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Forum: structure, agency, and the development of students’ identities as learners

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Abstract

In this forum, we discuss the ways in which the culture of science has become conflated with categorical groupings of students according to race, class, and gender – so as to better understand how Black female students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds may become alienated from dominant school discourses that emphasize college and non-college bound trajectories. In addition, we examine the power and limitations of creating spaces inside and outside of science classrooms that value student discourses, goals, and ways of being. Specifically, we debate whether cogenerative dialogues can allow for (a) conscious critical conversations that cut across student, teacher and administration levels, (b) expanded possibilities for local action, and (c) the building of solidarity and respect amongst stakeholders.

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Acknowledgments

The research described in this paper is supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. REC-0107022. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in the book are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Arts & Science, Washington University in St. Louis, McMillan Hall 204, Box 1183, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA

    Rowhea Elmesky

  2. Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, 3700 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Stacy Olitsky

  3. Urban Education, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016-4309, USA

    Kenneth Tobin

Authors
  1. Rowhea Elmesky
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  2. Stacy Olitsky
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  3. Kenneth Tobin
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Correspondence to Rowhea Elmesky.

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Elmesky, R., Olitsky, S. & Tobin, K. Forum: structure, agency, and the development of students’ identities as learners. Cult.Scie.Edu. 1, 767–789 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-006-9034-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-006-9034-9

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