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Who am I? An intersectional narrative study of the (in)visibilities of Asian American women doctoral students in science
Cartmill, Cassandra
Cartmill, Cassandra
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11/28/2022, 11/28/2022
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Abstract
Few studies have focused on Asian American and Pacific Islander women doctoral students’ identities in science. The purpose of this intersectional, narrative study is to explore the experiences of women Asian American science doctoral (Ph.D.) students and describe how their experiences shaped their identities as science researchers and science educators. This study employed Clandinin and Connelly’s narrative inquiry design through intersectionality (Crenshaw 1989, 1991) to investigate two participants’ identities. The researcher positioned herself as a Korean American Ph.D. candidate in science education, and the two participants identified as a Vietnamese American woman Ph.D. student in the agricultural sciences and an Indian American woman Ph.D. candidate in geography and environmental sustainability. Data included the researcher’s journal, a demographics and programmatic survey, semi-structured and focus group interviews, and corresponding emails. The findings revealed that the development of the participants' science researcher identities was attributed to having strong mentors. Through empathy and caring, the mentors cultivated the participants’ science researcher identities by providing agency in their research, supporting their unique intersectional identities, and creating environments of belonging. Another finding was that participants’ science educator identities were fostered through informal experiences. Participants had no formal training in research-based pedagogies for teaching science, although both had engaged in teaching-related activities at least once. Implications are that Ph.D. advisors should create opportunities for inclusion for Asian American women’s identities in research and that Ph.D. programs should emphasize science teaching. This study opens the possibilities of what it means to identify a science researcher and a science educator as Asian American women. Future research is needed to further explore how cultural, social, and historical factors shape Asian American women’s science researcher and science educator identities.
Contents
Subject
Subject(s)
Secondary education
Asian Americans
Narrative inquiry
Women
Intersectionality
Asian Americans
Narrative inquiry
Women
Intersectionality
Research Projects
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Journal Issue
Genre
Dissertation
Description
Format
Department
Education