Cultivating Inner Witnesses Attuned to the Emotional Experiences of Students of Color in Science
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| Title: | Cultivating Inner Witnesses Attuned to the Emotional Experiences of Students of Color in Science |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Alexis Patterson Williams (ORCID |
| Source: | Science Education. 2026 110(1):13-25. |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 13 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Descriptive |
| Descriptors: | Emotional Experience, Student Experience, Minority Group Students, Science Education, Equal Education, Psychological Needs |
| DOI: | 10.1002/sce.21944 |
| ISSN: | 0036-8326 1098-237X |
| Abstract: | Traditionally, disciplinary science has been represented as void of and uninfluenced by emotions; therefore, the professional vision of science teaching and learning does not often include attending to the whole person, particularly the emotional needs of those that are harmed in science learning contexts. We find this exclusion untenable given the persistent harm that students of color suffer across science education contexts. As part of the special issue Centering Affect and Emotion Toward Justice and Dignity in Science Education, in this manuscript, we urge the field of science education to re-envision what science teachers need to attend to for equitable science teaching and learning. Indeed, we argue that science education is inequitable for students of color if their emotions within the classroom are not addressed. Thus, science teaching and teacher education needs to account for the ways emotions show up in science classrooms. Using illustrative vignettes from two science classrooms, we highlight the importance of developing an inner witness that is attuned to the emotional needs of students. We, then, use our equity-oriented inner witnesses to engage in pedagogical imaginings that critically interrogate our emotions and interpretations of what happened, what did not happen, how the students could have been better supported, how the teachers could have been better supported, and what it is about current models of science teaching and science professional vision that barred different possible responses. These instances, and what they illustrated to us about science (teacher) education, compelled us to explore and imagine science education research, policy, and practices that value engaging with emotional expressions--as both individually and sociopolitically situated--toward equitable science learning environments. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1491933 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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