Physics and feminism: a personal reflection on one physics teacher’s doctoral journey.

This is a personal account of a doctoral journey, embarked upon to legitimise an academic identity, founded in the transition from secondary physics teacher to physics educator in the Higher Education sector. An autographical background provides the context for the starting point and subsequent direction in which this journey progressed. The key area of focus: the low participation of girls in physics through research into physics teachers’ beliefs and pedagogy. A narrative, broadly chronological account of significant learning charts moments of enlightenment in moving from a physical scientist’s positivist view of the world to that of social constructivism via a deepening theoretical understanding of feminism, gender and feminist methodology. Despite the doctoral journey not reaching its intended final destination, significant achievements are explored, not least the impact on professional practice. Unresolved issues remain, particularly around methodology and methods, but the writing of this very personal reflection has been integral to the development of my identity as an academic and professional researcher.