Beyond the Horizon: Black Nerds Reimagining Their STEM Identities

• In Event: AERA Research-in-Progress Roundtable Session 1
  In Invited Roundtable: Understanding Race, Gender, Identity, Cultural Relevance and Sense of Belonging in STEM Education (Table 1)

Abstract

This research investigates the rejection of dominant culture in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. I examine how Black nerd (Blerd) counterspaces can reimagine the development of their STEM identities. This work sits at the intersection of STEM education, culture, and race due to the oppressive hegemony in STEM education that refuses access to those learners it marginalizes. I employed mixed methods in three phases to understand how Blerds use counterspaces, through surveys, radical imagination, via focus groups, and possible selves, by way of digital storytelling to develop their STEM identities. This research presents the opportunity to leverage how Black learners further their STEM identities through future dreaming and storytelling, creating a powerful learning experience for Black students.

Author

• Brandi Cannon-Force, Stanford University