A structure-agency perspective on young children's engagement in school science: Carlos's performance and narrative

Abstract

Guided by sociological perspectives that view (young) children as agents who are shaped by and shape the structures of social systems in which they live, we studied forms that agency of young children from historically marginalized groups may take in science class when offered opportunities to engage in science in a variety of ways, how curricular and instructional structures facilitate or hinder these children's agency, and how their agency influence these structures. Using a case study approach, we analyzed performance and narrative data related to Carlos, a Latino 3rd grader, to understand the dialectical relationship between Carlos's agency and structural elements of his year-long science class as a sociocultural system populated with people, curricular and instructional structures, research structures, artifacts, and tools. Carlos performed and narrated his self in relation to science differently across the various structures in which he found himself-as a knowledge broker, a (self-appointed) authority, an emergent author, and a selfidentified scientist. His agency was linked to the roles he performed within the structures, roles he created at the intersection of the rules and resources that governed the structures in which he was immersed, and of his construction and interpretation of them. Learning from Carlos's case, we discuss implications for teachers of science to recognize the many ways in which students make meaning and plan for them, and to craft ideologies that embrace and nurture student agency in relation to structures-an essential understanding that should inform teaching and teacher education for justice and equity. # 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 52: [516][517][518][519][520][521][522][523][524][525][526][527][528][529] 2015

Developing interpretive power in science teaching

“…It is in these grounded moments of student–teacher interaction that an interpretive stance offers vastly different possibilities for learning and engagement than does a diagnostic stance. Within an interpretive stance, unfolding talk, as a recurrent site of intercultural engagement, can become a source of creative possibility, where forms of privileging can be dismantled with important consequences over time and context for students’ learning and their sense of belonging in science (Varelas, Tucker‐Raymond, & Richards, ; Warren & Rosebery, ). How teachers, including PBI participants, learn to take up interculturality as a source of creativity in their practice depends necessarily on their own developing relationship to scientific knowledge and practice, learning and development, language use and cultural repertoires, and critically on the professional learning ecologies in which they have opportunities to participate, in short, on their evolving interpretive power.…”

Identity negotiation within peer groups during an informal engineering education program: The central role of leadership‐oriented youth

“…We acknowledge, however, that although the DOW program was focused on youth from traditionally underserved and underresourced communities, and especially girls from low‐income and Spanish‐speaking backgrounds, our analysis did not directly address how these aspects of participants’ identities interacted with the situated identity negotiation patterns we observed. Prior research has highlighted the importance of race, ethnicity, and language preference in shaping peer group interactions and identity negation with classroom contexts (e.g., Brown, ; Carlone, Johnson, & Scott, ; Varelas et al., ). We suspect that these dynamics are at play in informal STEM learning programs such as DOW, as well, and may shape the connections between leadership‐oriented youth and identity negotiation within peer groups.…”

“…It is broadly recognized that students and youth construct and negotiate their identities through ongoing interactions with peers and adults, and that peers and teachers play important roles in how they position or recognize the identities of others (Carlone & Johnson, ; Gamez & Parker, ; Kane, , ; Tan & Calabrese Barton, ; Tan et al., ; Varelas, Martin, & Kane, ). Collaborative peer group activities provide a unique context for identity negotiation because of the complex social dynamics among peers and the lack of teacher facilitation (Gamez & Parker, ; Varelas, Tucker‐Raymond, & Richards, ). In many studies, however, understanding the mechanisms of peer influences on identity negotiation has not been the primary focus or has been analyzed secondhand through narrated identity accounts (e.g., Kane, ; Ryu, ; Tan et al., ; Varelas et al., , ).…”

“…Collaborative peer group activities provide a unique context for identity negotiation because of the complex social dynamics among peers and the lack of teacher facilitation (Gamez & Parker, ; Varelas, Tucker‐Raymond, & Richards, ). In many studies, however, understanding the mechanisms of peer influences on identity negotiation has not been the primary focus or has been analyzed secondhand through narrated identity accounts (e.g., Kane, ; Ryu, ; Tan et al., ; Varelas et al., , ). As Gamez and Parker () noted, “science education research focused on identity formation and the role it plays in explaining how and why students engage in science to varying degrees has placed less emphasis on understanding how student–student interactions within small groups shape students’ potential science identities” (p. 3).…”

“…Similar to the peer group interaction literature, one study found that leaders within peer groups can play important roles by either supporting the identity work of other youth or undermining roles and identities (Tan & Calabrese Barton, ). Peer group interactions also shape the development of classroom norms over time, such as normative expectations about being a “good student” or expectations about gender roles, which in turn influence opportunities for identity negotiation (Bhana, ; Hegedus et al., ; Kane, ; Varelas et al., ).…”