Science Identity Development of Black Female Sceondary Science Teachers

Black women’s political and social position in the United States has afforded them with a unique set of experiences as American citizens. It has been shown that Black women in the US are typically viewed through a narrow lens of salient, racialized and gendered stereotypes, and as a result struggle to be seen as capable professionals and contributing members of society (Collins, 2000; Harris-Perry, 2013; Jones & Shorter-Gooden, 2003). Informed by a sociocultural framework of identity construction coupled with a Black feminist lens, I employed a narrative inquiry approach to learn from the experiences of five Black female veteran educators and the ways in which they have constructed science identities as secondary science teachers in Chicago Pubic Schools. This study revealed three important themes across all participants: an interest in science as a vehicle for altruism and social uplift, a desire to teach science to marginalized students as a form resistance, and the need to employ effective stereotype management strategies to cope with the frequent microaggressions they experienced from school stakeholders (teacher peers, administrators, parents, students) while teaching science. Study findings demonstrate that recognition is integral to positive science identity development for Black female science teachers. The teachers’ positionality as Black women shaped the (mis)recognition they received as capable and competent science educators inside their schools. A Black feminist pedagogical stance (othermothering, politicized caring, drive for continuous improvement) employed by these Black female science educators drove them to seek professional learning outside of their schools. These alternative (non-science) educational spaces presented opportunities for these women to be recognized as competent science teachers, and their participation in these spaces contributed to the development of strong science identities. Implications of study findings include the need for school districts to improve job conditions for Black female science teachers by educating administrators about Black women’s experiences with microaggressions and by offering Black female science teachers increased opportunities for teacher leadership. Such actions could support the development of strong science identities for Black female science teachers, thus positively impacting Black female science teacher retention rates.