Collaborative Research: The Cultural Context of Native-American Science Education

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The long-term goal of the researchers is to improve science learning for Native- American students and so to reduce the disparity between majority and minority culture students' science achievement. The project will provide a controlled test of the claim that bridging cultural differences in how one understands science will lead to improved learning of science content knowledge. The PIs' previous research with the Menominee has indicated that rural Native-American children begin school with a relatively precocious understanding of biology, but that this initial knowledge of the natural world does not translate into superior learning in traditional science curricula. On standardized tests Menominee children score above the national average in science in fourth grade, but by eighth grade it is their worst subject. The PIs explore the hypothesis that Native-American practices may clash with the cultural context and methodology used in the formal teaching of science. The proposal includes studies that will explore the educational relevance of cultural differences in approaches to the teaching of science and it includes the design, implementation, and evaluation of an after-school program. The initial studies will continue the researchers efforts to identify barriers to Native-American science learning and to develop and test strategies for building on the cultural knowledge that Native-American children bring to the classroom. Research on children's folkbiology has been conducted almost exclusively with individuals from urban North American populations. The proposed research will bring more evidence to bear on the problem of science learning in minority culture contexts.