Cultural and gender issues in science

We contribute to an understanding of how science identity might serve in making science understanding and engagement meaningful and purposeful and, on a grander scale, make the case through an ontological approach to learning that science identity is what makes science learning both necessary and possible.

Through research, the group argues about the value of maintaining diversity of a person’s conceptualization of science identity as fluid, tentative and dynamic, and of the constant process to become a science person as well as expanding the repertoire of equally valued science persons. This allows for multiplicity, diversity, subjectivity and hybridity to exist and to essentially acknowledge the infinite ways of becoming a science person.

This thought process is done by invoking the unique self and science identity as fundamental processes inseparable from the place in which science (non)participation occurs.

The overarching goal of this research is to contribute to an under-explored research area on national and international scale, which has the potential of recruiting and utilizing talent in science in the long-term.