The Social Reproduction of Science Education Outcomes for Minority High School Students

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  In Refereed Roundtable (60 min): Table 7: Discrimination and Social Reproduction

Abstract

This paper asks whether there are any differences between minority and majority group students in the social reproduction of science education outcomes. The paper specifically investigates the relationship between science capital – as measured by having a family member succeed in science – and family SES with three measures of science education success: interest in science; science self-efficacy; and aspirations to pursue science at university. Regression analyses of questionnaire data (N=380) from 14-to 18-year-old Israeli high school students yield mixed results. While all students demonstrate similar patterns of reproduction for interest in science and science self-efficacy, higher science capital and family SES are positively associated with aspirations to university science for majority group students only. The analyses highlight the potential advantages of employing social reproduction theory to explore inequalities in science education, which in this case is used to identify additional challenges in increasing minority student uptake in postsecondary science.

Author

• Aurel Harrison Diamond, Hebrew University of Jerusalem