The intersection of identity, culture and science engagement

Ivã Gurgel, Mauricio Pietrocola, and Graciella Watanabe expand upon the existing literature, which links identity and science engagement. Specifically, the authors focus on ways in which the cultural identities of students relate to their engagement in physics. In doing so, Gurgel, Pietrocola, and Watanabe further build upon the idea that one’s identity is not immutable, but rather is continually re-constituted throughout life. Employing the lens of ontological authenticity, the authors use three interventions with the purpose of revealing the intersection of students’ cultural identity and science. In this paper I extend the dialogue on how we can further explore the link between identity and science engagement, starting first with a consideration of student identity and its significance, before extending this inquiry into the specific field of science.