Elementary girls' science reading at home and school

Although reading is a critical part of science and science learning, it is no longer a part of many children's elementary science instruction. This is of concern because girls often develop strong identities as readers, but do not develop scientific identities with ease. In this study, we inves...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science education (Salem, Mass.) Mass.), 2006-03, Vol.90 (2), p.270-288
Main Authors: Ford, Danielle J, Brickhouse, Nancy W, Lottero-Perdue, Pamela, Kittleson, Julie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Auswahl
Buch
Content Area Reading
Curriculum subjects: programmes and methods
Educational sciences
Einflussfaktor
Elementary School Science
Elementary School Students
Erhebung
Exact and natural sciences
Family (Sociological Unit)
Females
Förderung
Gender
Gender Issues
Girls
Grade 3
Grundschule
Interesse
Interview
Interviews
Lesegewohnheit
Lesekompetenz
Mädchenförderung
Naturwissenschaften
Parent Influence
Reading
Reading Habits
Science education
Science Instruction
Teacher Influence
Teaching methods
Unterrichtsmaterial
Untersuchung
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Summary:Although reading is a critical part of science and science learning, it is no longer a part of many children's elementary science instruction. This is of concern because girls often develop strong identities as readers, but do not develop scientific identities with ease. In this study, we investigate girls' science reading to know (1) if science books were available to girls in homes and classrooms, (2) if girls were choosing to read them, and (3) what influences their choices. Forty‐five third‐grade girls, 29 of their families, and three of their teachers were interviewed to ascertain girls' preferences among various book genres, as well as to learn the ways in which families and teachers influence the choices girls make. We found that girls had access to science books at school, and teachers had strategies to encourage reading them. At home, parents encouraged reading, but were generally less directive than teachers as to what the girls read, and underestimated their daughters' science‐related interests. The families studied rely largely on major bookstores as their primary source of books. Our findings suggest we need to understand better the way gender influences girls' engagement with science in a variety of contexts, particularly those in which girls exercise choice. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 90:270–288, 2006
ISSN:0036-8326
1098-237X
DOI:10.1002/sce.20139