New Perspectives in Science Education

Persistent inequities in science education highlight that participation is never only about interest or ability. For many learners, the more decisive questions are: Do I feel recognised here? What does it cost me to belong?

Existing theories of motivation such as Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT) have provided valuable insights into autonomy, competence, expectancy, and value, but often underplay these broader social and structural dynamics.

This paper introduces the Integrated Motivation and Identity Framework (IMIF), developed through doctoral research with more than 500 secondary students in the UK. IMIF synthesises SDT and SEVT with a critical constructivist lens, placing recognition and perceived cost at the centre of identity formation in science. Recognition captures the extent to which students are positioned by teachers, peers, families, and wider society as “science people.” Cost highlights the hidden social, emotional, and opportunity barriers that accumulate when learners step into science spaces.

Drawing on longitudinal survey data and latent profile analysis, findings reveal that recognition and cost are not peripheral, but decisive in determining whether students persist, disengage, or reimagine themselves within science. High perceived social costs, for example, fear of exclusion, peer judgement, or stereotype threat, predicted disengagement even when motivation and attainment were strong. On the other hand, when students experienced sustained recognition, science became a space of belonging.

IMIF argues that recognition must be understood as a pedagogical and policy priority, not an incidental by-product of good teaching.

By reframing engagement as socially negotiated rather than individually driven, the framework invites educators, researchers, and policymakers to see how inequities are reproduced, and how classrooms might instead be re-imagined as inclusive spaces of scientific identity.

Keywords: Science identity, recognition, cost, equity, motivation, Integrated Motivation and Identity Framework (IMIF)