The course as token: A construction of/by networks

In actor-network theory (ANT) the movement from the instability of science-in-the-making to the relative stability of ready-made-science is followed by tracing the path of a token or focal actor (either human or non-human) as it both constructs a network and is simultaneously transformed by the developing network. Within science education, a new course can be seen to be a token. It undergoes various transformations as it simultaneously changes those who encounter it (teachers, students, and interested actors beyond the school) and is changed by those same actors. This paper describes the way a new applied physics course introduced in British Columbia as part of a program in applied academics can be seen to construct different networks in different contexts and, in the process, to take on significantly different characteristics. Data are collected from interviews and observations in two different settings characterized in part by differences in the types of partnerships developed with industry, labour, and post-secondary groups. The success of the applied physics course in challenging traditional forms of school physics is seen to rely on the size and strength of the network in which it is imbedded.     

Re/presenting a gender equity project: Contrasting visions and versions

This article provides three different accounts of a gender-equity project in a Grade 10 science class. The three stories, a realist one of victory over oppression, a realist story of inclusion, and a reflexive story of identity, illustrate different rhetorical forms for representing research and different assumptions about gender, pedagogy, equity, and the representation of data. Any version of a project can only be a partial account. As teachers and researchers, our commitments and investments influence our questions, understandings, and representations. The content and form of our stories imply particular relationships with an audience. Those responsible for policy tend to favor realist stories that reduce complexity and increase certainty. Others may be more interested in stories that portray complexity and highlight the need for judgments in particular contexts. No one form is appropriate for all occasions. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 35: 859–876, 1998.     

The Reproduction of Family Life: perspectives of male and female adolescents

This paper explores the ways male and female adolescents plan to allocate responsibility for domestic labour. It is argued that incorporation of elements of the domestic ideology combines with an awareness of structural barriers to reproduce traditional patterns. The importance of segregated labour markets and provisions for child care are discussed.