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Engagement, preference and identity: Proposing a developmental engagement framework.
1Department of Chemistry Education, Gyeonsang National University, Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea.
The British Journal of Developmental Psychology
|January 6, 2026
Summary
Adolescent science participation develops from engagement to identity. Science identity emerges as engagement integrates with self-concept during neurodevelopment, explaining research patterns.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent science engagement and identity formation
- Developmental psychology
- Neuroscience of learning
Background:
- Adolescent science participation is complex, involving both engagement and identity.
- Existing research shows temporal instability and limited predictive validity in adolescent science identity.
- Neurodevelopmental processes in adolescence are crucial for understanding engagement and identity.
Purpose of the Study:
- Introduce the Developmental Engagement Framework to explain adolescent science participation.
- Position science identity as a developmentally advanced subset of science engagement.
- Address empirical puzzles in science identity research by linking them to neurodevelopment.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical paper integrating developmental psychology, identity theory, and neuroscience.
- Proposing a framework based on neurodevelopmental maturation of self-referential networks.
- Drawing on theories of identity process, value-based choice, and experience consolidation.
Main Results:
- Science engagement is preference-based in early-to-mid adolescence, driven by reward circuits.
- Science identity emerges in late adolescence as engagement integrates with self-concept (identity-infused engagement).
- Science identity is a maturational transformation of engagement, not a separate construct.
Conclusions:
- The Developmental Engagement Framework explains adolescent science participation patterns through neurodevelopment.
- Science identity is an advanced form of engagement, contingent on self-concept integration.
- Implications for age-appropriate measurement, intervention design, and theoretical integration in science education.
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