What Do Families Have to Say About It?: Family Supports for Children's Interest, Engagement, and Aspirations in Science

Families are significant influences on children's interest, engagement, and aspirations (IEA) in science. However, research exploring family impact on children's IEA in science rarely seeks families' voices. Using the constructs of family science capital and family science habitus as well as the Community Culture Wealth Framework to frame the research, focus groups were conducted with forty parents in the southeastern U.S. to uncover how families support IEA in science. There were four findings regarding how families support children's IEA in science: (1) families acknowledge and encourage scientific wonderings and learning; (2) families engage in informal family science experiences; (3) families strive to provide science resources; and (4) there was a preponderance of family science habitus as well as familial and linguistic capital in their supports of IEA in science. Given the significant influence families can have, it is imperative for educators to better understand these supports and how they might be leveraged for meaningful science education both in and outside of school. This study may serve as a launchpoint for family partnerships with schools and other stakeholders who want to build on or leverage the assets families have, as these stakeholders (re)consider what they believe about families and science.