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Abstract Title: Methodological Activism in Physics Education Research: Conducting Research with Minoritized Populations
Abstract Type: Round Table Discussion
Abstract: In this session, we will delve into the paradigm of methodological activism in physics education. Drawing from over 35 years of combined qualitative research experience in PER, we begin with the premise that research methods used with human participants are neither objective nor neutral. Because all education research occurs within social systems that grant unequal power and privileges for the researcher and researched based on social categories (e.g., race, gender, socioeconomic state, ability status), the researcher has responsibility to attend to issues of equity throughout a project, beginning with methodological choices and practices. Practices of methodological activism, which are based in feminist studies and critical race theory, aim to conduct research with members of minoritized populations, not on them (Martin et al., 2022). Using examples from our work, including a longitudinal study on women of color in physics that was made into a book, The Double Bind in Physics Education, we discuss authentic engagement, centering participants as authorities of their own experiences, researcher positionality, and the role of care in understanding the experiences of members of minoritized groups, as well as dilemmas that arise when taking these steps.
Session Time: Parallel Sessions Cluster 1
Room: Carlton

Author/Organizer Information

Primary Contact: Alexis V. Knaub
AAPT and P/A SEA Change
Co-Author(s)
and Co-Presenter(s)
Maria Ong, TERC

Parallel Session Information

Reading List: The Double Bind in Physics Education by Maria Ong