High school students learning science in university research laboratories

This article reports on a case study of a high school student working as an apprentice in a university research laboratory, part of a larger project aimed at evaluating a summer science program. The study examined communication between mentors (scientists) and student and how it constrained or supported learning. Narrative summaries of the context and range of activities in which the student engaged, transcripts of talk, and excerpts from field notes are reported to support the view of the laboratory as a cultural system. The student learned to participate in activities and discourse that were part of the everyday practices of members of a research laboratory. Mentors' instructional styles affected both the manner in which the student learned and how he talked about science in public presentations. As programs involving students in research laboratories are becoming more commonplace, it is important to understand the educational opportunities afforded. Further, what high school students are capable of doing and learning in research laboratories has implications for expanding learning goals in the school science curriculum.