Identity and Belonging: Are You a Physicist (Chemist)?
written by
Sissi L. Li and Michael E. Loverude
When science undergraduates begin their upper-division coursework, their declaration of major becomes more concrete and meaningful as they have opportunities to interact more deeply with the community of their chosen discipline. In the process of completing a major, students transition their identity towards being a member of their field. In Wenger's community of practice framework, community membership is built on alignment of common goals, participation in social interactions, and perception of belonging in the community. But what does it mean to be a chemist or physicist from the students' perspective? In this study, we examine junior-level chemistry and physics majors' ideas about their science identity through semi-structured interviews and prompted reflective journals. We compare and contrast how chemistry and physics students negotiate their identity as members in their disciplinary field in terms of practice, qualifications, attitude, and in relation to other STEM communities.
Physics Education Research Conference 2012
Part of the PER Conference series Philadelphia, PA: August 1-2, 2012 Volume 1513, Pages 246-249
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![]() <a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12825">Li, Sissi, and Michael Loverude. "Identity and Belonging: Are You a Physicist (Chemist)?." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, August 1-2, 2012.</a>
![]() S. Li and M. Loverude, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, 2012, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12825&DocID=3358).
![]() S. Li and M. Loverude, Identity and Belonging: Are You a Physicist (Chemist)?, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, 2012, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12825&DocID=3358>.
![]() Li, S., & Loverude, M. (2012, August 1-2). Identity and Belonging: Are You a Physicist (Chemist)?. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA. Retrieved May 3, 2025, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12825&DocID=3358
![]() Li, Sissi, and Michael Loverude. "Identity and Belonging: Are You a Physicist (Chemist)?." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, August 1-2, 2012. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12825&DocID=3358 (accessed 3 May 2025).
![]() Li, Sissi, and Michael Loverude. "Identity and Belonging: Are You a Physicist (Chemist)?." Physics Education Research Conference 2012. Philadelphia, PA: 2012. 246-249 Vol. 1513 of PER Conference. 3 May 2025 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12825&DocID=3358>.
![]() @inproceedings{
Author = "Sissi Li and Michael Loverude",
Title = {Identity and Belonging: Are You a Physicist (Chemist)?},
BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2012},
Pages = {246-249},
Address = {Philadelphia, PA},
Series = {PER Conference},
Volume = {1513},
Month = {August 1-2},
Year = {2012}
}
![]() %A Sissi Li %A Michael Loverude %T Identity and Belonging: Are You a Physicist (Chemist)? %S PER Conference %V 1513 %D August 1-2 2012 %P 246-249 %C Philadelphia, PA %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12825&DocID=3358 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2012 %O August 1-2 %O application/pdf ![]() %0 Conference Proceedings %A Li, Sissi %A Loverude, Michael %D August 1-2 2012 %T Identity and Belonging: Are You a Physicist (Chemist)? %B Physics Education Research Conference 2012 %C Philadelphia, PA %V 1513 %P 246-249 %S PER Conference %8 August 1-2 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12825&DocID=3358 Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.
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