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How women physics teacher candidates utilize their double outsider identities to productively learn physics

Johanna Larsson1,2,* and Anna T. Danielsson3

  • 1Communication and Learning in Science, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
  • 2Centre for Gender Research, Uppsala University, 751 20 Uppsala, Sweden
  • 3Department of Teaching and Learning, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden

  • *johanna.larsson@chalmers.se
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Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010140 – Published 13 June, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.19.010140

Abstract

Underrepresentation of women in physics is a prominent issue in the western countries. Since physics teachers are in a unique position to affect new generations of students, it has been suggested that they are an important part of the solution. In this paper, we explore how trainee physics teachers create spaces for themselves as learners of physics while negotiating their positioning as women and trainee teachers. The empirical data consist of interviews with 17 trainee physics students, and the analysis focuses predominantly on the identity negotiations of three woman students. We find that the women simultaneously submit to and master a “physics nerd” discourse that connects physics with nerdiness, masculinity, and intelligence, which enables them to successfully create subject positions incorporating physics student, teacher-student, femininity, and constructive study practice. This is of particular importance to trainee physics teachers, who will be responsible for creating inclusive and productive physics learning environments for their students.

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Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010140– Published 13 June, 2023
  • Received 17 November 2022
  • Accepted 5 May 2023
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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