FUNDS OF SCIENCE IDENTITY: TOWARD AN ASSET-BASED FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERGRADUATE STEM RESEARCH AND PRAXIS

Abstract

Scholars have employed a variety of theoretical perspectives to explore the identity development of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students. While extant theoretical and conceptual frameworks (e.g., science identity, sociocultural perspectives, and critical theories) separately account for individual, institutional, and societal considerations that shape STEM students' disciplinary identity development, scholars have described a need for asset-based theoretical perspectives that counter deficit-based narratives of student experiences. In this paper, we extend the concept of funds of identity to STEM educational research and pedagogy, proposing funds of science identity (FSI) as an asset-based framework for research, pedagogy, and praxis. In three dimensions, FSI outlines transformative possibilities for STEM faculty and staff to honor and incorporate students' lived experiences and social identities, contend with injustices by creating identity-affirming spaces, and disrupt structures of disciplinary and societal oppression. When applied in research and praxis, FSI is a framework that allows for an asset-based exploration of undergraduate STEM students' disciplinary identity development while also actively considering and critiquing the systems of power governing students' lived realities. To conclude, we discuss methodological and practical implications related to using FSI and advancing justice-oriented student development in STEM disciplines.

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