ERIC Number: EJ1161152
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-1946
EISSN: N/A
Using the Sociology of Associations to Rethink STEM Education
Buxton, Cory; Harper, Susan; Payne, Yolanda Denise; Allexsaht-Snider, Martha
Educational Studies: Journal of the American Educational Studies Association, v53 n6 p587-600 2017
Using three constructs taken from Latour's 2005 book, "Reassembling the Social," we consider our work in 2 contexts that were part of a project to support science teachers working with English learners: an 8th-grade physical science class in a summer science enrichment academy, and a 6th-grade Earth science class in a public middle school. We utilize Latour's constructs of (a) group formation, (b) mediators and intermediaries, and (c) traces of intentionality to interpret the interactions that occur in these spaces. We analyze these interactions to make a broader argument about the limitations of "improvement science" perspectives that are increasingly influential in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education research in the U.S. context.
Descriptors: STEM Education, English Language Learners, Physical Sciences, Science Instruction, Summer Programs, Enrichment Activities, Grade 8, Grade 6, Middle School Students, Earth Science, Interaction, Intention, Science Teachers, Secondary School Science, Inquiry, Social Sciences, Group Activities, Student Projects, Hands on Science, Science Laboratories, Vignettes, Science Activities
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 8
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: DRL1316398