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Abstract
This study examined how the informal and formal science experiences across the lives of four Black female elementary preservice teachers impacted their science teaching identity development. Informed by Endarkened Feminist Epistemology, along with Critical Race Feminism, this study utilized Portraiture as a methodology to paint the mosaic of science identities participants were and were not able to construct through science learning as outsiders within science spaces which traditionally celebrate White males as doers of science. Two questions framed this research: 1) What are the lived science experiences of Black females in an elementary certification program at an historically Black college and university? 2) How do the science experiences of Black female pre-service teachers shape their identity as teachers of elementary science? Four Black female elementary preservice teachers, Shonnie, Tiffany, Jackie, and Josie, offered a unique perspective on constraints and opportunities to develop robust science experiences. Culturally responsive research methods such as life history interviews, focus group discussions and PhotoVoice submissions centered participants voices as they described structures which enabled and constrained science identity development. Voice Centered Relational Analysis and the construction of I-Poems prioritized participants voices listening to their telling of their science selves and the opportunities they were afforded to perform scientifically as doers of science and teachers of elementary science. Five themes arose to produce counter-stories about Black female students engagement in school science: 1)Participating in inquiry science was important to Black female students interest/ability to see themselves as scientists, 2) Relationships with teachers impacted Black female students interest/ability to see themselves as scientists 3) Significant academic struggles impacted how Black female students saw themselves as scientists 4) The participants in this study expected the science methods portion of their teacher education program to scaffold their elementary science teaching abilities regardless of previous experiences with science and 5)Regardless of the impact of the participants lived science experiences, each teacher candidate expressed a personal commitment to figure out how to teach science well to her future students. Results indicate the necessity for teacher preparation programs to do more to scaffold science teaching identities of Black female elementary preservice teachers whose science identity has been constrained through the impacts of traditionally accepted stereotypic images science by employing critical instructional strategies in the elementary science methods course, as well as purposeful placement of preservice teachers with strong Black teachers of elementary science.