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Identifying like a scientist

Submitted by cnewville on Wed, 03/19/2014 - 4:16pm

I would like to focus on the students who are "not math people". In particular I would like to look at how students form their educational identity and how they begin to relate to certain subjects, but more closly look at why people think that math, chemisty, etc is "not for them". This topic has come up in my Praxis 3 course,as we talked about students identifying as a scientist through certain pedagogies and progams that better fit students in learning math and sciences. I would like to look at different ways of learning enviroments and common lessons that either deter or encourgage students to pursue these field and what components are neserrary for them to stay in STEM fields, or what make them avoid them all togeather with a passive wave.

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not math people

Submitted by jccohen on Fri, 03/21/2014 - 6:49pm.

Christine,

This is an important question, and I like the way you're conceptualizing it in terms of "how students form their education identity..." I also wonder whether you're thinking specifically about female students and students of color, since these are sometimes considered "underrepresented groups" in the STEM fields. And of course this would help to narrow/focus your research somewhat (though you might want to specify even further). You might want to consult Professor Donnay about material on this topic; he organized a conference related to this issue a few years ago and is likely to have some key names for you to pursue. I look forward to what you'll learn! Any thoughts at this point about how you'll express your learning for this project?