“You could like science and not be a science person ”

Black girls' negotiation of space and identity in science

Bibliographic Data

ID21392717
AuthorsKatherine Wade-Jaimes (0000-0001-9392-0946, University of Nevada Las Vegas Nevada USA, corresponding author), Natalie King (0000-0002-4465-1409, Georgia State University Atlanta Georgia USA), Renee Schwartz (0000-0002-8244-2579, Georgia State University Atlanta Georgia USA)
Year2021
Volume105
Issue5
Pages855-879
Publication date2021-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScience Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0036-8326 • E-ISSN: 1098-237X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/sce.21664
OpenAlexW3170151563
LanguageEN
Citations received33
References cited53

Building on previous research that has described the underrepresentation of women of color in science fields, this paper presents case studies of Black middle school girls to examine how their science identities developed over space and time. Data were collected over the course of their seventh‐grade year in both in school (science classroom) and out‐of‐school (afterschool club) contexts. The Multidimensionality of Black Girls' STEM Learning framework was used to explore the role of the afterschool club as a counterspace and how students made sense of science, science people, and their current and future selves based on their experiences in school and after school science contexts. All three participants struggled to see their future selves as scientists and made distinctions amongst being a science person , a person who likes science, or a scientist. They also negotiated views of science as active and hands‐on in the afterschool setting while experiencing more passive and decontextualized forms of science in the formal school setting. Implications include a need to disrupt the culture of science and reimagine formal science education by learning from out‐of‐school time science programs that function as counterspaces to support Black girls' science identity. We conclude that there remains a need to draw attention to and understand the role of race and racism in science education so that Black girls' science identities are affirmed beyond counterspaces

Aesthetics · Club · Identity (music) · Mathematics education · Negotiation · Pedagogy · Science education · Science, technology, society and environment education · Social science · Social science education · Sociology · Space (punctuation) · Career Development and Diversity · Computer Science · Psychology · Science Education and Pedagogy · Science Education and Perceptions