Finding meaning in science: Lifeworld, identity, and self

Abstract

Despite the many hours students spend studying science, only a few relate to these subjects in such a manner that it becomes a part of their essential worldview and advances their education in a larger sense-one in which they make a connection to the subject matter so that it becomes a source of inspiration and occupies a formative position in their life. Using the hermeneutic/phenomenological sense of lifeworld as our "being in the world," we explore questions of identity in the teaching and learning of science. We suggest that by taking the notion of identity in science to include students' identities in their collective, inclusive of an orientation toward both who the student is and who he wants to become, we can enable this broader educative process. Science's link to lifeworld, identity, and self as well as the literature surrounding each are treated separately in the context of empirical case studies drawn from interviews with young college-aged migrant agricultural workers. This population of students is living within a distinct culture where ideological systems are spread across lines of ethnicity, class, and vocation that place this population of students at risk of dropping out of school. Given the nature of their circumstances and their desire to leave the life of migration behind, these students show how their perceptions of science are embedded within particular issues of lifeworld, identity, and self while illustrating their interrelationships.

The development of preservice elementary teachers' curricular role identity for science teaching

“…As such, the preservice teachers largely constructed curricular role identities for science teaching in light of perceived and real demands of classroom teaching and the practices of their more experienced cooperating teachers. Together, these constitute figured worlds of elementary classrooms for which the preservice teachers were being prepared (Boaler & Greeno, 2000;Graue, 2005;Kozoll & Osborne, 2003). These findings illustrate the primacy of role appropriation over role negotiation and the important influence of practicing teachers as "significant narrators" (Sfard & Prusak, 2005) in preservice teachers' role identity development, thus reinforcing the institutional, discursive, and affinity-based origins of role identity (Gee, 2000(Gee, -2001.…”

“…The ways in which individual teachers participate in a particular community reflect their perspectives on the norms and practices of the community itself (Graue, 2005;Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, & Cain, 1998;Kozoll & Osborne, 2003). However, as more peripheral participants in the teaching profession, preservice and beginning teachers are less well positioned to actively affect change in their teaching contexts.…”

“…Just as teachers orient their role identity development in light of role standards or designated identities, for preservice teachers, classrooms can be thought of as figured worlds for which they are being prepared (Boaler & Greeno, 2000;Graue, 2005;Kozoll & Osborne, 2003). The frameworks they construct for role identity formation within these figured worlds are most heavily influenced by their experiences in three domains: their own history as students, the nature of the teacher education program, and their limited classroom experiences (Mahlios, 2002).…”

Scientists' teaching orientations in the context of teacher professional development

“…This divide has the potential to widen if both students' and scientists' worldviews and social aspirations are not recognized and reconciled. In other words, it does not matter how well school science represents authentic science if a student's experience in science education is one of indoctrination that is incommensurate with his or her own beliefs and perspectives (Bianchini, Whitney, Brenton, & Hilton-Brown, 2000;Kozoll & Osborne, 2004).…”

Evaluating Student Growth in High School Science Education Through the Lens of Science Identity

“…give students a foundation of inspiration in which they realize how science literacy can impact their career choices (Kozoll & Osborne, 2004). By encouraging students to incorporate their realworld interests into the science classroom to make their science education meaningful, it is possible for students to better expand their science identities (Basu et.…”