supporting understanding of natural phenomena. This approach was piloted in Estonia, where curriculum-linked topics such as observing weather and collecting basic meteorological data already were introduced in the 3rd grade.

This study presents a national-scale citizen science project (IgaILMaga) implemented in Estonian primary schools, where approximately 600 third-grade students participated in structured weather observations. During  two months in autumn 2019, pupils collected local weather data—such as the presence and intensity of precipitation, snow depth, fog, and visibility—using a mobile application developed by the Finnish Meteorological Institute. The dataset was enriched by broad geographical coverage, with participating schools in 13 out of Estonia’s 15 counties representing urban and rural regions. To support learning, tailored instructional materials were integrated into regular lessons.

To evaluate the educational impact of the activity, students completed identical pre- and post-tests based on a previously developed assessment tool designed to measure meteorological knowledge in the context of educational projects. The tests consisted of 62 questions, requiring students to draw conclusions and make real-life decisions. The test was structured around four types of tasks: interpreting weather forecasts presented graphically (1) and textually (2), and observing current weather conditions from snowfall video (3) and “fish-eye” lens photographs (4). These tasks included questions across five thematic domains: temperature, wind, clouds, precipitation, and combined weather elements.

Test results showed the most notable learning gains in the domains of clouds and precipitation. Temperature- and wind-related questions also improved, albeit to a lesser extent. Combined-weather questions, which required reasoning across multiple phenomena, showed moderate gains. When grouped by the source of weather information, the largest improvements were seen in tasks based on direct observation, whereas those involving the interpretation of weather forecasts showed smaller gains.

These findings suggest that short-term, structured citizen science activities—when supported with classroom-based instruction—can enhance students’ understanding of basic meteorological concepts. The results highlight the potential of integrating observation-based tasks into formal science education at an early age. The methodology used here is scalable and adaptable. It may be beneficial for strengthening students’ capacity to engage with environmental data, respond to weather-related challenges, and develop weather and climate literacy.