The Formation and Persistence of a Strong Science Identity in Five Black Male Scientists

• In Event: Roundtable Session 53
  In Roundtable Session: Negotiating Intersectional Identities in Normative Spaces

Abstract

Black males achieve academic and scholarly success in science classrooms and science careers. Science education research literature often fails to acknowledge the power and importance of the black male voice. This study elevates the voices of five black male scientists and the factors that influenced the development and persistence of a strong science identity. Nurturing the science interests and science career trajectory of black male students requires recognition of the interaction of race, ethnicity, and gender identities with the development of a science identity. The findings of this study reveal that teachers, opportunities to act as a scientist, family, and perseverance are factors that influenced the science identity formation and persistence of the five black male scientists in this study.

Authors

• Adeyanju O. Odutola, Clemson University

• LaGarrett Jarriel King, University of Missouri - Columbia