Examining the Social and Cultural Influences on Adolescents’ Development of Scientific Identity

• In Event: Where Do We Place Our Children? Students of Color in Predominately White High School Settings

Abstract

Over the last decade, educators have worked to address the underrepresentation of women and people of color in STEM careers (Burke, 2007). In regions like the Southeastern United States, where there are larger proportions of people of color and social-historical legacies of marginalizing women and people of color, underrepresented youth face greater challenges to develop a ‘scientific identity’ (Carlone & Johnson, 2007; Perna et al, 2009). The purpose of our study is to examine social-cultural factors that may influence adolescents’ motivation to engage in science and pursue science-related careers. Three assumptions underlie our design: 1) Students will not pursue a career in science unless they identify with the career and feel a sense of belonging to the scientific community; 2) parents and teachers play a pivotal role in helping students develop a scientific identity and a sense of belonging; and 3) the process of developing a scientific identity and feeling connected to the scientific community is more challenging for historically underrepresented populations. In order to address our study goals, we used quantitative and qualitative data collected from 9th grade students from several predominately White high schools with STEM-related academic programs. Using a critical race theory framework (Bell, 1993; Ladson-Billings & Tate 1995), our analyses found that students (mostly White and some students of color) within these STEM-related academic programs had negative views regarding students of color’s belonging in science and scientific abilities. Specifically, many of the participants exhibited racist beliefs, including conscious and dyconscious (King, 1991), and colorblind racist beliefs (Bonilla-Silva, 2009; Gotanda, 1991). By doing so, the students promoted the belief that science is culture-neutral and inherently White, thereby endorsing White privilege (Harris, 1993). These messages communicated to students of color in the various programs that 1) race does not matter; 2) talking about the contributions of people of color in science is political; and 3) people of color simply do not belong in science. Our study helps demonstrate that until schools and teachers begin to address social and cultural obstacles that underrepresented groups face in feeling connected to the scientific community, our efforts to broaden participation in STEM careers will fail.

Authors

• Jessica T. Decuir-Gunby, North Carolina State University

• Heather A. Davis, San Diego State University