Library Subscription: Guest
Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering

Published 6 issues per year

ISSN Print: 1072-8325

ISSN Online: 1940-431X

SJR: 0.514 SNIP: 0.875 CiteScore™:: 2.4 H-Index: 27

Indexed in

(RE)PRODUCING GOOD SCIENCE STUDENTS: GIRLS' PARTICIPATION IN HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS

Volume 9, Issue 1, 2003, 18 pages
DOI: 10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.v9.i1.20
Get accessGet access

ABSTRACT

In this ethnographic study, the author describes the meanings of science and science student in a physics classroom in an upper-middle-class high school and the ways girls participated within these meanings. The classroom practices reproduced prototypical meanings of science (as authoritative) and science student (as "dutiful"). The results highlight girls' embrace of prototypical school science. Yet at the end of the school year, the girls did not consider themselves "science people," nor did they want to pursue physics further. The author's interpretation of these results takes seriously girls' agency in producing the meaning of the physics class (as a way to polish one's transcript) and draws attention to the promoted identities (prototypical good student identities) in the classroom. The author argues that students' agency in resisting or accepting the practices, identities, and knowledge of school science is worth understanding for the improvement of science education.

CITED BY
  1. Carlone Heidi B., The cultural production of science in reform-based physics: Girls' access, participation, and resistance, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41, 4, 2004. Crossref

  2. Sharma Ajay, Making (electrical) connections: Exploring student agency in a school in India, Science Education, 92, 2, 2008. Crossref

  3. Buxton Cory A., Carlone Heidi B., Carlone David, Boundary Spanners as Bridges of Student and School Discourses in an Urban Science and Mathematics High School, School Science and Mathematics, 105, 6, 2005. Crossref

  4. Carlone Heidi B., Johnson Angela, Understanding the science experiences of successful women of color: Science identity as an analytic lens, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44, 8, 2007. Crossref

  5. Gilmartin Shannon, Denson Nida, Li Erika, Bryant Alyssa, Aschbacher Pamela, Gender ratios in high school science departments: The effect of percent female faculty on multiple dimensions of students' science identities, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44, 7, 2007. Crossref

  6. Johnson Angela, Brown Jaweer, Carlone Heidi, Cuevas Azita K., Authoring identity amidst the treacherous terrain of science: A multiracial feminist examination of the journeys of three women of color in science, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 48, 4, 2011. Crossref

  7. DeWitt Jennifer, Archer Louise, Osborne Jonathan, Dillon Justin, Willis Beatrice, Wong Billy, HIGH ASPIRATIONS BUT LOW PROGRESSION: THE SCIENCE ASPIRATIONS–CAREERS PARADOX AMONGST MINORITY ETHNIC STUDENTS, International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 9, 2, 2011. Crossref

  8. Shanahan Marie‐Claire, Identity in science learning: exploring the attention given to agency and structure in studies of identity, Studies in Science Education, 45, 1, 2009. Crossref

  9. Wallace Carolyn S., Authoritarian science curriculum standards as barriers to teaching and learning: An interpretation of personal experience, Science Education, 96, 2, 2012. Crossref

  10. DeWitt Jennifer, Archer Louise, Osborne Jonathan, Nerdy, Brainy and Normal: Children’s and Parents’ Constructions of Those Who Are Highly Engaged with Science, Research in Science Education, 43, 4, 2013. Crossref

  11. Archer Louise, DeWitt Jennifer, Osborne Jonathan, Dillon Justin, Willis Beatrice, Wong Billy, “Balancing acts'': Elementary school girls' negotiations of femininity, achievement, and science, Science Education, 96, 6, 2012. Crossref

  12. Archer Louise, DeWitt Jennifer, Osborne Jonathan, Dillon Justin, Willis Beatrice, Wong Billy, ‘Not girly, not sexy, not glamorous’: primary school girls’ and parents’ constructions of science aspirations1, Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 21, 1, 2013. Crossref

  13. Archer Louise, DeWitt Jennifer, Willis Beatrice, Adolescent boys' science aspirations: Masculinity, capital, and power, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51, 1, 2014. Crossref

  14. DAWSON EMILY, “Not Designed for Us”: How Science Museums and Science Centers Socially Exclude Low-Income, Minority Ethnic Groups, Science Education, 98, 6, 2014. Crossref

  15. Thoman Dustin B., Brown Elizabeth R., Mason Andrew Z., Harmsen Allen G., Smith Jessi L., The Role of Altruistic Values in Motivating Underrepresented Minority Students for Biomedicine, BioScience, 65, 2, 2015. Crossref

  16. ARCHER LOUISE, DEWITT JENNIFER, OSBORNE JONATHAN, Is Science for Us? Black Students’ and Parents’ Views of Science and Science Careers, Science Education, 99, 2, 2015. Crossref

  17. Francis Becky, Archer Louise, Moote Julie, DeWitt Jen, MacLeod Emily, Yeomans Lucy, The Construction of Physics as a Quintessentially Masculine Subject: Young People’s Perceptions of Gender Issues in Access to Physics, Sex Roles, 76, 3-4, 2017. Crossref

  18. Sax Linda J., Lehman Kathleen J., Barthelemy Ramón S., Lim Gloria, Women in physics: A comparison to science, technology, engineering, and math education over four decades, Physical Review Physics Education Research, 12, 2, 2016. Crossref

  19. Archer Louise, Dawson Emily, DeWitt Jennifer, Godec Spela, King Heather, Mau Ada, Nomikou Effrosyni, Seakins Amy, Killing curiosity? An analysis of celebrated identity performances among teachers and students in nine London secondary science classrooms, Science Education, 101, 5, 2017. Crossref

  20. Southerland Sherry A., Smith Leigh K., Sowell Scott P., Kittleson Julie M., Chapter 2 Resisting Unlearning: Understanding Science Education’s Response to the United States’s National Accountability Movement, Review of Research in Education, 31, 1, 2007. Crossref

  21. Farhangi Sanaz, Contribution to activity: a lens for understanding students’ potential and agency in physics education, Cultural Studies of Science Education, 13, 3, 2018. Crossref

  22. Moote Julie, Archer Louise, Failing to deliver? Exploring the current status of career education provision in England, Research Papers in Education, 33, 2, 2018. Crossref

  23. Archer Louise, Moote Julie, Francis Becky, DeWitt Jennifer, Yeomans Lucy, The “Exceptional” Physics Girl, American Educational Research Journal, 54, 1, 2017. Crossref

  24. Abraham Jessy, Barker Katrina, Motivation and Engagement with Physics: a Comparative Study of Females in Single-Sex and Co-educational Classrooms, Research in Science Education, 50, 6, 2020. Crossref

  25. Godec Spela, Sciencey Girls: Discourses Supporting Working-Class Girls to Identify with Science, Education Sciences, 8, 1, 2018. Crossref

  26. Johnson Angela, Consequential Validity and Science Identity Research, in Identity Construction and Science Education Research, 2012. Crossref

  27. Regan Elaine, DeWitt Jennifer, Attitudes, Interest and Factors Influencing STEM Enrolment Behaviour: An Overview of Relevant Literature, in Understanding Student Participation and Choice in Science and Technology Education, 2015. Crossref

  28. Archer Louise, DeWitt Jennifer, Science Aspirations and Gender Identity: Lessons from the ASPIRES Project, in Understanding Student Participation and Choice in Science and Technology Education, 2015. Crossref

  29. Nicolaisen Line Bruun, Achiam Marianne, The implied visitor in a planetarium exhibition, Museum Management and Curatorship, 35, 2, 2020. Crossref

  30. Moote Julie, Archer Louise, DeWitt Jennifer, MacLeod Emily, Who has high science capital? An exploration of emerging patterns of science capital among students aged 17/18 in England, Research Papers in Education, 36, 4, 2021. Crossref

  31. Liccardo Sabrina, Decolonising the South African Higher Education System, in Psychosocial Pathways Towards Reinventing the South African University, 2020. Crossref

  32. Stoeckel Marta R., Roehrig Gillian H., Gender differences in classroom experiences impacting self-efficacy in an AP Physics 1 classroom, Physical Review Physics Education Research, 17, 2, 2021. Crossref

  33. Acevedo Nancy, Nunez-Rivera Stephanie, Casas Yesenia, Cruz Elsy, Rivera Patricia, Enacting Spiritual Activism to Develop a Sense of Belonging: Latina Community College Students Choosing and Persisting in STEM, Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education, 14, 1, 2021. Crossref

  34. Archer Louise, Moote Julie, MacLeod Emily, Lighting the Fuse: Cultivating the Masculine Physics Habitus – A Case Study of Victor Aged 10–18, in Physics Education and Gender, 19, 2020. Crossref

  35. Hinojosa Leighanna, Swisher Esmarie, Garneau Nicole, The organization of informal pathways into STEM: designing towards equity, International Journal of Science Education, 43, 5, 2021. Crossref

  36. Doray Pierre, Lépine Alexandre, Bilodeau Jaunathan, L’orientation scolaire sous l’emprise des rapports sociaux de sexe. La situation dans l’enseignement postsecondaire au Québec, L’Orientation scolaire et professionnelle, 49/2, 2020. Crossref

  37. Wulff Peter, Petersen Stefan, Keller Melanie, Borowski Andreas, Neumann Knut, Förderung von Schülerinnen in naturwissenschaftlichen Enrichmentprogrammen – Evaluation eines Förderangebotes im Rahmen der PhysikOlympiade, in Motivation in unterrichtlichen fachbezogenen Lehr-Lernkontexten, 10, 2021. Crossref

  38. Kolon Helena, Mabrouk Patricia Ann, How Participation in a Research Experiences for Undergraduate Program Transforms Chemistry and Biochemistry Majors’ Understanding of Research and Scientific Inquiry, Journal of Chemical Education, 99, 7, 2022. Crossref

  39. Shoaib Huma, Madamanchi Aasakiran, Pienaar Elsje, Umulis David M., Cardella Monica E., “I Think I Am Getting There” Understanding the Computational Identity of Engineering Students Participating in a Computationally Intensive Thermodynamics Course, Biomedical Engineering Education, 2022. Crossref

Forthcoming Articles

Mitigating Barriers, Scaffolding Success: Institutional Supports for Black Undergraduate Women in Engineering Programs Meseret Hailu, Neelakshi Rajeev Tewari, Brooke Coley Underrepresented Students Pursuing Mathematics-Intensive Degrees: Changes after Transitioning to College Alison Marzocchi What do STEM Clubs do? The Effect of College Club Participation on Career Confidence and Gender Inclusion Guillermo Dominguez Garcia, Jennifer Glass Validating Practices and Messages that Promote Women’s Engineering Classroom Belongingness: An Intersectional Approach Dina Verdin, A Lili Castillo Examining the Role of Institutional Support on International Doctoral Women’s STEM Persistence and Mental Health Aisha Farra, Aashika Anantharaman, Sarah Swanson, Kerrie Wilkins-Yel, Jennifer Bekki, Nedim Yel, Ashley Randall, Bianca Bernstein Searching for safe space: Student veterans’ uneven pathways to STEM careers by race Brittany Hunt, Jae Hoon Lim Does Race, Ethnicity or Gender of the Mentor Affect Whether They Will be a “Good Mentor”? A Qualitative Analysis of Students’ Perceptions Reuben May, Christine Stanley, America Soto-Arzat, Jennifer Ackerman PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY AND TEAM MEMBER EFFECTIVENESS OF MINORITIZED STUDENTS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION Behzad Beigpourian, Matthew Ohland Perceptions of Department Chair Roles and Responsibilities in Career Progression and Success of Women STEM Faculty Stephanie Jones, Patricia Ryan Pal “Barbed-Wire Boundaries”: Hidden Curriculum, First-Generation and Low-Income Engineering Students, and Internship Acquisition Jerry Yang, Joseph Towles, Sheri Sheppard, Sara Atwood “I Want to Make an Impact”: The Science Identity and Career Goals of Black and Latinx Science and Engineering Postdoctoral Scholars Sylvia Mendez, Kathryn Watson, Kathryn Starkey, Valerie Conley Care Work, Science Brokering, and Career Motivations: How Hispanic/Latinx Young Adults in STEM Express Social Agency during the COVID-19 Pandemic Angela Frederick, Angelica Monarrez, Danielle Morales Bridging the gap: A sequential mixed methods study of trust networks in graduate application, admissions, and enrollment Cynthia Villarreal, Julie Posselt, Theresa Hernandez, Alexander Rudolph
Begell Digital Portal Begell Digital Library eBooks Journals References & Proceedings Research Collections Prices and Subscription Policies Begell House Contact Us Language English 中文 Русский Português German French Spain