Boys, science and literacy: place-based masculinities, reading practices and the ‘science literate boy’

ABSTRACT

The fields of science and literacy education continue to be shaped by pervasive gender inequality. Previous research has documented how the formation of a ‘science identity’ is contingent on access to science capital while research in literacy education continues to highlight how boys struggle in their literacy acquisition. Despite a robust scholarship on gendered literacy practices and gender in STEM subjects, to date, there has been little investigation of the relationships between boys’ science identity/ies and their literacy practices. We draw on a case study of 24 middle school boys living and learning in two different regions (e.g. metropolitan, rural) where we focus on how boys conceive of themselves as learners in two curriculum areas: science and literacy. Bridging multiple areas of scholarship (e.g., science literacy, science identity, boys in schooling), we concentrate on the participants’ self-belief in science and self-belief as readers and consider the way they inform each other in reference to place. The implications of our study concern how the science literate boy comes to be in reference to the construction of discursive performances of science masculinities and how they are maintained alongside literate identities.

KEYWORDS:

• Boys and schooling
• literacy
• science literacy
• gender
• science identity
• case study

Endnotes

• 1. Connell (2000, 5) refers to Biddulph as a ‘pop-psychologist’ and warns of the precarious nature in assuming all boys subscribe to one type of masculinity.

• 2. The STEM acceleration program requires students to pay $80 to sit a test though there is a discount for families on School Card. Additionally, it requires a statement of support from both the parent and the teacher and a commitment of two years with a cost of $100 AUD each year.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by the University of South Australia.