Science for whom? Case studies of two male primary school student teachers’ constructions of themselves as teachers of science

Anna T Danielsson

doi:10.5617/nordina.766

Abstract

This paper investigates intersections of gender and the teaching and learning of science in case studies of two male primary school student teachers, exploring how these student teachers negotiate identities as teachers of science. The project works from dual theoretical starting points. Firstly, the project is founded in a feminist post-structural understanding of gender as performative, something ‘done’ in a social context rather than an inherent characteristic of a person. Secondly, learning is, following situated learning theory, conceptualised as involving the constitution of an identity. Empirically, the paper draws on semi-structured interviews with two primary school student teachers specialising in science. The paper explores the two student teachers’ classed and gendered interpretations of school science, in particular how they use these interpretations as a means for them as male teachers to fit into the primary teacher role with its feminine connotations. Finally, some implications for teacher education are discussed.

Highlights

Learning to teach is a complex process of becoming, where past, present and future come together in dynamic tensions (Britzman 1991)
In contrast to Henrik, Bosse never talked about having struggled in school; Bosse did not like school either. He talked in similar vein to Henrik, about science and mathematics being his favourite subjects in school, mainly because he ‘found them easy’: Bosse: [Science and maths] were less demanding, thanks to that, I’ve never, or in school I never did any homework, or I did the homework once to check, and I almost got full score on some physics exam, and I thought, well I’m not stupid, and it doesn’t matter how it goes
When becoming a primary science teacher this complexity is further accentuated by how this area is ambivalently gendered: primary teaching is an occupation associated with women and femininity, while science and science teaching, in particular as related to the physical sciences, is associated with men and masculinity

Summary

Introduction

Learning to teach is a complex process of becoming, where past, present and future come together in dynamic tensions (Britzman 1991). Teacher identity has gained a lot of interest both within theoretical and empirical investigations, as noticed in a recent review article by Beauchamp and Thomas (2009) Most such studies have dealt with the ‘generic’ process of becoming a teacher, rather than issues related to the teaching of specific subjects. Considering teacher identity in the context of the teaching of specific subjects adds additional complexity, in that student teachers need to simultaneously negotiate disciplinary culture and content as well as ‘generic’ aspects of what it means to be and become a teacher. I would argue that primary teachers may be less likely to have a professional identity ac-

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