GSE/RES: Club to School (C2S): Rethinking the SMT Pipeline

Michigan State University, East Lansing MI

Investigators

Abstract

Intellectual Merit: How do middle school girls become engaged in science, especially when their developing "sense of self" can seem to be at odds with traditional images of what it means to be a good science student or a scientist? The purpose of this investigation is to better understand the mechanisms by which urban middle school girls author possible selves in science, and what impact this has on their interest and participation in the science, mathematics and technology (SMT) pipeline. The objectives of the project are: 1. To follow a cohort of girls in four cities over their middle school years to document the mechanisms by which they author possible selves in science, how their identity formation (and their attendant resources and positions) in different figured worlds support them in doing so, and what impact this has on their interest and participation in science class and the SMT pipeline. 2. To develop a model for how and why girls recruit identities across different figured worlds and how girls seek to leverage them in support of participation and interest in science. 3. To create a set of cases along with guiding design principles focused on girls' identity development and SMT pipeline participation that can be used as tools for teacher learning and program design. The research follows 400 girls in four US cities over three years. Utilizing a nationally validated survey instrument focused on identity development and pipeline participation, data will be gathered over the three years to ascertain patterns in identity development and pipeline participation. The project also includes ethnographic longitudinal case studies of 40 girls in two of the sites over three years. Case study data will allow for an in depth analysis into girls' participation and experiences in out-of-school figured worlds and the figured world of school science, to uncover the salient identities pertinent to them, and how they select and coalesce identities across figured worlds to further their interest and performance in science. Broader Impacts: This project yields a theoretically-based, empirically-driven model for the relationship between identity development and participation in the SMT pipeline for low-income urban girls from racially diverse backgrounds. By creating a set of cases along with guiding design principles focused on girls' identity development and SMT pipeline participation, the project team will work with teachers and program organizers to tailor program design and instructional practice to best support girls.