The viability of portraiture for science education research: Learning from portraits of two science classrooms

• In Event: Roundtable Session 112
  In Roundtable Session: Learning Science

Abstract

Portraiture is as a method of inquiry that blends art and science (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Davis, 1997). The portraitist combines aesthetic and scientific aspects of inquiry through systematic use of observation, interviews, and other forms of data collection to describe phenomena, while simultaneously capturing the beauty and aesthetic properties of phenomena. Through scientific writing, the authors endeavored to create authentic portraits of classrooms in which they studied. The purpose is to describe the relevance of portraiture for framing, conducting, and analyzing research in science education. In this paper, the authors provide two portraits, one of a classroom and another of a teacher, as a way to clarify the viability of portraiture as methodology for science education researchers.

Authors

• Amy E. Trauth-Nare, Towson University

• Cassie Fay Quigley, Clemson University

• Nicole Beeman-Cadwallader, Indiana University