Doctoral Dissertation Research: Ecosystems of Teaching and Learning: An Ethnography of Two Inupiaq Dance Groups

土著环境中的教学和学习有别于西方教育传统中的活动和经验。这项民族志研究探索了两个阿拉斯加原住民舞蹈和打鼓团体是如何进行教学的。舞蹈、歌唱和打鼓是不可或缺的土著教育活动，在整个北极地区有着独特的文化传统。这些活动是具体的教和学模式，编码了关于人际关系、社会价值观、语言、动物和环境的信息。这项研究的重点是舞蹈团体的成员如何发展和维护因共同利益而团结在一起的实践社区，并评估舞蹈在青年赋权、文化传播和参与社会问题方面的作用。该项目采用的方法包括对阿拉斯加土著长老、教育工作者和青年的人种学访谈、参与者观察和文件分析。研究将在阿拉斯加的安克雷奇和乌特基亚ġvik进行，随后将进行定性的文本分析。将与阿拉斯加原住民合作者协商制定项目传播计划。预期成果包括学术报告、论文和对比较教育、土著教育学和实践理论的智力贡献。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Teaching and learning in Indigenous contexts differ from activities and experiences within the Western educational tradition. This ethnographic research explores how teaching and learning occur within two Alaska Native dance and drumming groups. Dance, song, and drumming are integral Indigenous educational activities, with culturally distinct traditions across the Arctic. These activities are embodied modes of teaching and learning that encode information about interpersonal relations, social values, language, animals and the environment. This research focuses on how members of dance groups develop and maintain communities of practice united by common interests and evaluates the role of dance in youth empowerment, cultural transmission, and engagement with social issues. Methods employed in this project include ethnographic interviews with Alaska Native Elders, educators and youth, participant observation, and document analysis. Research will take place in Anchorage and Utqiaġvik, Alaska, followed by qualitative textual analysis. Project dissemination plans will be developed in consultation with Alaska Native collaborators. Anticipated outcomes include scholarly presentations, a dissertation, and intellectual contributions to comparative education, Indigenous pedagogy, and practice theory.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.