Y. (Yang) Zhang

My phd project proposes an alternative and expansive holistic framework of emotion itself—Qing (情)—to reimagine science education through a relational, decolonial, and ontological lens. Moving beyond Western affective-cognitive paradigms, my framework centers emotions as ontological and moral processes rooted in relational becoming, drawing from Chinese philosophy, Confucianism, and Indigenous ontology. By integrating theories like social-emotional and affective theory and engaging with critical science education scholars (e.g., Dr Betzabé Torres Olave), I explore how emotional systemic inequalities, cultural narratives, and interdependence with human and more-than-human worlds shape life in science learning. This project challenges the technocratic and individualistic framing of science identity and aims to restore emotionality as a space of ethical, aesthetic, and existential becoming.