A Path Drawn Out: Understanding Tertiary Science Participation in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

Understanding who chooses to progress in science education is an important issue across the world. Not only are governments motivated to boost the number of skilled workers in STEM domains, but efforts are also being made to ensure that science is viewed as a viable pathway for all students, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, or social class. Despite these efforts, inequities continue to persist in Aotearoa New Zealand, and little research has explored what progression through science education looks like. The following work seeks to fill this gap by interrogating a range of data sources regarding students’ experiences in tertiary science education through a theoretical framework based on the work of Pierre Bourdieu. Beginning with quantitative analysis of large-scale administrative student records, I provide a surface-level summary of What science participation looks like in Aotearoa New Zealand. I then introduce the utility of Bourdieu’s sociological theory in explaining Why we see disparities in science education. Through analysis of a questionnaire administered to science students at the University of Auckland, I discuss the influence of social class on science participation, using factors related to Bourdieu’s theory that not readily available in administrative data (such as science-related cultural and social capital). Following this, I build a new theoretical model, informed by qualitative analysis of interview data, to delve even deeper into the experiences of university students studying science. Through this final theoretical model, I explore students’ lived experiences in the field of science education, and provide a discussion of How we can make the field of science education more equitable. By adopting a truly mixed-methods approach to understanding participation in science education, my thesis offers a comprehensive, transdisciplinary exploration of tertiary science education in Aotearoa New Zealand. Through this approach, I show how progression in science may be a path drawn out for some students, but not all.