The role of outside-school factors in science education: a two-stage theoretical model linking Bourdieu and Sen, with a case study

ABSTRACT

The literature in science education highlights the potentially significant role of outside-school factors such as parents, cultural contexts and role models in students’ formation of science attitudes and aspirations, and their attainment in science classes. In this paper, building on and linking Bourdieu’s key concepts of habitus, cultural and social capital, and field with Sen’s capability approach, we develop a model of students’ science-related capability development. Our model proposes that the role of outside-school factors is twofold, first, in providing an initial set of science-related resources (i.e. habitus, cultural and social capital), and then in conversion of these resources to science-related capabilities. The model also highlights the distinction between science-related functionings (outcomes achieved by individuals) and science-related capabilities (ability to achieve desired functionings), and argues that it is necessary to consider science-related capability development in evaluating the effectiveness of science education. We then test our theoretical model with an account of three Turkish immigrant students’ science-related capabilities and the role of outside-school factors in forming and extending these capabilities. We use student and parent interviews, student questionnaires and in-class observations to provide an analysis of how outside-school factors influence these students’ attitudes, aspirations and attainment in science.

KEYWORDS:

• Outside-school factors
• science aspirations
• science capabilities
• Bourdieu
• Sen

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Tuba Gokpinar is a Ph.D. candidate at UCL Institute of Education, University College London. Her research focuses on students' formation of science attitudes, aspirations and capabilities. She is particularly interested in the role of family, cultural contexts and out-of-school experiences in developing and extending science capabilities in ethnic minority children.

Michael Reiss is Professor of Science Education at UCL Institute of Education, University College London and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. The former Director of Education at the Royal Society, he has written extensively about curricula, pedagogy and assessment in science education.

Notes

1. While our interest in this study is science-related capabilities in general, we realise that for a student in full-time schooling, much of the conception of science drives from experiences of school science.

2. All names in this paper, including students and their parents, are pseudonyms.