LEARNING THE SCIENTISTS ROLE - ANIMAL DISSECTION IN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Based on fieldwork in sixth-grade science classes, this article looks at how students managed the dissection of fetal pigs. Although most st udents were initially ambivalent and squeamish about dissecting, they learned to transform the animal and the situation into one that was no t only neutral but positive. By transforming their contact with the fe tal pigs, accentuating the positive, avoiding part or all of the disse ction, becoming macho, and using light-hearted humor, the students cou ld regard the animals as mere specimens and not feel ethically or emot ionally uneasy. It is argued that this transformation serves as a rite of passage into the scientific community.