Engagement, preference and identity: Proposing a developmental engagement framework

Understanding how adolescents participate in science requires examining the developmental foundations of engagement and identity formation. This theoretical paper introduces the Developmental Engagement Framework, which positions science engagement as the overarching construct, with science identity representing a developmentally advanced subset that emerges when engagement experiences are integrated with self-concept. This framework addresses persistent empirical puzzles in science identity research-including temporal instability and limited predictive validity in adolescent populations-by proposing that these patterns reflect normal neurodevelopmental processes rather than methodological limitations. During early-to-mid adolescence (ages 11-16), when self-referential neural networks remain under development, science participation operates primarily through preference-based engagement-experience-driven participation supported by earlier-maturing reward and habit formation circuits (basal ganglia, striatum). As prefrontal systems mature in late adolescence, some of this engagement becomes integrated with self-concept, emerging as identity-infused engagement. Our framework complements existing identity theories by specifying their neurodevelopmental prerequisites and optimal timing, drawing on identity process theory, neuroscientific evidence on value-based choice and recent findings on daily experience consolidation. We demonstrate that science identity represents a maturational transformation of engagement rather than a separate construct. This perspective has implications for age-appropriate measurement, intervention design and theoretical integration across developmental stages.