Reviews in PER Volume 3: Equity and Power in Physics Education Research
Amy Roberston, Jennifer Blue, Charles Henderson, Alexis Knaub, and Katemari Rosa, editors
Persistent disparities within the field of physics, such as the underrepresentation of People of Color and mounting firsthand reports of harm experienced within physics environments, underscore the profound impacts of systemic oppression on both learners and professionals in this discipline1-7. Critical frameworks like Critical Race Theory, queer theory, and critical disability studies offer lenses through which these impacts can be better understood. These theories illuminate a structure that valorizes whiteness while marginalizing People of Color.
Despite their potential for insight and progress, critical perspectives have increasingly become contentious and subject to censorship in the United States8. This peer-reviewed volume aims to address these issues directly by fostering discussions within the field of physics education that explore essential questions and provide educational resources. It seeks to deepen understanding of critical theories and their practical applications in physics education and pedagogy.
English version | Versión en español
Issue 1 - An Introduction to Critical Race Theory in Physics Education Research
Laura A. H. Wood, Meseret F. Hailu, and Verónica N. Vélez, editors
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Foreword – Equity and Power in Physics Education Research: An Introduction to Critical Race Theory in Physics Education Research
Laura A. H. Wood, Meseret F. Hailu, and Verónica N. VélezDetails - Download Foreword - How to cite - Versión en español
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Reflections on Brazilian Physics and Astronomy Education and Communication: A Critical Race Theory Perspective
Alan Alves-BritoDr. Alves-Brito first overviews the Brazilian Physical Sciences Education context, and then highlights six ways CRT has informed Physics and Astronomy teaching, learning, and research in Brazil. Dr. Alves-Brito concludes with a discussion of how CRT calls for researchers to work in politically engaged ways.
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Critical Analysis of a Physics Mentor Program
Edmund Bertschinger and Byron C. DruryDrs. Bertschinger and Drury engage with QuantCrit to examine a peer mentorship program for undergraduates enrolled in physics courses. They looked at the mentor program as a potential counterspace for marginalized students, using quantitative and qualitative survey analysis. They conclude with a discussion of future research directions suggested by the QuantCrit lens.
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Understanding Intersectionality as a Tenet of Critical Race Theory for Physics and Physics Education
Mildred Boveda and Geraldine L. CochranDrs. Boveda and Cochran draw from Black feminist thinkers to connect physics education structures and the experiences of marginalized populations. These authors analyze counterstorytelling and show how educational trajectories can be impacted by multiple marginalities along the lines of race, gender, class, and disability.
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How is Critical Race Theory Good to Think with in Physics Education Research? An invitation
Antar A. TichavakundaDr. Tichavakunda presents a robust theoretical discussion of how CRT can inform researcher epistemologies around physics. Tichavakunda accomplishes this via a discussion of three specific examples: 1) the Griggs test, 2) looking to the bottom, 3) and imperial scholarly practices.
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A Critical Race Theory Analysis of Lack of Access and Representation in Physics Education Through Counterstory
Clausell MathisDr. Mathis provides a moving narrative of his experiences in physics education that illustrates the indirect and direct marginalization of racially minoritized students within the physics education culture. He analyzes his experiences using several guiding tenets of CRT, such as “interest convergence” and “whiteness as property.”
References
1 American Physical Society, "Physics Degrees Earned by Underrepresented Minorities" (2018), available from https://www.aps.org/programs/education/statistics/phdpopulation.cfm (accessed June 17, 2022).
2 C.D. Brown II, "Disentangling anti-Blackness from physics," Physics Today (July 20, 2020).
3 A.K. Hodari, S.B. Krammes, C. Prescod-Weinstein, B. Nord, J.N. Esquivel, and K.A. Assamagan, "Power Dynamics in Physics," in Proceedings of the US Community Study on the Future of Particle Physics, edited by J.N. Butler, R.S. Chivukula, and M.E. Peskin (American Physical Society, Snowmass 2021).
4 S. Hyater-Adams, C. Fracchiola, T. Williams, N. Finkelstein, and K. Hinko, "Deconstructing Black physics identity: Linking individual and social constructs using the critical physics identity framework," Physical Review Physics Education Research 15 (2), 020115 (2019).
5 M. Ong, "Body projects of young women of color in physics: Intersections of gender, race, and science," Social Problems 52 (4), 593–617 (2005).
6 X.R. Quichocho, E.M. Schipull, and E.W. Close, "Understanding physics identity development through the identity performances of Black, Indigenous, and women of color and LGBTQ+ women in physics," in 2020 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, edited by S. Wolf, M. Bennett, and B. Frank (AAPT, College Park, 2020), pp. 412–417.
7 K. Rosa and F.M. Mensah, "Educational pathways of Black women physicists: Stories of experiencing and overcoming obstacles in life," Physical Review Physics Education Research 12 (2), 20113–20115 (2016).
8 D. Stovall and S.A. Annamma, "OPINION: Using critical race theory to understand the backlash against it" (The Hechinger Report, 2021), available from https://hechingerreport.org/opinion-using-critical-race-theory-to-understand-the-backlash-against-it/.
