Using Narrative Inquiry for Investigating a STEM Club Founder's Life Story

• In Event: Women Experiences in STEM Education

Abstract

This paper uses narrative inquiry as a methodology to analyze an informal STEM club founder’s life story related to mathematics. In particular, the founder’s views of mathematics and gender are investigated. The life story focuses on the specific emotional moments which imprint on her memories, specifically about the mathematics-related experiences. Through a feminist standpoint theoretical lens, on the one hand, the study uses a narrative analysis approach focusing on the meaning of the life story; on the other hand, the life story is presented in the landscape of gender and mathematics. Finally, laying out of happenings, configuring events into episodes, the participant’s life story is re-told.

Author

• Lili Zhou, California State University - Los Angeles