The physics classroom as a space for empowerment

Abstract

This paper reports on initial work to develop a framework on empowerment through physics education. Theories from multiple disciplines and research in physics education research informed this framework, alongside leveraging student reflections from four university physics courses for non-science majors. The resulting framework contains five dimensions of empowerment through physics: academic, social, political, emotional, and epistemic. This paper outlines and give examples of students’ written work where markers of these dimensions manifested. Self-advocacy was identified as a thread that connects each dimension and opportunities for future research on empowerment in the physics classroom are discussed.