Title: The Power of Identity Play: Expanding Possibilities for Science Identity Studies

This talk addresses the evolution of science identity studies in science education research by introducing the concept of "identity play." Historically, the field has concentrated on "identity work," which emphasizes the processes individuals engage in to form and transform their identities in science learning settings. Identity work focuses on "can-I-be" analyses, which foreground questions of negotiation, opportunity, and belonging—e.g., “Can I be a legitimate member of this biology learning community? Will important others recognize me as such?” Can-I-be thinking helps us design learning environments that enhance learners’ interest and competence in the cultural norms and knowledge-generating practices of biology. However, identity work often reinforces uni-dimensional notions of disciplinary identities, as there is not just one way to do biology and be a biologist!

In contrast, identity play introduces a dimension of becoming that acknowledges diverse ways to engage with science and encourages youth to experiment with identities previously deemed unlikely or unthinkable. We refer to this as “let-me-see” thinking— a process of provisional self-making that broadens youths’ experience repertoires and possibilities for future selves. Identity play highlights the agency, imagination, and joy inherent in youth’s ongoing self-making, particularly in flexible, responsive, and caring environments. While youth operate in a constant state of reinvention, they often lack genuine opportunities to explore this flexibility with their academic identities, which can feel high-stakes. Identity play serves as an analytic tool for studying and nurturing this reinvention, examining how and where it occurs. In this talk, I will share concrete examples of identity play and design moves used to encourage it with middle school youth during outdoor, place-based learning, along with recommendations for biology educators.