In this article, we explore three anthropological approaches to science education research: funds... more In this article, we explore three anthropological approaches to science education research: funds of knowledge, third space/hybridity and practice theory. Definitions, historical origins, uses and constraints of each approach are included along with reviews of exemplary studies in each tradition. We show that funds of knowledge research draws on an earlier research tradition, cultural difference theory and rests on an assumption that groups build culture in response to fixed and static socio-political conditions. Practice theory is more flexible in that it allows researchers to study how groups create local meanings, which may conform to, resist or even transform those larger conditions through cultural production. We then illustrate the approaches by analysing the same case (that of a Mexican-American boy) using both cultural difference theory and practice theory, to illustrate the strengths and limitations of each approach.
Schooling and science education are embedded within larger socio-cultural, political and economic... more Schooling and science education are embedded within larger socio-cultural, political and economic contexts, influenced by global flows of capital, labor, ideas, and images. In this article we consider the ways in which ethnography traces the web of interactions (circuits), in a rural community and the ways that science inquiry was associated with character education. Our discussion examines the relationship between
ABSTRACT The close association between science and masculinity has been widely discussed, yet few... more ABSTRACT The close association between science and masculinity has been widely discussed, yet few studies have focused on boys’ negotiation with, and participation in, school science. This paper seeks to trouble monolithic notions of the link between science and masculinity, arguing that the “ideal science student” is a classed, racialized, and gendered construction. Drawing on interviews, observations, surveys, and student work samples, we construct longitudinal case studies of four scientifically talented boys from fourth to sixth grades, showing how “being smart” is a necessary, but not sufficient, requirement for boys who want to position themselves or end up getting positioned as “scientific.” We also demonstrate how “being interested in science” is a useful, but not essential, component of these boys’ identity performances and recognition work. We explain how the boys take up different positions in relation to the “smart science boy” subject position (the “smart boy,” “smart science boy,” “wannabe smart science boy,” and “geeky science boy”) and argue that the boys’ in/ability to authentically inhabit the “ideal science student” subject position is constrained and facilitated by their class and ethnic positionings.
In this article, we explore three anthropological approaches to science education research: funds... more In this article, we explore three anthropological approaches to science education research: funds of knowledge, third space/hybridity and practice theory. Definitions, historical origins, uses and constraints of each approach are included along with reviews of exemplary studies in each tradition. We show that funds of knowledge research draws on an earlier research tradition, cultural difference theory and rests on an assumption that groups build culture in response to fixed and static socio-political conditions. Practice theory is more flexible in that it allows researchers to study how groups create local meanings, which may conform to, resist or even transform those larger conditions through cultural production. We then illustrate the approaches by analysing the same case (that of a Mexican-American boy) using both cultural difference theory and practice theory, to illustrate the strengths and limitations of each approach.
Schooling and science education are embedded within larger socio-cultural, political and economic... more Schooling and science education are embedded within larger socio-cultural, political and economic contexts, influenced by global flows of capital, labor, ideas, and images. In this article we consider the ways in which ethnography traces the web of interactions (circuits), in a rural community and the ways that science inquiry was associated with character education. Our discussion examines the relationship between
ABSTRACT The close association between science and masculinity has been widely discussed, yet few... more ABSTRACT The close association between science and masculinity has been widely discussed, yet few studies have focused on boys’ negotiation with, and participation in, school science. This paper seeks to trouble monolithic notions of the link between science and masculinity, arguing that the “ideal science student” is a classed, racialized, and gendered construction. Drawing on interviews, observations, surveys, and student work samples, we construct longitudinal case studies of four scientifically talented boys from fourth to sixth grades, showing how “being smart” is a necessary, but not sufficient, requirement for boys who want to position themselves or end up getting positioned as “scientific.” We also demonstrate how “being interested in science” is a useful, but not essential, component of these boys’ identity performances and recognition work. We explain how the boys take up different positions in relation to the “smart science boy” subject position (the “smart boy,” “smart science boy,” “wannabe smart science boy,” and “geeky science boy”) and argue that the boys’ in/ability to authentically inhabit the “ideal science student” subject position is constrained and facilitated by their class and ethnic positionings.
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Papers by H. Carlone