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Physics Education and Gender pp 115–127Cite as

“Significant Matter” in Sociomaterial Analysis of Educational Choices

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

Abstract

This chapter thematises gender and educational choices through a close-reading of three Norwegian women’s stories about choosing physics-related STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) in order to explore how the act of choosing an education may be identified as a sociomaterial practice. Often, people choose a particular educational path because they are interested in a subject. Campaigns to recruit women to the STEM subjects have, therefore, focused on what they believe attracts women to the sciences. In this chapter the authors turn from focusing on gender as a variable for explaining interest in STEM, to examine empirical data concerning women’s educational choices. The interaction between human and material factors also involves embodied experiences, something which gives gender agency. This discussion contributes a greater understanding of the factors that come into play when one chooses a path for education and the ways that educational choices can be influenced through material experiences and practices both in and outside educational institutions.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The chapter is based on an article which forms part of a doctoral thesis (Løken 2017). The article is written in Norwegian and was published in NorDiNa in 2018.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Marianne Løken

  2. Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden

    Margareta Serder

Authors
  1. Marianne Løken
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  2. Margareta Serder
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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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Løken, M., Serder, M. (2020). “Significant Matter” in Sociomaterial Analysis of Educational Choices. 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_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41933-2_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-41932-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-41933-2

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