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

研究人员的长期目标是改善美国原住民学生的科学学习，从而缩小多数文化学生和少数文化学生在科学成就上的差距。该项目将提供一个受控的测试，证明在理解科学的方式上弥合文化差异将导致更好地学习科学内容知识。pi先前对梅诺米尼人的研究表明，美国农村的土著儿童在入学时对生物学有相对早熟的理解，但这种对自然世界的初步了解并没有转化为传统科学课程中的卓越学习。在四年级的标准化测试中，梅诺米尼儿童在科学方面的得分高于全国平均水平，但到了八年级，这是他们最差的科目。pi探讨了一种假设，即美洲原住民的实践可能与正式科学教学中使用的文化背景和方法相冲突。该提案包括探索科学教学方法中文化差异的教育相关性的研究，还包括课后计划的设计、实施和评估。最初的研究将继续研究人员的努力，以确定印第安人科学学习的障碍，并开发和测试建立在印第安人儿童带到课堂的文化知识基础上的策略。关于儿童民俗生物学的研究几乎完全是针对来自北美城市人口的个体进行的。本研究将为少数民族文化背景下的科学学习问题提供更多的证据。

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.