Giving children the tools to question their own data turns a simple school issue into a lens for examining systems, values, and responsibility.
Andrea Gauthier
Lecturer in Education and Technology
Digital Eco-Inquirers and the BBC micro:bit
Digital Eco‑Inquirers was a research partnership between the Crafting Sustainabilities Collective and a primary school in Oxfordshire, funded through a Royal Society STEM Partnership Grant. The project engaged Year 5 children (ages 9–10) in authentic, technology‑enhanced inquiry into littering on their school grounds, aimed at developing key research, problem‑solving, and data‑handling skills.
Across five weeks, 23 Year 5 children participated in a “close‑to‑science” inquiry‑based learning programme using the BBC micro:bit and Jacdac sensors to investigate the where, when, who, how much, and why of littering at their school, combining observational data collection, micro:bit‑based tracking, and peer interviews under the guidance of their teacher and university researchers. Through experimenting with different sensors, they compared the usefulness and accuracy of various inputs, learned to question data reliability, recognised the influence of human decision‑making on data quality, and developed critical data literacies. The inquiry also nurtured key sustainability competences, with children demonstrating systems thinking as they formed hypotheses, critical thinking as they interpreted data and challenged their assumptions, and values‑based reasoning as they explored the social motivations behind littering—often expressing empathy, ethical reflections, and self‑awareness during interviews and discussions.
Building upon children's findings, the school extended this inquiry into design and action. This involved a student‑led anti‑littering campaign, using 3D printing, Canva‑based media design, and micro:bit‑based evaluation tools. This work determined that inquiry‑driven values translated into meaningful behaviour change across the school.
Research Impact and Sector Influence
- New methodology for inquiry-based learning involving physical computing
Our research has informed a new approach for inquiry-based learning and yielded a set of teaching materials for facilitating this that are available upon request.
2. Policy engagement
The Royal Society selected Digital Eco‑Inquirers for presentation at its Parliamentary Showcase, where participating children shared their methodology and findings with policymakers.
Project team and collaborators
Dr Andrea Gauthier (academic lead)
Primary teacher Stéphanie Harries (school lead)
Professor Asimina Vasalou
MA students: Sijia Xiong, Meihua Xi, and Thi Hong Minh Nguyen
Selected Works
