Drawing from research on “literacy practices,” we define science practices as the means by which one engages in science and the reasons and motivations for doing so. This investigation is focused on middle school girls’ science practices in the content areas of urban ecology and will provide us with insight into how and why urban girls engage in science meaningfully. We view “engagement in science” as having three parts:

 

■ developing conceptual understandings of scientific concepts (meaning-making);

■ developing and using the habits of mind that reflect a propensity towards scientific thinking (expression of scientific identity); and

■ participating in or doing science in authentic ways (participation).

 

 

We have examined science practices in three ways, which are also the three key strands of our project: