Children and Parents' Perceptions of Access to Science Tools at Home and Their Role in Science Self-efficacy.

Abstract

Families play a vital role in the development of the science interests and career aspirations of youth. Of particular interest ishow a family's science capital and science habitus impact how children see themselves in relation to science. One aspect ofscience capital that has emerged as foundational in children's levels of science self-efficacy and academic self-concept is theiraccess to science related tools outside of school. To learn more about the role of science tools in building the future scienceinterests of youth, this exploratory study examined reported access to science-related tools and tool experiences for 89participants (44 parents and 45 children). The results showed that more than half of the children reported a lack of homeaccess to science tools such as a meter stick, compass, or scale. There were significant differences in reported access toscience tools for African American and Latino/a youth. The reported access to tools for youth was significantly correlated withtheir science achievement value score (a measure of self-efficacy and self-concept). When comparing child and parent reportedtool access, the parents noted having significantly more tools at home than the child participants. The findings from this studysuggest that parents should provide opportunities for their children to explore these common household tools on their own aswell as in family contexts. Having prior experiences with science tools outside of school is an important form of science capitalthat could foster success for children in the science classroom.