How Do Minorities within the Minority Identify
with Science and Engineering? A Focus on
Middle School Students’ Identity Negotiations
Regarding Science
Presentation at the Annual meeting of the Association for Science Teacher Education
January 2012
Authors:
Roxanne Hughes, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
hughes@magnet.fsu.edu
Kristen Molyneaux,
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
Pat Dixon
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
This study was funded in part by the National Science Foundation Division of Materials
Research through DMR 0654118.
Issue
Identity is the story that we each create for
ourselves (Polman & Miller, 2010).
 Research indicates that one’s identity affects their
interests, motivations, and beliefs (Brickhouse,
Lowery, & Schultz, 2000; Carlone, 2002; Carlone,
2003; Gee, 2000-1; Painter, Jones, Tretter, &
Kubasko, 2006).
 Identity is also extremely personal (Wortham,
2004).
 Therefore, qualitative research can help to
highlight the individual trajectories of identity
formation as well as indicate the patterns of
identity formation as they occur within science.

Middle School focus
Middle school is crucial time when identity
formations are occurring, particularly in academic
disciplines (Tan & Calabrese Barton, 2008)
 Time when students try on different identities as
they try to form their own view of themselves
(Brickhouse, Lowery, & Schultz, 2000).
 School science can reproduce stereotypes of
science (i.e. Albert Einstein) (Carlone, 2004)
 Informal Educational Programs can address
perceptions and expose students to real SE
professionals in ways that school science cannot
(Watermeyer & Stevenson, 2010)

Underrepresentation in SE
Research suggests that this is due, in part, to
minority students’ inability to fully identify with
science and engineering (AAUW, 2010; Carlone,
2003; Olitsky, 2006; Tan, Calabrese-Barton, 2008)
 Women and minority students often view STEM
fields as unwelcoming because of the low
numbers of female and minority role models
(AAUW, 2010; Brickhouse et al., 2000; Carlone,
2002; Jayaratne et al., 2003; Spielhagen, 2008).

◦ Women represent less than 1/3 of SE degrees and
careers (NSF, 2007)
◦ This number is significantly lower for minority women
and men (NSF, 2007)
Study Focus
This study focuses on middle school
students’ science identity formations
before and after their participation in
summer science camps.
 The participants were part of either a coed science/engineering camp (CESC) or
an all-girls science/engineering camp
(AGSC). Both camps were similar in that
they exposed students to scientists and
engineers and the work that they do.

Research Questions
1.
2.
How do middle school students who
are interested in SE fields negotiate their
science identities?
How does exposure to SE professionals
affect students’ science identity
negotiations?
Participants

Two camps summer of 2010
◦ All-girls Science Camp (AGSC)
◦ Co-ed Science Camp (CEC)




Both camps introduced participants to
scientists and engineers and their careers
AGSC provided broader exposure
CEC focused on sustainable engineering
Students were selected based on level of
interest (application) and teacher
recommendation
Conceptual Framework: Identity Trajectories
within a Community of Practice

Wortham’s concept of social identification (2004; 2006)
◦ Wortham defines social identification as occurring when individuals and/or groups are
“publically recognized” as “categories of people” (2004, p 716).
◦ Wortham’s concept of social identification has multiple layers (2006).
◦ Models of identity are sociohistorical in that they “emerge over decades and
centuries” (2006, p 7). And local in that local practices and categories contextualize
them
◦ local identities can be affected by historical identities as well. Individual trajectories of
social identity can draw from familiar sociohistorical models, which Wortham also
refers to as metapragmatic models (2006).
◦ Context is important in that pivotal events can help to solidify social identity but these
require other events that reaffirm the imposed and/or accepted social identity
Camps perceived as community of practice within SE (Lave & Wenger,
1991; Wenger, 1998)
 Carlone & Johnson’s (2007) concept of identity

◦ how individuals “make meaning of science experiences and how society structures
possible meanings” (p 1187).
◦ a strong science identity is defined by competence, performance and recognition over
many events.
◦ This “competence” is delivered through their performance in varying contexts. And
finally this “performance” needs to be “recognized” by “credible” members of the
community of practice. All three of these components can be affected by gender, race,
ethnicity, and religious affiliation.
Research

Mixed methods
◦ Participant observations
◦ Teacher interviews focusing on observations of
student’s identity trajectories
◦ Pre and post survey for students
 Quantitative portion – measured self-efficacy in
science and engineering and SE identity (AWE, 2008)
 Qualitative = VNOS (Lederman et al., 2002)

Interviews with selected participants (14) to
represent varying ages, races, SE interest
level, and SES
Community of Practice of the
Camps





Both CESC and AGSC were the communities of
practice for our participants.
Students in both camps had to apply for the camp.
Acceptance was based on each student’s level of
science interest.
The camps are structured as safe environments
where students were encouraged by teachers and
others to embrace and discuss their
science/engineering interests.
Scientists and engineers volunteered on their own or
were approached by the camp teachers to lead tours,
activities, or demonstrations for the students.
Research results
During the tours, the researchers focused on students’ level
of interaction and interest as measured through positioning
in the group and level of participation in discussion. During
activities the researchers were able to observe students’
performances of science and able to gauge whether these
were recognized by others, particularly the experts
(scientists and engineer volunteers).
 In regards to the overall effect of the camp on students’
science identity and perception, T-tests indicated that there
was a significant positive increase from the pre-mean for all
campers and the post-mean in both of these categories. This
indicates that the camps were successful in positively
influencing the students’ perception of scientists and their
science identity.
 The fourteen students who were interviewed in depth fell
into three categories

Focus of this study
Two students who showed changes in their
identity trajectory but represented uniquely
different paths
 And yet even with these positive changes, they
still struggled in seeing themselves as scientist.
 The cause of this struggle was different for each
of them.

◦ Alice’s struggle was based on her initial perception
that science was nerdy.
◦ Darren’s struggle was based on his idea of intelligence
and his perceptions that scientists have a commitment
to work above all other things.
Pseudonyms have been used for all names.
Alice – Cool girl vs scientist
Had grudgingly come to AGSC because her mom had
told her she “had to something educational over the
summer”.
 Separated herself from others at beginning of camp

◦ Too old for camp
◦ Only student to discuss her boyfriend
◦ “obsessed with makeup”

The combination of the sociohistorical model of
scientists as nerds appeared to conflict with her own
local model as a cool or popular girl who enjoyed
playing with makeup and discussing her boyfriend.
◦ Before camp, she expressed views that scientists are nerdy.
“When I picture a scientist, I picture someone in a lab coat
with a pipette dripping it into a chemical in a test tube.”
Alice’s trajectory – Cool girls can
be scientists
Once she became more exposed to scientists during the camp and to her
fellow campers she began to see that “scientists do not always work in lab
coats, they can be interested in various things besides just their work, and
they can use their imagination during their work” (based on VNOS
responses). She also began to see that her peers in the camp were also
smart and interested in science, which made her more willing to express
her interest.
 Her trajectory was verified by teacher interview data as well

◦ “By the middle of camp she showed genuine interest in the science we were exploring.
She even was actively participating in the activities that were happening.”
“[The camp] definitely made me more interested in science. And it gave
me an idea… like before I knew that there were careers in science but I
didn’t actually know what you could do in science. And now I actually
know things that you can actually do. Now I picture a scientist as
somebody that has… Okay this changed over this week. But now I
picture scientists as somebody who has a passion to discover new things
and change the way everybody sees things because they get to do that and
it’s like their thing. “
 But still not committed – thinking about being a chemist or lawyer

Summary
Alice provides a good example of a student who originally found it difficult
to combine her cool girl local model with her perceived sociohistorical
model of scientists as nerds, despite her own good student identity
 The camp built on her increasing interest in science (after her 8th grade
year) by shifting her sociohistorical model of scientists. After the camp she
saw how the scientists’ varying identities could fit with her own local
model of cool and smart girl.
 And yet, this improved science identity did not lead to a full commitment
to a science career as indicated by her discussion of law as a possible
career option.
 Three possible explanations.

◦ First, the two week time frame for the camp was not enough to affect science career
decisions.
◦ Second, students in middle school are too young to fully understand career options
and measures of career commitment are impossible at this age.
◦ Third, career commitment may not be as important to positive science identity as
simply seeing science and scientists as fitting in with one’s own interests.
Darren – In the middle


Darren exists in the sociohistorical domain often identified by
researchers wherein African American males reject academia or
appearing smart/white in order to fit in with the defiant African
American male culture (Wortham, 2006). But just like Maurice in
Wortham’s (2006) study, Darren did not fully fit in with the
conflicting sociohistorical domains of defiant African American male
and the oppositional characterization of smart as white. Like
Maurice, Darren was somewhere in the middle.
Darren attended the pre-International Baccalaureate (IB) middle
school in the area but he was not in the IB program
◦ “I’m taking honors, I think, in high school. All my teachers signed off for
it. But in middle school, my mom said don’t do any IB classes, cause they
sent me a letter saying, to fill it out and send it back to them in sixth
grade. My mom was like, it’s going to be too much work, you might as
well just take general. So I did. But, math and science classes, they were
normal. Nothing special I guess. I think I kinda regret, somewhat.”
Limbo trajectory






His personality was affected by which group of friends he hangs out with: “My groups of
friends. Uhh, I have no one group of friends, you know. I hang out with the general kids
(general education), you know ESE (special education), don’t have too many of those. The
IB, but most of them, you can’t really group my friends as one type, cause they’re all
different. Like if I had, me and my friends right here, I’d go around the school and meet
some other friends.You would think I’m a totally different person or something. Because
of who I hang around. What we do, depends on who I’m with. I guess, if I’m with, uhh, the
ones I’ve known longer we might be doing some kind of sport, or athletic activity. And
then, if I was with some of my other friends I didn’t know too much longer, we probably
just talk about stuff that intrigues us.”
Academic and non-academic interests
Enjoys science but it is mainly due to his elementary school teacher
He was planning to take honors classes in HS, because he enjoyed challenging himself.
Lack of family support for his science interest
Afraid to commit to a science career because of the long hours
◦

“Like, most of the scientists here (at the national lab where the camp took place), they would
sometimes stay overnight, just to get the job done. And when we were at the power plant, I think
some people worked twelve hour shifts, like you know, just to get the job done. And you know,
there’s a lot of risk in it because you don’t actually know what’s going to happen sometimes, so. I’m
not sure anymore. I like science, but, I think I like a nine to five type job. I wouldn’t mind working
later but, I guess twelve hours, and then waking up in the morning, twelve hours again, probably ain’t
for me. But uh, I wouldn’t mind doing a science career. I like working with my hands and everything.
But for the long hours, yeah, that’s a turn off.”
Conflicted in terms of who is successful in science
◦
“I guess the smarter people. Or not really smarter but, maybe people that are more interested in
that, and if you’re more interested in something, I’m pretty sure you’re going to be better in it. I
would say that, the higher people, the people that make better grades in science.” He described
these people as follows: “I say most IB kids are more geared towards scientists, and science fields.
Most general people aren’t, you know. They’re probably worried about sports and stuff. Yeah, pretty
much that, more like honors and AP classes equal scientists, most general and lower, not.”
Summary






Darren maintained a trajectory that was somewhere in the middle
(swinging back and forth like a pendulum) of two seemingly conflicting
sociohistorical domains.
His local models also seemed to be manifestations of these two
different domains, athletics versus academics, easy road versus hard
road.
During the camp we did not observe that these two worlds ever
came together which could indicate that Darren will eventually have
to choose between them, affecting his decision to pursue a science
career.
Darren could represent the extremely difficult domain crossing that
occurs for African American students, particularly males, in their
decisions regarding science pursuits (Ong, 2005; Wortham, 2006).
Like Alice, Darren may be too young to fully understand the
requirements of a science career.
But unlike Alice, he seemed to have less of a sense of himself as the
type of person who does science, despite being competent in the
subject.
Discussion
Each of our case studies exemplifies the complexities
within three students’ science identity trajectories
 Each of these students existed within specific
sociohistorical domains and local domains before
camp. For all three of these, these domains appeared
to conflict, which affected their abilities to fully
identify with science

◦ Alice – could see herself as a scientist, but not fully
committed
◦ Darren – limbo status, existing in two apparently nonintersecting trajectories

This study does not make predictions about these
students’ persistence; rather it describes in detail the
conflicts between sociohistorical and local domains
that can negatively affect students’ science identity
trajectories
Conclusion




According to Wortham (2006) identity trajectories can only be
analyzed within context. For this study we can only describe each
of our participant’s trajectories within the 1 to 2 week camp
context. This is a small snapshot of a much larger trajectory but it
still adds to the research on science identity formation for middle
school students.
Our research indicates that exposing students to scientists and
their work in a social setting can have a positive impact on
students’ science identities.
This study highlights the individuals that compose that quantitative
number and uncovers the struggles individuals still encounter
despite positive improvements on survey measurements.
This research can help educators, informal education agencies
particularly, to identify the intricacies of identity formation for
students participating briefly in a community of practice. Future
studies could build on this work and improve the conceptual
framework regarding science identity formation in middle school
students.
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