1 Supporting Latecomers to ScienceToday I will be presenting some of my dissertation research, completed in 2013, on the identity work and persistence over time of latecomers to science. 1 – CLICK to next slide Phoebe Jackson & Gale Seiler John Abbott College & McGill University Funding by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

2 The point Scientific literacy important in many fieldsEconomic & other changes require re-tooling and career changes for many Latecomers ignored in research Gain a better understanding of latecomers’ persistence in science Latecomers to science is the name I’ve given to a specific type of non-traditional student: students who have entered postsecondary science through non-traditional routes because they are missing prerequsites. Latecomers have either decided later in life to access post-secondary science, and/or they didn’t earn the grades necessary to allow them to access it directly out of high school. Both characteristics have been found to correlate with reduced persistence rates. Unfortunately, they’ve been largely ignored by science education researchers. Accordingly, the objective of my dissertation research was to gain a better understanding of latecomers’ persistence in science, using the theoretical lens of identity to. 1 – CLICK to next slide

3 Methodology: participantsPreparatory program Pre-university program 18 students CEGEP The research took the form of an 18-month qualitative case study of 18 latecomers to science. All were members of a Grade 11 make-up physics class in CEGEP that I taught in These 18 latecomers were taking this class as part of a preparatory science program designed to feed directly into the CEGEP pre-university science program, and ultimately, into university science. 1 – CLICK to change slide.

4 Methodology: data & analysisCEGEP The research spanned 3 semesters. I started with 18 latecomers in the first semester, eventually reducing to 4 as they left the program or because otherwise unavailable. Data collected included journals of latecomers experiences in science, private between myself and each student, online forums in which latecomers wrote to each other on their experiences in and ideas about science, grades, and background information such as age, ancestry, parents jobs etc., classroom and lab observations, and end of semester interviews with the students themselves as well as all of their science teachers. The data was transcribed and analyzed using a variety of qualitative analyses techniques, in particular drawing on critical discourse analysis. 1st semester 2nd semester 3rd semester 18 latecomers Journals Online forum Background form Grades 9 latecomers Student interviews 4 latecomers Student Interviews Teacher interviews Journals Observations Grades 6 latecomers Journals Teacher interviews Course observations Grades

5 In interactions with self and othersSocial World Before I present the findings, I’m going to introduce a little of the theory that I used to interpret my data. It’s this theory that really opened up a new way of thinking about my students and my own teaching for me. The most fundamental aspect of this research is understanding our identities as being recreated in every interaction and not as being carried through time and space. We don’t own our identities, we must constantly renegotiate them in the 1- CLICK social worlds in which we live (for example, the world of college science) 2- CLICK: When we interact, we try to be recognized as a certain type of person, and are recognized by others as being that type of person, or are recognized in other ways, perhaps not as we intended. This constant negotiation even occurs as we interact with ourselves, making sense of our experiences through speaking, writing, and thinking. If we think of identity as having to be rebuilt from moment to moment, then we might think that a person can change who they are on a whim. If we don’t keep our identity, then we can leave old identities behind and create new ones that we like better. A latecomer to science could ignore a history that doesn’t mesh with that of a traditional science student and simply become a science person. I mean she really wants to do science, so much so that she’s taking an extra year of school, so why can’t she simply ignore her past and go forward with the rest of the crowd? To understand how identities become stubborn, resistant to change, I’ve used the concept of resources. 3 - CLICK By resources, I mean anything that we can use to engage in social activity including physical objects, models of how “that world works,” and the languages we use when speaking in that world. Resources have meanings given to them by the world in which they are used. For example, in the world of the CEGEP science program that I studied, seating choice was a resource that had meaning – students who sat in the front were recognized by their peers and teachers as attentive students. When we participate in a world, like a latecomer participating in science class, we don’t act randomly. We use the resources available to us, in the ways we’ve learned to use them. So when we are creating our identities, time and time again, we tend to use the same resources, thus we tend to identify in similar ways over time. This idea of identity over time moving in certain directions, forming patterns, is called identity trajectories. 9 – CLICK to change slide Identity Work In interactions with self and others Resources Ways of participating Models Physical objects Language

6 Identity TrajectoriesIdentity Work Resources Identification with science Time Science identity trajectories can be visualized as a graph of a person’s unique science identities over time. As a researcher, we can never know every moment of someone’s identity work, but we can observe the general patterns that form over time. 1 – CLICK 2 – CLICK to change slide

7 Identity TrajectoriesInbound Identification with science This project explored several types of identity trajectories. The two I’ll discuss today are the inbound and outbound trajectories. An inbound trajectory is one in which the latecomer is increasingly able to identify with science over time, and if maintained, results in persistence in post-secondary science. 1 – CLICK In contrast, an outbound trajectory is one in which the latecomer is decreasingly able to identity with science over time, and if maintained, results in the latecomer eventually leaving post-secondary science. 2 – CLICK Of course, trajectories do not have to remain headed in the same direction forever, they can shift over time. However, my study showed that once a trajectory gains momentum it becomes more difficult to shift. For example, imagine a student in high school who from the time they were young, identified as someone who was going on to study science. However, in Grade 11 she starts to gain an interest in business and loses interest in science. Even though she didn’t enjoy Grade 11 science, she still enrols in CEGEP science, the momentum of her previously inbound trajectory carrying her into postsecondary science despite now identifying less and less with science. Should this student continue experience disidentification with science, she will leave the program. 3 – CLICK to change slide Disidentification with science Outbound Time

8 Findings: PersistenceOut of 18 latecomers 8 persisted through their first year 5 eventually graduated from science Despite two thirds of the latecomers entering already on inbound trajectories, over time, almost all trajectories shifted to outbound. Of the 18 latecomers, only 8 persisted past their first year and only 5 persisted to graduation. Why was it so hard for the latecomers to persist? CLICK to next page

9 Findings: Dominant modelsWho can be a good science student? gets good grades follows a traditional sequence of courses The analysis found that latecomers’ ability to identify with science was greatly constrained by four dominant models of how the world of CEGEP science works. The first two models were built around the question, who can be a good science student? First, a good science student was someone who got good grades. Science has long been understood as being an elite field, reserved only for the smartest of students, where smartness is generally indicated by one’s grades. This made it hard for latecomers to gain easy recognition as belonging in science. When talking to others and themselves, they couldn’t simply draw on the classic, “I’m here because was always really good at science.” Most just didn’t have that base. However the importance placed on getting good grades even negatively impacted latecomers who DID have histories of good grades. The quote below comes from Naveen, an immigrant, 40 year old, single father of two young children. In his first semester he earned extremely high grades and repeatedly expressed his joy at finally being able to pursue a career in science. In second semester, his parents fell ill and he became their caretaker. He was forced to drop a class and ended up failing calculus, a course he loved. Because Naveen had dropped one of his four classes, failing calculus meant he was placed on academic probation, an event which had profound consequences for his ability to continue identifying with school science. Although he fought for, an eventually received a medical withdrawal which lifted the probation, the damage was already done and Naveen switched out of the science program, seeking a program which could better accommodate his non-traditional needs. 1- CLICK The other model of a good science student required them to have taken the traditional sequence of courses, through the high school “upper level” science courses and straight into the standard 2 year sequence of college courses. Students who don’t take the courses in the expected semester are informally referred to as “off-semester” and as a whole are assumed to be less able do to science than the traditional student, as exemplified in the quotes. As another example, latecomers discussed the fear they felt when their teachers said things like “you’ve already learned this in your physics class so we’re just going to skip over it…”. This is, by the way, something I myself was also guilty of before this project, along with many of the other things that arose. OK, now you’re on probation, as if you have been a criminal It affects me, because I know that I have done everything that I could. (Naveen, interview) “This is also second semester, they’re slower.” “It’s off semester. They’re definitely weaker." (Two teacher interviews) When I was in high school I wasn’t in the sciences, so I always think to myself, why am I here? Sometimes I think maybe I’m not supposed to be here. (Shelley, interview)

10 Findings: Dominant modelsWhat does teaching/learning science look like? Teacher centred Sink or swim Two other models that constrained latecomers’ ability to identify with science were built around the idea of what teaching/learning looked like. The first model, the teacher centred model, is again, probably no surprise: it’s pretty standard in postsecondary science teaching. As the quote below shows, in a teacher centred model, a good science student is one who is quiet and does their work. All of the resources that are made available support this kind of behaviour in the classroom, where students tend to have one of two choices: Sit quietly and listen, or become disengaged and tune out. There is little room in this model for latecomers to interact with their teachers and engage in opportunities to be recognized as good at science, or even as interested in science, unless they get good grades. Labs offered more opportunity for peer interaction but and a little more for teacher interaction, but most labs were cookbook style instructions, and so students had little opportunity to explore and demonstrate their ability to do or even be interested in science. I did observe a couple of less traditional labs, where instructions were minimal and students were free to explore. In both lab, the latecomers I was observing were clearly recognized several times by peers and their teachers as being engaged in and good at doing science. In both cases, the effects of this positive recognition was carried forward in time, emerging again in the teacher interviews where the two teachers referred to these labs to talk about how the latecomers were good at science. 1- CLICK: The other dominant model of teaching & learning was the sink or swim model. This model was really interesting, and damaging, because it was almost invisible. I chose the quote below, not only because it names the model by name, but because it shows how it hides even when in plain sight. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that if my students don’t speak up in class, or if they don’t come to my office hours or interact with me in other ways, it’s because they DON’T WANT TO. We don’t tend to think that they might be afraid to, or they might not know how to. We expect that if students want help, they’ll ask. But how likely is it that a latecomer, who already is having trouble identifying as someone who should be doing science, is going to raise her hand in class and announce in front of everyone that she is confused? Or even that she will come to my office and admit to me, the person responsible for judging her ability to do science, that she doesn’t get it? Latecomers’ science identity trajectories are fragile. Putting themselves at risk of negative recognition, especially in front of their teachers, is DANGEROUS. It’s much safer to remain quiet, to not attend office hours, and to not speak up in class. Sometimes it’s a little bit sink or swim But I’m always here to help if they are interested in improving. (Teacher Interview) She sits generally near the front I don’t ever have any concerns that she’s doing anything other than the school work. She’s quiet. She doesn’t ask a lot of questions in class. So yeah. She seems like a mature responsible student. (Teacher Interview) She was good with the heart, when we did the heart. She also enjoyed doing the sheep’s brain. I didn’t see any of the fetal pig, but I would imagine she would, she would have been wielding the scalpel for sure. (Teacher Interview)

11 Findings: Success stories… kind ofBecome more traditional Construct alternative models 3 of the 4 latecomers I followed for the full 18 months successfully persisted through to graduation and went on to careers in science. These students’ experiences, along with the rest of the data, offered insights into avenues to explore for better supporting latecomers’ persistence. There were four main ways that latecomers were able to successfully identify with science despite the constraints posed by the elite world of science: They earned good grades, took full course loads and summer classes and gradually improved their alignment with the traditional model of who can do science. However only one of the 18 latecomers actually did this, and so it doesn’t seem like much of an answer. 1- CLICK 2) They created alternative models to help them make sense of why they could do science, ways that didn’t include needing a history of good grades or having followed the traditional sequence of courses. These models helped them author themselves as still able to do science when faced with challenges. For example, during an online forum exchange, a group of latecomers gradually built a model which made sense of their previous academic struggles as being due to their fear of asking for help, which in turn was due to feeling like they were the only ones lost in class. Through their online conversation they constructed a new way of viewing the world of school science, one in which they were not the only ones confused and afraid and therefore one in which it was a good idea to ask for help because it would help other people too. However, although latecomers constructed a variety of creative and potentially useful models when given the space to discuss their struggles with each other, without recognition from their teachers of their ability to do science or be a good science student, and without the continued space to reinforce these models, they eventually broke down, and their trajectories were again dominated by the traditional models of who can do science. I can totally relate, I'm pretty A.D.D. and I was really insecure about it for most of high school, which means I never really spoke up when I got lost. Now I realize it's helpful to say something because other people get lost too, often they're just too shy to do anything about it. (Online Forum) I was sitting with my friends And we were just talking, and we were making fun of social students [chuckle], and it was just like, oh, this is good. I like science. We liked it. (Allie, Interview)

12 Findings: Success storiesGet creative with the limited resources Draw on outside resources 3) Two successful latecomers that I closely followed, Debbie and Jason, both demonstrated an impressive ability to work with the limited resources, using them to garner recognition as good science students and as students who were genuinely interested in science, regardless of their grades (which in both cases were spotty). For example, Jason didn’t take a lot of notes but unlike most students, he regularly made eye contact with his teachers, sometimes nodding his head, signalling that he was listening. In the interviews, his teachers positioned him positively in relation to science saying that he seemed interested but usually had difficulty articulating why. The quote shown below is from a really interesting point in time. Jason had just failed his chem class with a 59. It’s fairly common to bump students up to a 60 from a 59, but in the quote you can see there’s more to it then that. This teacher had learned to identify Jason as someone who had a future in science, despite his low grades. This way of talking about Jason appeared in several of his teacher interviews, indicating that he really did engage in successful identity work despite the limited resources available for doing so. What’s even more interesting about this particular event is that when Jason found out he passed this chemistry course is the first time he spoke about feeling that he truly belonged in science. After this, he repeatedly used this story to make sense of how he could succeed in science when he found himself getting low grades in other courses. He now has a masters in physics. This shows the power and importance of successful moments of identification for latecomers to science. From small but consistent actions like making eye contact, Jason was able to forge an inbound trajectory with the momentum to carry him through difficult situations. 1- CLICK 4) Finally, the successful latecomers were able to draw on resources from outside of the science program to construct more important moments of identification with science. For example Debbie had outstanding communication skills, both oral and written, garnered during her two (failed) years in the social science program. Although Debbie was terrified of speaking up in class and NEVER did, she did attend the office hours of a few teachers with whom she felt comfortable. These particular teachers all expressed a recognition of her ability to talk science, one teacher going so far as to tell her that she could have a future in science communication. Even those teachers who didn’t get much of a chance to speak with Debbie commented on her ability to write science as evidenced by her projects or lab reports. I know he liked my essay my whole plan was to make it good, so that at least this teacher would see that I’m not a complete idiot. He would see that, you know, I may not be good at physics but at least I can do something. (Debbie’s Interview) With Jason I just decided, it wasn’t only the 59. It was a decision that I think he should keep going He just looks more intelligent, the only time I speak with him is in the lab. . . . [In class] I think he’s listening to me. He’s quiet, but he’s not quiet looking at the ceiling or texting. No! He’s quiet and looking at the board or at me. (Teacher Interview, end of 2nd semester)

13 Implications: More resources pleaseMove away from teacher-centred & sink-or- swim Reduce risk in the classroom Rethink language around who is doing science Provide arenas to discuss struggles Latecomers to science face special challenges. Unlike traditional students, who have been building up resources for years to help them identify with science, latecomers are just beginning to acquire such resources and their trajectories have not yet gained enough momentum to carry them through difficult patches. Already marginalized by their histories, they need to be incredibly resourceful within a system with limited resources. Given that few of the 18 latecomers were able to persist through to graduation, if we are to better support our latecomers, they need access to more resources. One way to achieve this is to move towards a more student-centred model of teaching and learning. When the classroom and/or lab strayed from the teacher-centered sink-or-swim models, the opportunities for useful identity work skyrocketed, and importantly, lasted over time. Also, by being careful with how we label our students and the language around the eliteness of science, we can create more openings for the non-traditional student. We can also provide our students will opportunities to discuss their struggles in science. It’s difficult to imagine how to fit such discussions into the standard science class, but perhaps they can be part of other required courses, such as the Strategies for Success in the Sciences course here at Abbott. The call to move towards student-centred methods of teaching and learning is not new, nor is the idea of creating a low risk learning environment where students are comfortable speaking up. This is something many people have been striving towards for years for a variety of reasons. I hope that I have shown why moving towards a more active model of learning is of particular importance for latecomers to science. I also hope that the idea of identification and it’s role in persistence has emphasized a different way of looking at our goals in working with latecomers and other students. We’re here to help them move towards their future, to learn how to identify as certain types of people – in my case as science students and as future scientists. To finish, I’m not saying we should overhaul our system. Change is hard and slow. There has been a movement in these directions for years and yet there is still a long way to go. It’s worth noting that it didn’t require that many positive experiences for the successful latecomers to find ways to persevere. Just a few powerful moments of recognition from important people, most notably their teachers, provided a lot of momentum to their inbound trajectories. This suggests that even small changes in how we teach and how we institutionally promote who can and can’t do science could have important impacts on latecomers to science.

14 References Holland, D., Lachicotte Jr., W., Skinner, D., & Cain, C. (1998). Identity and agency in cultural worlds: Harvard University Press. Gee, J. P. (2011). How to do Discourse analysis: A toolkit. New York, NY: Routledge Jackson, P. A., & Seiler, G. (2013). Science identity trajectories of latecomers to science in college. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 50(7), doi: /tea.21088 Jackson, P. A., & Seiler, G. (in press). Identity work in the college science classroom: The cases of two successful latecomers to science. Science Education. doi: /s Jackson, P. A., & Seiler, G. (in press). I am smart enough to study postsecondary science: A critical discourse analysis of latecomers' identity construction in an online forum. Cultural Studies of Science Education. doi: /s Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. If anyone is interested in more references related to this study, just let me know afterwards. Thank you for listening, any questions?