Exploring professional shame as an epistemological frame in physics problem-solving

It is well known that student epistemologies, their views on the process of constructing knowledge, play an important role in physics problem-solving and that different task affordances can impact students' epistemological framings. This preliminary study is part of a longer project focused on student epistemologies when solving ill-structured and under-specified ("authentic") problems to understand their resistance to engaging in this kind of thinking in the classroom. In this talk, I will explore professional shame as an epistemological frame through two cases of advanced undergraduate students solving an authentic mechanics problem. Through think-aloud and stimulated recall interviews, I identify the participants' perceived sources of authority and how those interact with their sense of professional shame--the perception that they have failed to meet the standards expected of a physicist--when encountering even minor barriers in the problem-solving process. These results from a low-stakes interview elicit further questions about whether the strong, deficit-oriented framing of physics may be perceived by students as a disciplinary tool used to instill a sense of shame in the face of failures.