"It Is a Way to Make a Difference": Examining Youth-Authored Pathways Into Science Within Intersecting Systems of Oppression

• In Event: Equity and Access in Science: Understanding Pathways Frameworks for Youth Learning and Development

Abstract

Research reveals that youth from non-dominant communities encounter intersecting power structures and systems of oppression across race, class and gender that continually shape their experiences in science across spaces (Johnson, Brown, Carlone, & Cuevas, 2011). These multiple marginalizations create complex and overlapping barriers for youth to be seen as legitimate participants in science.

This study examines science experiences of three African American high school females from non-dominant communities who self-identify as planning to major in a science-related field in college. In particular, I examine the ways in which these girls 1) navigate across the spaces of science in their life (summer laboratory internship, school & home), 2) identify the influences on their intended pathways into science and 3) recognize and challenge barriers as they author STEM career pathway(s).

Intersectionality provides a framework to interrogate the tacit structures of hierarchies in the world of school and science (Johnson et. al, 2011) that the girls in this study experience and name. The construct of intersectionality reminds us that gender is dynamic and heterogeneous. One’s gendered experiences are deeply tied to sexuality, race, class, and nation. The worlds of science across contexts that constitute the backdrop of girls’ pathway work are enacted with their own norms, rules and expectations that foster certain power structures, positioning girls in real and symbolic hierarchies.

In order to build claims about the girls’ pathways, I employed a longitudinal ethnographic case study over the course of 1.5 years. Data were generated with three first generation African American females living in a large midwestern city. Data were collected during a summer internship at a university science laboratory as well as throughout the girls’ senior year in high school. Data sources include one-on-one interviews and group conversations focused on the girls’ participation with science across contexts.

Findings reveal that the girls’ commitment to entering STEM related majors/careers are linked to a desire to transform local and global conditions in relation to health and environmental concerns. Science as an avenue toward transformation was largely attributed to family experiences/cultural-based influences and the potential to transform was reaffirmed by their summer internship experience. However, the girls’ experiences across spaces (laboratory, school & everyday life) led them to identify barriers for themselves and their peers in their science pathways. In particular, the girls reflected upon the lack of gender and racial diversity in university laboratory space, the lack of opportunities to learn and do science for themselves and their peers and how these barriers might be detrimental to their success in college and beyond. Despite awareness of these barriers, the girls were steadfast in their commitment to pursuing science pathways and desettling normative conceptions of science for themselves and their peers.

This work provides insight into youth authored science pathways despite intersecting systems of oppression encountered across time and space. Understanding and naming these pathways is vital if we seek to alter disturbing trends regarding participation with science and engineering among marginalized groups.

Author

• Daniel Birmingham, Colorado State University