Appropriating Scientific Discourse: The Perceptions of Urban Adolescent African American Males

• In Event: Roundtable Session 24
  In Roundtable Session: African Americans and STEM Education

Abstract

Moje (2009) discussed how critical socio-cultural factors such as social networks, identities, relationships, self-improvement and self-expression are all motivating factors encouraging adolescents to read literary text independently, but acknowledged the field is still unclear how these factors play out in disciplinary content courses, like science. The aims of this paper are two-fold. First, it describes the texts and pedagogies used to facilitate scientific discourse. Second, it explicates how these students perceived their literacy experiences in an urban science classroom. Findings from this study may contribute to a more nuanced understanding of curricular materials and instructional supports to minimize academic challenges for African American males, particularly in content area courses like science.

Author

• Yolanda Stewart, The Ohio State University - Columbus