Becoming an Author: Engaging High School Students in Disciplinary Practices

Abstract

It is generally considered that students who want to become scientists engage in scientific practices as university students, particularly when pursuing postgraduate studies. However, schools and teachers can help students participate in authentic scientific and disciplinary practices, such as data sampling and analysis, in high school. The authors explore the case of a Mexican high school student whose experience in becoming a published scientific author was afforded through the synergy of different factors, such as a specific school’s curriculum, a teacher’s pedagogy based on his real experience as a scientist, and an institutional context that favors scientific endeavors. The findings are discussed based on Moje’s framework of common disciplinary practices and Knorr-Cetina’s definition of habitual and epistemic practices.