Özet:

In this exploratory case study, I investigated the ways that youth engaged in negotiatingtheir identity during learning conversations at an informal science education camp. Inparticular, I was interested in exploring the ways that youth positioned themselveswithin their learning group and how this influenced their identities as learners ofscience. The research question that guided the investigation was: What is the role oflearning conversations in influencing youths’ identities as learners of science during aninformal science education camp? In particular, I was interested in elucidating the waysin which youth socially constructed their identities relative to others in their learninggroup and how the social context shaped this process. Identity in this study was definedas the socially constructed sense of self derived from one’s position relative to others ina social group. Data collection included videotaped observations, field notes, interviewsand journal entries. Findings from my analysis and interpretation of the data collectedsuggested that identity developed in the following ways: (a) members of the learninggroup derived their sense of self and identity from their perceived position relative toothers and (b) power dynamics and social roles within the learning group werenegotiated and redefined within the specific affordances and norms of the informalscience education camp context. These findings lend support to the assertion thatidentity develops during learning conversations in informal science education settingsand adds to the corpus of research in this area.

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