Emotion and self-awareness in a longitudinal study of teens' science identities within a museum-university partnership

Abstract

Science education often focuses on knowledge and skills without allowing space to critically explore how we feel about science. This paper shares findings from a study of six teens' science identities through a social-emotional lens. The project involved a year-long employment and education program led through a museum-university partnership during which teens engaged in authentic science research, communication, and education activities such as collecting and analyzing data for federally-funded research; presenting findings in journals and conferences; and educating museum visitors. Youth were involved in a participatory evaluation and analyzed their own survey and interview data about science identity, including interest, self-efficacy, and sense of belonging. Case study data analysis combined descriptive statistics and qualitative coding. Results show that involving teens in reflecting on their science identities allowed them to articulate mixed emotions, contextualize their fluctuating confidence in science, and integrate themselves into their concept of a science person.