ERIC Number: EJ1260389
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0954-0253
EISSN: N/A
Selfies at the Science Museum: Exploring Girls' Identity Performances in a Science Learning Space
Dawson, Emily; Archer, Louise; Seakins, Amy; Godec, Spela; DeWitt, Jennifer; King, Heather; Mau, Ada; Nomikou, Effrosyni
Gender and Education, v32 n5 p664-681 2020
Science education has a seemingly intractable gender problem and remains largely the reserve of White, middle-class men and boys, especially in the physical sciences. In this paper, taking an intersectional approach to Butler's idea of identity as performance, we explore the affordances and limitations of a specific science learning space (a science museum) for girls. We discuss four types of performance, one based on 'good' behaviour, one combining masculinity and 'race'/ethnicity, one of silence and one based on being 'cool'. We focus on the experiences of 25 girls aged 12-13, from a mixture of ethnic backgrounds, from two inner-city, state-run, co-educational London schools, in the UK. We argue that the museum space put girls in a difficult position for both learning science "and" enacting the identities they were invested in. We conclude by reflecting on the implications for science learning spaces that disrupt rather than reproduce social inequalities.
Descriptors: Females, Science Activities, Museums, Science Education, Student Behavior, Masculinity, Racial Differences, Ethnicity, Student Participation, Early Adolescents, Urban Schools, Foreign Countries, At Risk Students, Social Bias, Gender Bias, Femininity
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (London)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A