Anna Jobér Social Class in Science Class Malmö Universit Y 2012 Y Mah.Se Www
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A N SCIENCES EDUCATIONAL IN STUDIES MALMÖ nna J Anna JObéR O bé R SOCIAL class ✁ IN science class O 66, DOCTORAL DISSERTATION IN EDUCATION IN DISSERTATION DOCTORAL 66, SOCIAL class IN gALLERy Of Characters science class ✁ MALMÖ isbn/issn 978-91-86295-31-8 /1651-4513 U NI v ERSIT MALMÖ UNIvERSITy y 2012 y 205 06 MALMÖ, SwEDEN www.MAh.SE SOCIAL CLASS IN SCIENCE CLASS Malmö Studies in Educational Sciences No. 66 Studies in Science and technology education No. 59 © Copyright Anna Jobér 2012 Illustration: Sofia Ring ISBN 978-91-86295-31-8 ISSN 1651-4513 Service Point Holmbergs, Malmö 2012 ANNA JOBÉR SOCIAL CLASS IN SCIENCE CLASS Malmö University, 2012 Malmö University, Faculty of Education and Society Lund University, Faculty of Social Sciences This publication is also available at: http://dspace.mah.se/handle/2043/14071 To Ella, Thea, Sofia and Ulla ”Allt du trott var rätt är fel – alla dina spekulationer O brickorna i ditt spel far omkring som falska toner Det enda som är sant är barn, det enda som är vackert idag Knyt hårt o starkt era band – led henne rätt i hennes barndomsland” Barndomsland - Fredrik Jonsson från Sånger från lämnade länder “Frivilligt ska det vara, det är så fritt och tjusigt och demokratiskt med allt som är frivilligt. …. Det måste bli för sent, för integritetens och frihetens skull och demokratins skull, det är viktigt. Det är viktigare än allt. Under integritetens och frihetens och demokratins och ideologins hjul är det mycket som mosas, men det är så det ska vara i ett bra samhälle. Öppet som en tundra.” Ungjävlar - Gerda Antti ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, Claes Malmberg, you have been with me from the beginning to the end as a true supervisor. I would not have come this far without your support! Always listening and encouraging! Thank you! Malin Ideland, entering the scene as a head supervisor the final year is not easy but you have made me creative and confident with your professional advices. Thanks to Gunilla Svingby that guided me the first years in the important initial steps. Annica Andersson, Helen Hasslöf, Margareta Serder, Mats Lundström, Petra Svens- son - the Knäbäck cluster, thank you for outstanding friendship and encour- agement! Thanks to former and present colleagues at Malmö University, espe- cially to Annette Johnsson, Annette Zeidler, Birgitta Pettersson, Cecilia Segerby, Elisabet M. Nilsson, Harriet Axelsson, Karin Nilsson, Mari Ber- gqvist, Margareta Ekborg, and Nanny Hartsmar. What a privilege meeting you and the staff at the institution of Science, Environment and Society day after day. Thank you Ingrid Håkansson and Karin Dahlberg for the important support with administrative and practical issues. Helen Avery and Lyndell Lundahl, thank you for proofreading my manu- scripts! Thank you Lei Shen at Malmö University for helping me with the chinese abstract. Thanks to Susan Stjernberger for helping me out with the grammar, but most of all for being a supportive friend! During seminars, conferences and courses, several colleagues have brought in important reflections. My gratitude goes to Per-Olof Wickman, Tamsin Meaney, and Marianne Dovemark for acting as discussants at seminars. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and helping me forward in constructive and encouraging ways. Thanks to Ingegerd Tallberg Broman for reading the manuscript before the final seminar. Thanks to Donald Broady and Katrin Hjort for valuable comments on my manuscript during a course at Iceland. Thanks to Heidi Carlone for appreciated reflections on my presentation at the NARST conference 2011. Thanks to ESERA and Justin Dillon for possibilities to present my research at the NARST conference 2010. Thanks to former and present colleagues involved in FontD at Linköping University, foremost Anna Ericsson and Carl-Johan Rundgren. I also want to thank the Swedish author Gerda Antti for two short, unexpected, inspiring talks at the market place back in my hometown that gave new perspectives. Thanks to Sara Brynte for sharing your thoughts that helped me write the discussion. Finally, thank you students in 8D and teacher Carin that allowed me to enter your classroom, sharing your everyday experiences, thoughts and reflections. To my beloved family and friends: thank you for support and inspiration. Dear sister, Sofia, you are such an amazing role model to me. I am so glad you wanted to participate in this research project by producing the front cover. Thank you mum and dad for support, not at least when the calendar was full. Doing this research has been important for me. More important though is my family and what we have. Pontus, Ella and Thea, you are my greatest joy and love. Anna Jobér, Malmö, September, 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACTS ................................................................ 11 English abstract ............................................................... 11 概述 .............................................................................. 13 Svensk sammanfattning .................................................... 14 1. PREFACE ................................................................ 17 1.1 Points of departure ......................................................... 17 1.2 Overall aim of the thesis ................................................. 18 1.3 Outline of the thesis ........................................................ 19 2. SETTING THE SCENE ................................................ 20 2.1 Results and achievements in science education ................... 20 2.2 Socioeconomic status in science education ........................ 21 Socioeconomic status – a problematic concept .................... 22 2.3 Perspectives on results and achievements in science education ........................................................................... 24 2.4 Science education reproducing inequalities ....................... 28 2.5 Research on reproduction of inequalities in science education ........................................................................... 31 3. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS .................................... 33 3.1 Introduction ................................................................... 33 3.2 Social class ................................................................... 34 Social class and gender issues .......................................... 36 Social class in the classroom ............................................. 37 3.3 The science classroom .................................................... 39 School science as a practical subject ................................. 42 School science as a communicative school subject ............... 43 School science as a prototype of science ............................ 46 Perspectives on school science as a prototype of science ...... 47 Summarising social class in science class ............................ 50 3.4 Operationalize social class in the science classroom ........... 52 Bourdieu as a theoretical and analytical framework ............. 52 Cultural capital ............................................................... 54 Habitus .......................................................................... 55 Bourdieu’s theoretical framework in educational research ..... 57 Bourdieu’s theoretical framework in science education ......... 61 Considerations when working with Bourdieu ...................... 65 3.5 Alternative frameworks ................................................... 69 Bernstein as a theoretical and analytical framework ............ 69 Code ............................................................................ 70 Classification and framing ............................................... 71 Regulative and instructional discourse ................................ 73 Recognition and realisation rules ...................................... 76 Vertical and horizontal discourse ...................................... 77 Bernstein’s theoretical framework in educational research .... 78 Bernstein’s theoretical framework in science education ......... 80 3.6 Combining Bourdieu and Bernstein .................................. 82 3.7 Aims and research questions ........................................... 85 4. METHOD AND METHODOLOGY ................................. 87 4.1 Introduction .................................................................. 87 4.2 Ethnographic approach.................................................. 87 4.3 Producing data ............................................................. 90 Observations, field notes and recordings ........................... 93 Interviews ...................................................................... 94 Questionnaire ................................................................ 95 Short reflections .............................................................. 96 4.4 Considerations .............................................................. 97 4.5 Processing the data ....................................................... 99 First phase of the analysis ................................................ 99 Second phase of the analysis ......................................... 100 4.6 Presenting the analytical outcomes ................................. 105 5. ON THE FIRST FLOOR ............................................. 108 5.1 Class 8D .................................................................... 108 Joshua – doing the right thing ......................................... 108 Lucy - “with you or not”? ............................................... 111 Matthew – happy and humorous....................................