Sociocultural Perspectives on Science Education

Abstract

The adoption of new theoretical lenses sheds fresh light on the ways in which persons experience social life and make sense of participation in their lifeworlds. I consider possibilities for a refreshing new era of research and scholarship in science education – especially in regards to the interfaces between research, policy, and professional practice. In the context of a decade-long program of research in urban high schools, in which science education was researched from a sociocultural perspective, I challenge traditional views on the nature of science, epistemology, ontology, and axiology. I describe how cogenerative dialogues were used, as methodology and activity, to catalyze improvements in the quality of teaching and learning, increase the relevance of and interest in science curricula, expand students’ science-related identities, enact an expanded array of roles in class, and afford success in science education. Participants in cogenerative dialogue expanded their agency, adopting numerous leadership roles in their science classes, the school, and out-of-school fields.