Science Education with Multilingual Learners: Equity as Access and Equity as Transformation

Y

34

Science Education; Multilingualism; STEM Education; Minority Group Students; Equal Education; Kindergarten; Elementary Secondary Education; Educational Policy; Access to Education; Language Minorities; Second Language Learning; Educational Change; Interdisciplinary Approach; Personal Autonomy

10.1002/sce.21791

0036-8326
1098-237X

Research in science education with multilingual learners (MLs) has expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion can be situated within a larger dialogue about what it means to provide minoritized students with an equitable education. Whereas some conceptions of equity focus on ensuring all students have access to the knowledge, practices, and language normatively valued in K-12 schools ("equity as access"), increasingly prominent conceptions focus on transforming those knowledge, practices, and language in ways that center minoritized students and their communities ("equity as transformation"). In this article, we argue that conceptions of equity provide a useful lens for understanding emerging research in science education with MLs and for charting a research agenda. We begin by tracing how conceptions of equity have evolved in parallel across STEM and multilingual education. Then, we provide an overview of recent developments from demographic, theoretical, and policy perspectives. In the context of these developments, we provide a conceptual synthesis of emerging research by our team of early-career scholars in three areas: (a) learning, (b) assessment, and (c) teacher education. Within each area, we unpack the research efforts in terms of how they attend to equity as access while pushing toward equity as transformation. Finally, we propose a research agenda for science education with MLs that builds on and extends these efforts. We close by offering recommendations for making this research agenda coherent and impactful: (a) being explicit about our conceptions of equity, (b) paying attention to the interplay of structure and agency, and (c) promoting interdisciplinary collaboration.

As Provided

2023

EJ1379828