Conceptualizing Community Socioscientific Issues Through the Creation of Third Spaces in Science Learning

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Sixteen
  In Roundtable Session: Science Within Community Contexts (Table 2)

Abstract

Students of color have understandings of science concepts that are not historically recognized as “correct,” because the framing use is not considered “scientific.” This qualitative study explored the mechanisms students used to conceptualize socioscientific issues while learning science through a community-based science framework. Specifically, this work demonstrates how students created third spaces, that merged home and school, to situate scientific phenomenon within both science concepts and their social world. Findings showed that students frequently conceptualized collective community struggles and made comparisons across contexts to make meaning of scientific concepts in locally relevant ways. This work supports educators by identifying indicators of students’ conceptual understandings that demonstrate scientific literacy through the creation of third spaces in a formal learning environment.

Author

• Symone Gyles, University of California - Irvine
  Presenting Author