Science in the Moment (SciMo)

Science in the Moment (SciMo) is a 3 year research study funded by the National Science Foundation at Northern Illinois University. The purpose of SciMo is to provide a descriptive account of what a variety of high school science contexts feel like from the perspective of female and male students. The overarching theoretical and conceptual perspectives for the study include: (1) Self Determination Theory focuses on the importance of students' cognitions in learning around issues concerning autonomy and competence. (2) Emergent Motivation Theory is branch of the field of positive psychology, focused on the important role of affect in learning. (3) Women's ways of knowing suggests that females and males may approach academic learning, including learning science, differently because of identified differences in how girls and boys are socialized to assume socially-sanctioned gender roles, and societal expectations for males and females academic performance.