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"Lotions and potions": exploring Black girls' engagement in and perceptions of science practices through hair care
Dissertation   Open access

"Lotions and potions": exploring Black girls' engagement in and perceptions of science practices through hair care

Rasheda S. Likely
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Jun 2020
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00000137
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Abstract

Science--Study and teaching Curriculum-based assessment Hair--Care and hygiene Lotions Potions Middle School Education
This dissertation research employs an exploratory qualitative design experiment (Confrey, 2006; Wright, 2016) to develop and study an intervention for investigating middle school Black girls' engagement in and perceptions of science practices. Historically, K-12 science education employs approaches that are heavily informed by Eurocentric standards for thinking and behaving which have perpetuated the marginalization of minoritized groups such as Black girls. For these reasons, this project was anchored in decolonization using frameworks of intersectionality and multicultural curriculum to inform the development and implementation of a culturally sustaining science intervention titled "Lotions and Potions: Science through Hair Care". The first research question investigated the ways in which Black girls participated with three science and engineering practices. The second research question explored Black girls' perceptions of science practices and themselves as they participated in the curricular intervention. Ten Black girls participated in the after-school program that used curriculum formative assessments, journal reflections, and pre and post interviews with a drawing task as data sources.

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