#742: From Fun to Ownership: Rethinking Epistemic Engagement in Multilingual Science Learning

Despite increased recognition of affect in science learning, terms like “fun” remain tied to informal contexts, reinforcing binaries that separate joy from seriousness and emotion from intellect. Using sociocultural theory, particularly Vygotsky’s notion of perezhivanie our study explores how multilingual students' understandings of “fun” in a STE(A)M summer academy challenge these divides. Drawing on six years of interview data, our findings show that students often described “fun” as emerging from engaging in meaningful, intellectually demanding work that fostered epistemic agency. Our study contributes to science education research by developing an understanding of affective engagement as central to identifying moments of rigorous and agentive learning.