Selfies at the science museum: exploring girls’ identity performances in a science learning space

Emily Dawson; Louise Archer; Amy Seakins; Spela Godec; Jennifer DeWitt; Heather King; Ada Mau; Effrosyni Nomikou

doi:10.1080/09540253.2018.1557322

Selfies at the science museum: exploring girls’ identity performances in a science learning space

Emily Dawson^*, Louise Archer, Amy Seakins, Spela Godec, Jennifer DeWitt, Heather King, Ada Mau, Effrosyni Nomikou

^*Corresponding author for this work

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

51 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Science education has a seemingly intractable gender problem and remains largely the reserve of White, middle-class men and boys, especially in the physical sciences. In this paper, taking an intersectional approach to Butler’s idea of identity as performance, we explore the affordances and limitations of a specific science learning space (a science museum) for girls. We discuss four types of performance, one based on ‘good’ behaviour, one combining masculinity and ‘race’/ethnicity, one of silence and one based on being ‘cool’. We focus on the experiences of 25 girls aged 12-13, from a mixture of ethnic backgrounds, from two inner-city, state-run, co-educational London schools, in the UK. We argue that the museum space put girls in a difficult position for both learning science and enacting the identities they were invested in. We conclude by reflecting on the implications for science learning spaces that disrupt rather than reproduce social inequalities.

Original language	English
Journal	GENDER AND EDUCATION
Early online date	20 Jan 2019
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2018.1557322
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 20 Jan 2019

Keywords

Femininities
Identities
informal learning
intersectionality
science and Technology

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1080/09540253.2018.1557322

http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10066407/

Cite this

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abstract = "Science education has a seemingly intractable gender problem and remains largely the reserve of White, middle-class men and boys, especially in the physical sciences. In this paper, taking an intersectional approach to Butler{\textquoteright}s idea of identity as performance, we explore the affordances and limitations of a specific science learning space (a science museum) for girls. We discuss four types of performance, one based on {\textquoteleft}good{\textquoteright} behaviour, one combining masculinity and {\textquoteleft}race{\textquoteright}/ethnicity, one of silence and one based on being {\textquoteleft}cool{\textquoteright}. We focus on the experiences of 25 girls aged 12-13, from a mixture of ethnic backgrounds, from two inner-city, state-run, co-educational London schools, in the UK. We argue that the museum space put girls in a difficult position for both learning science and enacting the identities they were invested in. We conclude by reflecting on the implications for science learning spaces that disrupt rather than reproduce social inequalities.",

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AU - King, Heather

AU - Mau, Ada

AU - Nomikou, Effrosyni

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Selfies at the science museum: exploring girls’ identity performances in a science learning space

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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