Skip to main content
COMMUNITY:
Peer-reviewed article

"Doing" science versus "being" a scientist: Examining 10/11-year-old schoolchildren's constructions of science through the lens of identity

July 1, 2010 | Informal/Formal Connections

The concern about students' engagement with school science and the numbers pursuing the further study of science is an international phenomenon and a matter of considerable concern among policy makers. Research has demonstrated that the majority of young children have positive attitudes to science at age 10 but that this interest then declines sharply and by age 14, their attitude and interest in the study of science has been largely formed. This paper reports on data collected as part of a funded 5-year longitudinal study that seeks to determine how students' interest in science and scientific careers evolves. As an initial part of the study, six focus group discussions were undertaken with schoolchildren, age 10–11, to explore their attitudes toward science and interest in science, the findings of which are presented here. The children's responses are analyzed through the lens of identity, drawing on a theoretical framework that views identity as an embodied and a performed construction that is both produced by individuals and shaped by their specific structural locations. This work offers new insights into the manner in which students construct representations of science and scientists.

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Louise Archer
    Author
    King's College London
  • Jennifer DeWitt
    Author
    King's College London
  • REVISE logo
    Author
    Stanford University
  • Justin UoE
    Co-Principal Investigator
    King's College London
  • Beatrice Willis
    Author
    King's College London
  • Billy Wong
    Author
    King's College London
  • Citation

    ISSN : 0036-8326
    Publication Name: Science Education
    Volume: 94
    Number: 4
    Page Number: 617
    Resource Type: Research Products
    Discipline: Education and learning science | General STEM
    Audience: Middle School Children (11-13) | Educators/Teachers | Museum/ISE Professionals
    Environment Type: Informal/Formal Connections | K-12 Programs

    If you would like to edit a resource, please email us to submit your request.