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Physics Education and Gender pp 81–96Cite as

Urban College Students Negotiate Their Identities to Dis/Connect with Notions of Physics

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Part of the book series: Cultural Studies of Science Education ((CSSE,volume 19))

Abstract

Using ethnographic methods gathered from an insider (the physics teacher) this chapter distills stories of students in physics labs that highlight the intersections of masculinity, femininity and racialized subjectivities. Data suggests that White, middle class, masculine subjectivities align closely with conventional physics identities. This alignment affords male students the confidence to define ‘what counts’ as physics in laboratory spaces.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA

    Diane Crenshaw Jammula

  2. Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Felicia Moore Mensah

Authors
  1. Diane Crenshaw Jammula
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  2. Felicia Moore Mensah
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Diane Crenshaw Jammula .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Integrated Studies in Education, McGill University, Montréal, Canada

    Allison J. Gonsalves

  2. Department of Education, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Anna T. Danielsson

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Jammula, D.C., Mensah, F.M. (2020). Urban College Students Negotiate Their Identities to Dis/Connect with Notions of Physics. In: Gonsalves, A.J., Danielsson, A.T. (eds) Physics Education and Gender. Cultural Studies of Science Education, vol 19. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41933-2_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41933-2_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-41932-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-41933-2

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

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