Examining student engagement with science through a Bourdieusian notion of field

Spela Godec; Heather King; Louise Archer; Emily Dawson; Amy Seakins

doi:10.1007/s11191-018-9988-5

Examining student engagement with science through a Bourdieusian notion of field

Spela Godec, Heather King, Louise Archer, Emily Dawson, Amy Seakins

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

24 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

Student engagement with science is a long-standing, central interest within science education research. In this paper, we explore how Bourdieu's theory (originally proposed to explain the reproduction of social inequalities in society) could be applied to understanding student engagement with science. Specifically, we explore how the concepts of field, capital and habitus can be used to make sense of what happened in an inner London secondary science classroom that we observed over the course of one academic year. We draw on data collected through science lesson observations, interviews and discussion groups with students, and interviews with the teacher. We conclude that applying Bourdieusian theory can help better understand differential patterns of student engagement by directing attention to the alignment between students’ habitus and capital, and the field. We also discuss how a greater focus on the notion of field can be useful for planning future interventions aimed at making science education more equitable.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	501-521
Journal	Science & Education
Volume	27
Issue number	5-6
Early online date	6 Aug 2018
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-018-9988-5
Publication status	Published - 15 Aug 2018

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Examining student engagement with science through a Bourdieusian notion of field

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