Exploring Features That Play a Role in Adolescents’ Science Identity Development

Many studies done in the last three decades show that, beginning with adolescence and sometimes even earlier, many adolescents undergo a process of distancing themselves from science as they age. This longitudinal study attempts to deepen our knowledge and understanding of factors that play a role in early adolescents’ science identity development. For 3 years, we followed nine early adolescents at school, at home, and at their after-school activities, interviewing them 162 times. A thematic analysis of the interviews led to the identification of 32 themes. When comparing these themes across different participants, we identified three motifs that distinguished between the participants. Our findings suggest that (A) having a clear area of interest, not necessarily in science, positively affected the participants’ self-efficacy in science and self-assessment of their ability in science studies; (B) being or not being the eldest child in a family with multiple siblings played a role in the participants’ identity development in relation to science; and (C) the participants who were wholly dependent on their grades as an indication of their ability in science rejected the possibility of a future in science and studied science out of compliance rather than out of any internal motive. The implications of our findings are discussed and offer insights into ways that may nurture the positive science identity development of early adolescents.