Intrinsic and Instrumental Care in Pen Pal Letters: Recognizing Care in STEM Classrooms
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| Title: | Intrinsic and Instrumental Care in Pen Pal Letters: Recognizing Care in STEM Classrooms |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Ashlyn E. Pierson (ORCID |
| Source: | Science Education. 2024 108(6):1608-1636. |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 29 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) |
| Contract Number: | 1742138 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Descriptive |
| Education Level: | Elementary Education Grade 6 Intermediate Grades Middle Schools Grade 9 High Schools Junior High Schools Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | STEM Education, Letters (Correspondence), Caring, Grade 6, Grade 9, Biology, Science Instruction, Ecology |
| DOI: | 10.1002/sce.21894 |
| ISSN: | 0036-8326 1098-237X |
| Abstract: | Studies of both professional science practice and children's science learning show that care is not merely ancillary to disciplinary work but a core and generative constituent of science practice. In science education research, however, students' care is often overlooked. In this paper, we describe the expression of care across two STEM classrooms (6th and 9th grade) studying biology and ecology and participating in a pen pal exchange. We analyze artifacts from the pen pal exchange as well as students' retrospective interviews and written reflections. Two ways of expressing care surfaced in students' letters: caring for guppies and caring for pen pals. We describe each form of care using examples from our data. We find that students' care for guppies and pen pals was both instrumental (in service of their investigations) and intrinsic (positioning guppies and pen pals as inherently valuable). We then connect these findings to studies of care in children's science learning and in professional science. We discuss methodological and practical implications for recognizing and analyzing how students' care manifests in classrooms and for designing learning activities that cultivate care. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1443289 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | Studies of both professional science practice and children's science learning show that care is not merely ancillary to disciplinary work but a core and generative constituent of science practice. In science education research, however, students' care is often overlooked. In this paper, we describe the expression of care across two STEM classrooms (6th and 9th grade) studying biology and ecology and participating in a pen pal exchange. We analyze artifacts from the pen pal exchange as well as students' retrospective interviews and written reflections. Two ways of expressing care surfaced in students' letters: caring for guppies and caring for pen pals. We describe each form of care using examples from our data. We find that students' care for guppies and pen pals was both instrumental (in service of their investigations) and intrinsic (positioning guppies and pen pals as inherently valuable). We then connect these findings to studies of care in children's science learning and in professional science. We discuss methodological and practical implications for recognizing and analyzing how students' care manifests in classrooms and for designing learning activities that cultivate care. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0036-8326 1098-237X |
| DOI: | 10.1002/sce.21894 |
