Countering the Narrative: The Role of Research Methods in Examining Black STEM Possible Selves

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 7:45 am - Gold 4
  In Roundtable Session: Memory as Method: Black Epistemologies, Counterspaces, and Ancestral Inquiry in Qualitative Research

Abstract

Traditional approaches to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education promote dominant narratives on who counts as a STEM person and prohibits Black STEM identity development in STEM. This study centers on methodology used with Black nerds who participated in three, 90-minute virtual focus groups sessions. This approach examined how Blerds resist hegemonic culture through counterspaces and use counterstorytelling to reimagine STEM learning to further develop a possible STEM self, or identity. Intertwining non-traditional STEM frameworks and expanding on methods used in STEM education research provides us tools to engage with those marginalized by STEM. This work offers a fresh perspective on focus groups, counterspace work, and the use of counterstorytelling and how adult learners reimagine their own STEM identities.

Author

• Brandi Cannon-Force, Stanford University