Tacit knowledge and girls’ notions about a field science community of practice

Abstract

The issue of girls’ lack of connection to science has received much attention. Situated approaches such as research apprenticeships offer the chance to engage learners fully in science communities of practice and thus connect girls to science. However, such programs are often designed with lab settings, rather than field settings, in mind. This paper investigates a research apprenticeship program (Girls on Ice) that immerses girls in field science. In particular, the program makes explicit tacit elements needed for success in field science, such as a sense of adventure and physical and mental toughness. Using a qualitative approach, we explored how and in what ways girls connected to a field science community of practice. Emergent themes from the analysis illustrate that girls learned both explicit and tacit practices and ways of being that are associated with being a field scientist, such as team-oriented leadership and physical and mental perseverance. The results suggest that providing girls exposure to and practice with the tacit skills needed in science might constitute a new way to increase its perceived relevance and to counter gendered expectations of women in science.