Science Teacher Identity and Professional Development as a Gender Issue: Natália Flores’ Case
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22600/1518-8795.ienci2020v25n3p616Keywords:
Professional development, Identity, Teacher education, Gender, Science EducationAbstract
Gender issues are usually neglected in research on Science teacher education. This paper presents a narrative inquiry inspired on sociological portraits, into Natália Flores' life story, a preservice teacher who has survived the quest for excellence that challenges most Science students. Drawing on information from individual interviews, feminist theories and the distinction between connected and separated knowledge, we argue that Natália’s professional identity falls into the normative tension of being a woman and living in a Physics Institute in a Brazilian Federal University. During Natália’s childhood, relationships were settled by intimacy and sensibility, and she developed what we will name a disposition to connectedness. Through this disposition, her choices and dilemmas can be read as gender issues. Her choice to become a Physics teacher; her struggle to adapt to the University; her low self-efficacy and the meanings she ascribed to ‘being a teacher’ are all affected by the way Natália learned to be a woman. On the other hand, given that class issues also shape her story, we expect some men to identify with some of her experiences as well. Implications for thinking Science teachers’ professional development as gendered are further discussed.References
Autores. ... Ensaio: Pesquisa em Educação em Ciências, 2020.
Alonso, G., & Díaz, R. (2012). Reflexiones acerca de los aportes de las epistemologías feministas y descoloniales para pensar la investigación social. Debates Urgentes, 1(1), 75–98.
Anderhag, P., Hamza, K. M., & Wickman, P.-O. (2015). What Can a Teacher Do to Support Students’ Interest in Science? A Study of the Constitution of Taste in a Science Classroom. Research in Science Education, 45(5), 749–784. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-014-9448-4
Anderhag, P., Wickman, P.-O., & Hamza, K. M. (2015). Signs of taste for science: a methodology for studying the constitution of interest in the science classroom. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 10(2), 339–368. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-014-9641-9
Archer, L., Dewitt, J., Osborne, J., Dillon, J., Willis, B., & Wong, B. (2012). “Balancing acts’’’: Elementary school girls’ negotiations of femininity, achievement, and science.” Science Education, 96(6), 967–989. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21031
Archer, L., Dewitt, J., & Willis, B. (2014). Adolescent boys’ science aspirations: Masculinity, capital, and power. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51(1), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21122
Beauchamp, C., & Thomas, L. (2009). Understanding teacher identity: An overview of issues in the literature and implications for teacher education. Cambridge Journal of Education, 39(2), 175–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057640902902252
Belenky, M. F., Clinchy, B. M., Goldberger, N. R., & Tarule, J. M. (1986). Women’s ways of knowing: the development of self, voice, and mind. New York: Basic Books.
Bourdieu, P. (1990). The logic of practice. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Bourdieu, P. (2002). A dominação masculina. Rio de Janeiro: Bertrand Brasil.
Bourdieu, P. (2007). A distinção: critica social do julgamento. Porto Alegre: ZOUK.
Brand, B. R., & Glasson, G. E. (2004). Crossing cultural borders into science teaching: Early life experiences, racial and ethnic identities, and beliefs about diversity. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41(2), 119–141. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.10131
Brotman, J. S., & Moore, F. M. (2008). Girls and science: A review of four themes in the science education literature. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 45(9), 971–1002. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20241
Buccheri, G., Gürber, N. A., & Brühwiler, C. (2011). The impact of gender on interest in science topics and the choice of scientific and technical vocations. International Journal of Science Education, 33(1), 159–178. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2010.518643
Butler, J. (1990). Gender trouble: feminism and the aubversion of identity. London: Routledge.
Butler, J. (2004). Undoing gender. London: Routledge.
Capobianco, B. M. (2007). Science teachers’ attempts at integrating feminist pedagogy through collaborative action research. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(1), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20120
Carlone, H. B., Johnson, A., & Scott, C. M. (2015). Agency amidst formidable structures: How girls perform gender in science class. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 52(4), 474–488. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21224
Chanter, T. (2011). Gênero: Conceitos-chave em filosofia. Porto Alegre: Artmed.
Collins, P. H. (2000). Gender , Black Feminism , and Black Political Economy. In American Academy of Political and Social Science: The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (Vol. 568, pp. 41–53). Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/104947
Connelly, F. M., & Clandinin, D. J. (1990). Stories of Experience and Narrative Inquiry. Educational Researcher, 19(5), 2–14. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X019005002
Contreras, J. (2002). Autonomia de professores. São Paulo: Cortez.
Danielsson, A. T. (2014). In the physics class: University physics students’ enactment of class and gender in the context of laboratory work. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 9(2), 477–494. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-012-9421-3
Deneroff, V. (2016). Professional development in person: identity and the construction of teaching within a high school science department. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 11(2), 213–233. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-013-9546-z
Dominguez, C. R. C., Viviani, L. M., Cazetta, V., Guridi, V. M., Faht, E. C., Pioker, F. C., & Cubero, J. (2015). Professional choices and teacher identities in the Science Teacher Education Program at EACH/USP. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 10(4), 1189–1213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-014-9650-8
Dori, Y. J., Zohar, A., Fischer-Shachor, D., Kohan-Mass, J., & Carmi, M. (2018). Gender-fair assessment of young gifted students’ scientific thinking skills. International Journal of Science Education, 40(6), 595–620. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2018.1431419
Enyedy, N., Goldberg, J., & Welsh, K. M. (2006). Complex dilemmas of identity and practice. Science Education, 90(1), 68–93. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20096
Fernandes, J., Ueno Guimarães, M. H., Robert, A., & Passos, M. M. (2020). Estudo da evasão dos estudantes de Licenciatura e Bacharelado em Física: uma análise à luz da Teoria do Sistema de Ensino de Bourdieu. Caderno Brasileiro de Ensino de Física, 37(1), 105–126. https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7941.2020v37n1p105
Geelan, D., Mensah, F. M., Rahm, J., & Maulucci, M. R. (2010). Roles, caring and learning to teach science. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 5(3), 649–663. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-009-9247-9
Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: psychological theory and women’s development. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Glackin, M. (2016). ‘Risky fun’ or ‘Authentic science’? How teachers’ beliefs influence their practice during a professional development programme on outdoor learning. International Journal of Science Education, 38(3), 409–433. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2016.1145368
Gouw, A. M. S. (2013). Um breve panorama do projeto internacional “the relevance of science education” (ROSE). In N. Bizzo & G. Pellegrini (Eds.), Os jovens e a ciência (pp. 13–30). Curitiba: CRV.
Grimes, N. K. (2013). The nanny in the schoolhouse: The role of femme-Caribbean identity in attaining success in urban science classrooms. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 8(2), 333–353. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-012-9476-1
Ha, M., Haury, D. L., & Nehm, R. H. (2012). Feeling of certainty: Uncovering a missing link between knowledge and acceptance of evolution. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 49(1), 95–121. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20449
Haraway, D. (1995). Saberes localizados: a questão da ciência para o feminismo e o privilégio da perspectiva parcial. Cadernos Pagu, 5, 7–41.
Harding, S. (1986). The science question in feminism. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Hazari, Z., Sonnert, G., Sadler, P. M., & Shanahan, M.-C. (2010). Connecting high school physics experiences, outcome expectations, physics identity, and physics career choice: A gender study. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 47(8), 978–1003. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20363
Ketzer, P. (2017). Como pensar uma epistemologia feminista? Surgimento, repercussões e problematizações. Argumentos, 9(18), 95–106.
Kozoll, R. H., & Osborne, M. D. (2006). Developing a deeper involvement with science: Keith’s story. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 1(1), 161–187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-005-9004-7
Lahire. (2004). Retratos sociológicos: disposições e variações individuais. Porto Alegre: Artmed.
Lahire, B. (2005). Patrimónios individuais de disposições: Para uma sociologia à escala individual. Sociologia, Problemas e Praticas, 49, 11–42. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.004
Lahire, B. (2006). A cultura dos indivíduos. Porto Alegre: Artmed.
Lima Junior, P. (2018). Trajetórias dos professores de ciências em tempos de proletarização: família e vocação docente. In L. Massi, P. Lima Junior, & E. Barolli (Eds.), Retratos da docência: contextos, saberes e trajetórias (pp. 435–459). Araraquara: Letraria.
Lima Junior, P., Fraga Junior, J. C., Andrade, V. C., & Bernardino, P. R. P. (2020). A integrac?a?o dos estudantes de periferia no curso de Fi?sica: razo?es institucionais da evasa?o segundo a origem social. Ciência & Educação, 26.
Lima Junior, P., & Massi, L. (2015). Retratos sociológicos : uma metodologia de investigação para a pesquisa em educação. Ciência & Educacão, 21(3), 559–574.
Longino, H. E., & Lennon, K. (1997). Feminist epistemology as a local epistemology. Aristotelian Society Supplementary Volume, 71(1), 19–35. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/aristoteliansupp/article-lookup/doi/10.1111/1467-8349.00017
Louro, G. L. (2003). Gênero, sexualidade e educação: uma perspectiva pós-estruturalista. Petrópolis: Vozes.
Rezende, F., & Ostermann, F. (2019). Hegemonic and counter-hegemonic discourses in science education from the perspective of a post-critical curriculum theory. Cultural Studies of Science Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-019-09945-8
Rodrigues, C., & Heilborn, M. L. (2014). Construindo Vera Cruz e desconstruindo gênero: aproximações entre Pedro Almodóvar e Judith Butler. Sexualidad, Salud y Sociedad (Rio de Janeiro), (16), 73–85. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1984-64872014000100005
Rosa, K. (2018). Science identity possibilities: a look into Blackness, masculinities, and economic power relations. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 13(4), 1005–1013. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-018-9859-z
Roth, W.-M. (2008). Bricolage, métissage, hybridity, heterogeneity, diaspora: Concepts for thinking science education in the 21st century. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 3(4), 891–916. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-008-9113-1
Rushton, E. A. C., & Reiss, M. J. (2019). From science teacher to ‘teacher scientist’’: exploring the experiences of research-active science teachers in the UK.’ International Journal of Science Education, 41(11), 1541–1561. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2019.1615656
Shanahan, M.-C. (2009). Identity in science learning: Exploring the attention given to agency and structure in studies of identity. Studies in Science Education, 45(1), 43. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057260802681847
Sinnes, A. T., & Løken, M. (2014). Gendered education in a gendered world: Looking beyond cosmetic solutions to the gender gap in science. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 9(2), 343–364. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-012-9433-z
Sjøberg, S., & Schreiner, C. (2010). The ROSE project: an overview and key findings. Oslo.
Stoet, G., & Geary, D. C. (2018). The gender-equality paradox in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. Psychological Science, 29(4), 581–593.
Vincent-Ruz, P., & Schunn, C. D. (2017). The increasingly important role of science competency beliefs for science learning in girls. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 54(6), 790–822. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21387
Watanabe, G., & Gurgel, I. (2017). As Marcas Sociais Deixadas Pelas Escolas Em Nossos Professores De Ciências: a Questão Da Violência Simbólica. Revista Contexto & Educação, 31(99), 116. https://doi.org/10.21527/2179-1309.2016.99.116-148
Wilson, R. E., & Kittleson, J. (2013). Science as a classed and gendered endeavor: Persistence of two white female first-generation college students within an undergraduate science context. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 50(7), 802–825. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21087
Zembylas, M. (2004). Young children’s emotional practices while engaged in long-term science investigation. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41(7), 693–719. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20023
Zohar, A. (2006). Connected knowledge in science and mathematics education. International Journal of Science Education, 28(13), 1579–1599. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690500439199
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
IENCI is an Open Access journal, which does not have to pay any charges either for the submission or processing of articles. The journal has adopted the definition of the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI), which states that the users have the right to read, write down, copy, distribute, print, conduct searches and make direct links with the complete texts of the published articles.
The author responsible for the submission represents all the authors of the work and when the article is sent to the journal, guarantees that he has the permission of his/her co-authors to do so. In the same way, he/she provides an assurance that the article does not infringe authors´ rights and that there are no signs of plagiarism in the work. The journal is not responsible for any opinions that are expressed.
All the articles are published with a Creative Commons License Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International. The authors hold the copyright of their works and must be contacted directly if there is any commercial interest in the use of their works.