Abstract:Concepts in science education such as “science identity” and “science capital” are informed by dominant epistemological and ontological positions, which translate into assumptions about what counts as science and whose science counts. In this theoretical paper we draw on decolonial and antiracist perspectives to examine these assumptions in light of the heterogeneous onto‐epistemological and axiological values, cultural perspectives, and contributions of nondominant groups, and specifically of those who have b… Show more
“…Within the program, we drew on theories of pluriverse and positioning or identity theories to co‐design asset‐based hybrid learning spaces in which the students, teachers, and researchers were positioned as co‐authors, co‐researchers, and co‐creators of knowledge (for more details see Kayumova & Tippins, 2021). Elsewhere, we provide an example from our research where we documented how purposeful designs of such pluriversal learning spaces that position multilingual youth in rehumanizing and dignity‐conferring ways changes the ways in which youth and teachers approach science learning (Kayumova & Dou, 2022; Kayumova & Sengupta, 2022; Kayumova & Tippins, 2021). Such purposeful design of science learning spaces also depends on “listening” to the voices of youth and centering their heterogeneous onto‐epistemologies, which are chiefly connected with the positioning of youth and their communities, in asset‐based terms.…”
Section: Context Of the Program And Research Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…However, even when these Black and Brown students adopt and model the social and cultural practices of the dominant white group (Bell et al, 2016), integrating “traditional dominant western views” (Mensah & Jackson, 2018, p. 4), they continue to be positioned and perceived as others . As Bell and her colleagues (Bell et al, 2016) assert:Members of subordinated groups may adopt mainstream habits and values, change their names, drop their native language or religious affiliation in order to be accepted into the dominant group, but it is always the dominant group that determines who will be allowed access (p. 146).Hence, assimilationist perspectives focused on supporting multilingual Black and Brown girls, without also interrogating the underlying dominant and normative white gaze , will continue to perpetuate and (re)produce damage‐centered or deficit‐based narratives (Kayumova & Dou, 2022). Therefore, research centering on the voices, histories, bodies, and lived experiences of multilingual girls and their identity narratives are imperative to undoing deficit‐oriented narratives associated with multilingual Black and Brown girls (Kayumova et al, 2021b).…”
Black and Brown girls are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Although studies have examined the reasons for this by exploring Black and Brown girls' experiences based on culture, gender, and race, there is a need for specifically understanding how language contributes to racialized experiences in science education. This study fills this critical gap by presenting narratives of three academically talented multilingual girls from Black and Brown communities. Utilizing semi‐structured interviews, self‐identifying questionnaires, and identity‐as‐narrative analysis, this study demonstrates how the racialized experiences of these multilingual Black and Brown girls influenced their relations to science, ideas about the attributes of a science person, and developing science identities. The findings suggest that although the girls had a strong affiliation with science and academic achievement in science, the girls' experiences were racialized through raciolinguistic ideologies and dominant cultural practices of science, which left them invisibilized and unsure about pursuing a future career in STEM. The implications of this study underline the importance of looking at the problem of underrepresentation as an issue of identification, belonging, and representation rather than an of academic skill or interest.
“…Within the program, we drew on theories of pluriverse and positioning or identity theories to co‐design asset‐based hybrid learning spaces in which the students, teachers, and researchers were positioned as co‐authors, co‐researchers, and co‐creators of knowledge (for more details see Kayumova & Tippins, 2021). Elsewhere, we provide an example from our research where we documented how purposeful designs of such pluriversal learning spaces that position multilingual youth in rehumanizing and dignity‐conferring ways changes the ways in which youth and teachers approach science learning (Kayumova & Dou, 2022; Kayumova & Sengupta, 2022; Kayumova & Tippins, 2021). Such purposeful design of science learning spaces also depends on “listening” to the voices of youth and centering their heterogeneous onto‐epistemologies, which are chiefly connected with the positioning of youth and their communities, in asset‐based terms.…”
Section: Context Of the Program And Research Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…However, even when these Black and Brown students adopt and model the social and cultural practices of the dominant white group (Bell et al, 2016), integrating “traditional dominant western views” (Mensah & Jackson, 2018, p. 4), they continue to be positioned and perceived as others . As Bell and her colleagues (Bell et al, 2016) assert:Members of subordinated groups may adopt mainstream habits and values, change their names, drop their native language or religious affiliation in order to be accepted into the dominant group, but it is always the dominant group that determines who will be allowed access (p. 146).Hence, assimilationist perspectives focused on supporting multilingual Black and Brown girls, without also interrogating the underlying dominant and normative white gaze , will continue to perpetuate and (re)produce damage‐centered or deficit‐based narratives (Kayumova & Dou, 2022). Therefore, research centering on the voices, histories, bodies, and lived experiences of multilingual girls and their identity narratives are imperative to undoing deficit‐oriented narratives associated with multilingual Black and Brown girls (Kayumova et al, 2021b).…”
Black and Brown girls are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Although studies have examined the reasons for this by exploring Black and Brown girls' experiences based on culture, gender, and race, there is a need for specifically understanding how language contributes to racialized experiences in science education. This study fills this critical gap by presenting narratives of three academically talented multilingual girls from Black and Brown communities. Utilizing semi‐structured interviews, self‐identifying questionnaires, and identity‐as‐narrative analysis, this study demonstrates how the racialized experiences of these multilingual Black and Brown girls influenced their relations to science, ideas about the attributes of a science person, and developing science identities. The findings suggest that although the girls had a strong affiliation with science and academic achievement in science, the girls' experiences were racialized through raciolinguistic ideologies and dominant cultural practices of science, which left them invisibilized and unsure about pursuing a future career in STEM. The implications of this study underline the importance of looking at the problem of underrepresentation as an issue of identification, belonging, and representation rather than an of academic skill or interest.
“…Taken together, they provide powerful frameworks and tools for examining my journey and the collaborative work needed for a thriving pluriverse (Kayumova & Dou, 2022). I shall share a brief example that our research team wrestled with to demonstrate the necessity of these theories and the need for further theoretical work.…”
Section: Implications For Practice Including My Ownmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…As a white science teacher educator and research–practice partner attempting to critically examine my experiences and center equity and justice in science teaching and learning, I find these articles nothing short of transformative. Taken together, they provide powerful frameworks and tools for examining my journey and the collaborative work needed for a thriving pluriverse (Kayumova & Dou, 2022). I shall share a brief example that our research team wrestled with to demonstrate the necessity of these theories and the need for further theoretical work.…”
Section: Implications For Practice Including My Ownmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…At a time when we needed to have brave and honest conversations about the multiple equity layers and our roles in upholding white supremacy, we became entangled in a series of district‐university disputes and struggled to put theory into practice (Thompson et al, 2022). Ultimately, prioritizing different equity layers (Gutierrez, 2002) and identities and onto‐epistemologies (Kayumova & Dou, 2022; Tanksley & Estrada, 2022) meant we could not move forward without deep attention to the macrolayer and mesolayer. This set of essays and commitments helps us better theorize, reflect, and imagine what is possible in such partnerships.…”
Section: Implications For Practice Including My Ownmentioning
The fields of teacher learning and science teacher learning are undertheorized (Horn & Garner, 2022). Yet, in most cases, there are theories at work that have not been made explicit, nor have they been interrogated for how they inherently uphold the white dominant culture and make equitable educational transformation impossible. For over 100 years, educational researchers and practitioners have tinkered with K-12 schooling; yet, we have not seen a major transformation in schools themselves (Tyack & Cuban, 1995), and certainly little evidence of transformation toward educational justice. To get ourselves out of this well-designed rut, we need theories that challenge the dominant social order, help educational researchers and practitioners interrogate our personal and collective moral and ethical obligations, and provide a vision of science education that fundamentally aims to revitalize, sustain, and learn from Black, Brown, Indigenous, and People of the Global Majority who have worked to redress harm to society and the environment.In this special issue, the essay demonstrates what happens when scholars gather and theorize about the past, present, and future of equitable science education and science teacher education. Collectively, they help us interrogate the white settler logics embedded in educational systems and suggest theories that shift how researchers and practitioners see, study, and draw implications for the future of students and schools.
| FOUR THEORETICAL CONTRIBUTIONSBurgess and Patterson Williams, in their article Utilizing Theory to Elucidate the Work of Creating Equity for Transformation within the Science Classroom, help readers understand the complex layers important to a robust conceptualization of equity. They apply McKinney de Royston & Nasir's 2017 Racialized Learning Ecologies framework to help us see the interconnections among multiple layers of equity in science teaching and learning.Like each of the essays in this special issue, they explore the macrolayer, mesolayer, and microlayers of equity. In particular, Burgess and Patterson Williams consider the importance of place and sociopolitical history, unlearning racist and oppressive systems that comprise schooling, and dissent and disruption of white heternormative
Research in science education with multilingual learners (MLs) has expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion can be situated within a larger dialogue about what it means to provide minoritized students with an equitable education. Whereas some conceptions of equity focus on ensuring all students have access to the knowledge, practices, and language normatively valued in K‐12 schools (equity as access), increasingly prominent conceptions focus on transforming those knowledge, practices, and language in ways that center minoritized students and their communities (equity as transformation). In this article, we argue that conceptions of equity provide a useful lens for understanding emerging research in science education with MLs and for charting a research agenda. We begin by tracing how conceptions of equity have evolved in parallel across STEM and multilingual education. Then, we provide an overview of recent developments from demographic, theoretical, and policy perspectives. In the context of these developments, we provide a conceptual synthesis of emerging research by our team of early‐career scholars in three areas: (a) learning, (b) assessment, and (c) teacher education. Within each area, we unpack the research efforts in terms of how they attend to equity as access while pushing toward equity as transformation. Finally, we propose a research agenda for science education with MLs that builds on and extends these efforts. We close by offering recommendations for making this research agenda coherent and impactful: (a) being explicit about our conceptions of equity, (b) paying attention to the interplay of structure and agency, and (c) promoting interdisciplinary collaboration.
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