Attending to Scientific Practices within Undergraduate Research Experiences

Ford (2015) argues for viewing scientific practice not as a list of particular skills, but rather, as sets of regularities of behaviors and social interactions among scientists. This conceptualization of scientific practices foregrounds how they 1) meaningfully connect to one another, 2) are purposefully employed in their ability to explain nature and 3) prospectively adapt based on critique. While Ford focused on practices in K-12 classrooms, we apply this framework to understand how undergraduate physics majors do or do not make progress toward more central participation in physics research experiences. Using video from interviews with students and research mentors, and classroom and research-lab observations, we argue that this practice analytical lens affords new insights into how students experience their undergraduate research experiences. Our analysis traces students\u27 trajectories toward deep engagement with scientific practices through early stages of participation