The Quest for a Physics Identity

Abstract: The question of the “physics identity” has recently begun to take a more central part in the discussion about the physics students. The discussion often revolves around what characteristics are important in order to be successful in one’s physics education, as well as in order to “become a physicist”. Questioning what this means is important for the discussion about diversity in physics as well as to the one about student integration and completion. Using narrative analysis, as inspired by Holmegaard, Madsen and Ulriksen (2015), the identity construction of students in relation to physics is investigated. This paper contributes to the discussion about the physics identity and adds to it some important questions. The results show that finding a way of using physics as a part of their general identity construction as a person is more relevant to the students, than to find a “physics identity”.