Paradoxical perceptions: minoritized high school students’ stereotypical and expansive views of science and scientists at an urban, inclusive STEM-focused high school (ISHS)

Abstract Existing research on inclusive STEM-focused high schools (ISHSs) has focused on the design and implementation of ISHSs at the school-level, along with the positive effects of ISHSs on STEM course taking, college majoring, and STEM career orientations. Missing from the literature are studies that foreground the perspectives and voices of students of color and their perceptions of science and scientists from asset-based, critical perspectives. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative case study is to document the perceptions of science and scientists among racially, ethnically, and linguistically minoritized ninth graders at an urban, inclusive STEM-focused high school in a mid-sized, northeastern city in the United States, along with the contexts, sources, and associated experiences informing these perceptions. Iterative cycles of inductive and deductive coding and domain analysis, informed by theoretical perspectives on ecological systems and Discourses, revealed paradoxical perceptions. Students viewed science as a body of knowledge, testing and experimenting, a life-enhancing discovery, building on background information, and connected with other disciplines and everywhere. Students’ perceptions of scientists were both stereotypical and expansive, including that scientists are smart and serious; use science equipment and gear in traditional lab contexts; and are creative, curious, and open-minded. While students primarily identified deceased White males as scientists, three girls of color mentioned counter-stereotypical women and people of color when they thought of science. Students noted that science field trips and after school programs, as well as science in the media and school, informed their perceptions. These findings suggest that despite reform efforts such as Science for All, very little has changed regarding conceptions of science and scientists. What is more, these findings are troubling when minoritized students at an ISHS continue to replicate status quo perceptions of science and scientists. This study has implications for practice, research, and policy related to building on and extending these views in more critically conscious and equity-oriented ways.