What Counts as Science? Moving Beyond Dichotomies in the Enactment of Local Family Science Practices

• In Event: Communication and Communities

Abstract

Our media puts forth claims that our children are failing in science. These claims reflect assumptions that establish a dichotomy, positioning school science as more valuable than everyday science. Through a study of family science practices, this research illustrates how parents actively interact with cultural models of science as they develop their beliefs about science and construct family science practices. My analysis reveals that the dichotomy is constraining, however it can be reconceptualized as a continuum that adds to our understanding of parents as agentive. This study documents how some parents challenge school science as the most viable pathway to science success as they broaden notions of what counts as science, who can do science, and where it can occur.

Author

• Joyce Mahler Duckles, University of Rochester