Science Education for Diversity
Steven Worker
4-H Science, Engineering, and Technology Coordinator
University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Agenda
 Prologue: Why should we care?
 Part 1: What counts as science?
Shifting the paradigm from canonical science to community-based science.
 Part 2: How can we engage diverse learners in science education?
Promising practices in pedagogy, professional development, and evaluation.
Why should we care?
Making the case to improve science
education, particularly for students of color.
Schooling & standardized tests
 Students of color fare poorly
on standardized science tests.
 There is unequal access and
social exclusion to out-ofschool science opportunities
(like science centers) for lowincome, minority students.
Dawson, E. (2014). “Not designed for us”: How science museums
and science centers socially exclude low-income, minority ethnic
groups. Science Education, 98(6), 981-1008.
 History of non-mainstream
students being underserved by
the education system.
Lee, O., & Luykx, A. (2007). Science education and student diversity:
Race/ethnicity, language, culture, and socioeconomic status. In
S.K. Abell & N.G. Lederman (Eds.), Handbook of Research on
Science Education (Ch. 7, pp. 171-197). New York: Routledge.
Chart from the National Center for Education Statistics (2012). The
Nation’s Report Card: Science 2011(NCES 2012–465). Institute of
Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C.
Diversity lacking in science fields
 The U.S. science workforce does not
represent the U.S. population on
gender or racial categories.
 But there is recognition that diversity
enhances creativity and innovation.
 To address this, Scientific American
call for attending to difference,
nurturing a sense of belonging, and
identifying a point-person for diversity
goals.
Christiansen, J. & Hobbs, A. (2014, October). Where are the data?
Scientific American, 311(4), 40-41.
Misconceptions:
The “real” reason there aren’t more female scientists
When popular media misrepresents the
mediating role of culture in human
development.
Christina Sommers- Few women in science:
 Not because of discrimination or exclusion
 Not because of difference in ability
 Because of natural differences in interest
American Enterprise Institute. (2014). The real reason there aren’t
more female scientists. Published on YouTube,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-6usiN4uoA
Part 1: Guiding question
What counts as science?
First, defining diversity
 Diversity defined (at least this in this presentation) as youth identifying (or
being identified by others) with one or more characteristics that have
historically faced discrimination and/or have been marginalized, such as:
 Race
 Gender
 Socioeconomic status (SES)
 Religion
 Sexual orientation
 Physical/mental disabilities
 Look at your University’s non-discrimination statement; what is included?
 I am operating from the perspective that we should strive for equity, fairness,
and justice in the way people are treated; which is fundamentally about
democracy and agency.
What is science?
 Defining science: A pre-brainstormed list of possibilities
 A body of knowledge
 Processes (e.g., scientific method)
 Practices of professional scientists- like those outlined in the Next
Generation Science Standards
 Science describes, explains, and predicts
 Science involves observation, experimentation, modeling
 Science methods may use quantitative data, qualitative data, or
both (mixed)
 A discipline by which we search for knowledge and
understanding about the natural world
What is science?
At its core, science is a process and practices to help
people make sense of and
construct knowledge about the world.
Russ, R.S. (2014). Epistemology of science vs. epistemology for science. Science Education, 98(3), 388-396.
What is science education*?
*for K-12
 Goals of science education, a historical summary from Dr. DeBoer
 Teaching and learning about science as a cultural force in the modern world
 Preparation for the world of work
 Learning that science has direct application to everyday living
 Teaching students to be informed citizens
 Learning about science as a particular way of examining the natural world
 Understanding reports of science that appear in the popular media
 Learning about science for its aesthetic appeal
 Preparing citizens who are sympathetic to science
 Understanding the nature and importance of technology and the
relationship between technology and science
DeBoer, G. (2000). Scientific literacy: Another look at its historical and contemporary meanings and its relationship to science
education reform. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37(6), 582- 601.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…
Thinking about science education:
How might those identifying with one or more of the
characteristics of diversity experience and understand science
in the following two scenarios?
An experience with science
From my own 7th grade biology class (back in 1993).
The first week was spent memorizing the biological taxonomy:
K-P-C-O-F-G-S. As homework, were asked to create our own
pneumonic and write it down. The next day, the teacher
tested each of us. If a student didn’t remember (like me), he
crumpled up their homework sheet and threw it in the
wastebasket. It was a humiliating experience.
The reasoning was not put into context; the teacher did not
provide a reason why we needed to learn this or how it
applied to our lives. It was in the 1990 California State Science
Standards – “Scale and Structure, Evolution”.
CA State Dept. of Ed. (1990). Science framework for California public schools, K-12th. Sacramento.
A second experience
An interview with a teenager from a Cooperative Extension program called “On
the Wild Side”, an overnight camp for 4th-6th graders where environmental
education experiences are facilitated by teenagers.
“The other cool thing about it was we got to talk about the different evolutionary
aspects of seeds, so why would one seed twirl on the wind, why would another
seed be in a plant that would get eaten? What are the different aspects of a
plant that would make them advantageous to carrying on, reproducing,
making more seeds.
Every time they brought back a seed we had them categorized and we drew a
picture and then we tallied how many each group brought back. It was
interesting because even though we were in the same area, the different groups
brought back very different seeds and I thought that was interesting because
you would have expected the same ratio.”
Discuss
“The field of science education has long been enamored with
understanding, and enacting, the characteristics and practices of
professional science.”
Russ, R.S. (2014). Epistemology of science vs. epistemology for science. Science Education, 98(3), 388-396.
“The relationship between young people and science education is
complexly mediated by culture.”
Mansour, N., & Wegerif, R. (Eds.) (2013). Science education for Diversity: Theory and practice
(Cultural Studies of Science Education, 8). New York: Springer.
Perceptions of science
This difference was made clear in California’s 4-H CYFAR project, when
youth at one site were asked to “Draw a Scientist” and later asked to “Draw
Yourself Doing Science.” There was a statistically significant difference in the
stereotypical images of science between the two sets of drawings.
Draw a Scientist
Draw Yourself Doing Science
Two visions for science education
Boiling down the goals and rationales for science education, Roberts
developed two heuristic types:
 Vision 1 – canonical science: starts with professional scientists and
identification of core products, processes, and practices; these
are evident in science standards (e.g., NGSS).
 Vision 2 – community science: starts with the situation, a citizen’s
point of view, and pulls relevant science to the situation at hand,
but incorporates economic, aesthetic, political, ethical, and social
perspectives.
Roberts, D. A. (2007). Scientific literacy/Science literacy. In S.K. Abell & N.G. Lederman (Eds.),
Handbook of Research on Science Education (Ch. 25, pp. 729-780). New York: Routledge.
More Like
Vision I (Canonical Science)
More Like
Vision II (Community Science)
Science to prepare future scientists
Science as/for participation in the
community
Theoretical, scientific reasoning to
establish theories
Case dependent: theoretical, design,
practical, value-laden reasoning
“The most important way to
approach and understand individual
and social problems is the way a
scientist would, using a theoretical
reasoning pattern”
“Different reasoning patterns are
appropriate .... They come into play
according to the requirements of the
situation, whether understanding
scientific activity, technological
problem solving, or personal and
societal decision making”
Pedagogy: engage youth in the
practices of professional scientists
Pedagogy: project-based, connects
to community and world of the youth
Assessment: standardized testing
based on a priori outcomes
Assessment: seek to understand
student’s views and practices
Quotes from Roberts, D. A. (2011). Competing visions of scientific literacy. In C. Linder, L. Ostman, D. Roberts, P. Wickman, G.
Erickson, & A. MacKinnon (Eds.), Exploring the Landscape of Scientific Literacy (Ch. 2. pp. 11-27). New York: Routledge.
What counts as science?
 Given our definition of science – “sense making and
knowledge construction”; and
 Valuing diversity, multiple perspectives, and all of the tools
people use to support sense making
 Which Vision may better engage and support diverse learners
in science education?
Part 2: Guiding question
How can we engage diverse learners^ in science education*?
^ 5-18 year olds
* During out-of-school time
Science learning in out-of-school time,
 Learning happens:
 Everyday
 In schools
 At work
 In designed settings
 In youth programs
 On the Internet
LIFE Center (2005). "The LIFE Center's Lifelong and Lifewide Diagram". This diagram was originally conceived by Reed Stevens
and John Bransford to represent the range of learning environments being studied at the Learning in Informal and Formal
Environments (LIFE) Center (http://life-slc.org). Graphic design, documentation, and calculations were conducted by Reed
Stevens, with key assistance from Anne Stevens (graphic design) and Nathan Parham (calculations).
starts with basic youth
development practices
 The “Big Three” fundamental characteristics of effective youth programs:
 Positive and sustained adult-youth relations.
(adults who are competent, caring, and continually available)
 Life-skill building activities.
(i.e., enhancing skills pertinent to self-regulation)
 Opportunities for youth participation in and leadership of
valued family, school, and community activities.
Lerner, R.M. (2004). Liberty: Thriving and civic engagement among American youth. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
and supports science education
Science education for diversity:
 Importance of role models, trust, and personal connections.
 Capitalizing on learners’ intellectual capital and lived
experiences and not an expert-novice paradigm.
 Recognizing and building on the multiple and varied learning
ecologies of young people.
Lee, O., & Luykx, A. (2007). Science education and student diversity: Race/ethnicity, language, culture, and socioeconomic status. In
S.K. Abell & N.G. Lederman (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Science Education (Ch. 7, pp. 171-197). New York: Routledge.
Ideas to Engage Diverse Learners
1. Potential learning outcomes
2. Pedagogical strategies
3. Professional development of educators
4. Assessment and evaluation of learning
Learning outcomes
 Youth programs offer new ways for youth to:
 Change the ways they relate to science
 Play with insider identities in science
 Explore science in rich and meaningful contexts
Rahm, J. (2010). Science in the making at the margin: A multisited ethnography of learning and becoming in an afterschool
program, a garden, and a math and science upward bound program. (New Directions in Mathematics and Science
Education, Vol. 18). Boston: Sense Publishers.
 Afterschool programs can support young people to:
 Develop interest in science
 Develop capacities to engage in science (i.e., scientific processes)
 Come to value the goals of science
Afterschool Alliance. (2013). Defining Youth Outcomes for STEM Learning in Afterschool. Washington, DC.
http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/stem_outcomes_2013.pdf
Learning environments and pedagogies
 Project-based learning
 Experiential and inquiry-based learning
 Citizen science & youth participatory action research (YPAR)
 Making and tinkering
A program planning tool:
4-H Science Checklist
http://4h.ucanr.edu/Progra
ms/Projects/SET/Initiative/
Professional Development (PD)
 Educators need preparation in order to effectively facilitate
science education.
 Educators need additional preparation to attend to diversity:
 The ways student’s own cultural experiences may interact with the
content and pedagogy; requires knowledge of home and
community norms, practices, and expectations.
 Pedagogical strategies appropriate to multicultural settings
 Awareness of institutional discrimination and the ways in which
traditional science curriculum has served to marginalize certain
groups of students
Lee, O., & Luykx, A. (2007). Science education and student diversity: Race/ethnicity, language, culture, and socioeconomic status. In
S.K. Abell & N.G. Lederman (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Science Education (Ch. 7, pp. 171-197). New York: Routledge.
Reform-based PD
 Reform-based PD (as opposed to traditional one-time
workshops) affords opportunities for fundamental change in
knowledge, beliefs, and practices.
 Communities of Practice – groups who share a profession; ongoing
interaction between people to deepen their knowledge and skills
in this area.
 Lesson Study - Groups of educators, working in communities of
practice, that engage in inquiry over extended periods of time
where educators investigate their own practice.
Wenger, E, McDermott, R & Snyder, W (2002). Cultivating Communities of Practice.
Assessment of Learning
Beyond content and skill, we should be assessing:
attitudes, identity, motivation
authentic participation
Emphasize process-oriented methods, particularly using qualitative
methods to better understand participant perspectives.
Embedded evaluation – using normal day-to-day program
activities, where youth are reflecting through narratives and
building artifacts, and using them for evaluation purposes.
Further reading
Your experience
 What experiences have you found positive in reaching diverse
youth with science education?
 What challenges have you experienced?
Science Education for Diversity
Steven Worker
smworker@ucanr.edu | (530) 750-1341