Countering Epistemic Injustices With Participatory Research Practices in Informal Science Learning

• In Event: Equity, Justice, and Inclusion in Informal Learning

Abstract

Both educational research and science are rife with epistemic injustices that narrowly circumscribe who is considered a science/research knower and producer (e.g., Grasswick 2017; Patel, 2016). This paper explores ways in which a participatory research process and resultant products in informal science learning countered epistemic injustices by articulating how “dominant” STEM reflects epistemic injustice, critiquing common approaches to broadening participation in STEM, and advocating for a more epistemically just approach that “STEM is in everything.” Our research, which co-created materials for communities to engage STEM as a tool for justice, may provide an example of work toward an epistemically just (McIntosh & Wilder, 2023) approach to (informal) learning research.

Author

• Shannon McManimon, Viterbo University