ERIC Number: EJ917371
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Mar
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0142-5692
EISSN: N/A
Imaginary Subjects: School Science, Indigenous Students, and Knowledge-Power Relations
Kidman, Joanna; Abrams, Eleanor; McRae, Hiria
British Journal of Sociology of Education, v32 n2 p203-220 Mar 2011
The perspectives of indigenous science learners in developed nations offer an important but frequently overlooked dimension to debates about the nature of science, the science curriculum, and calls from educators to make school science more culturally responsive or "relevant" to students from indigenous or minority groups. In this paper the findings of a study conducted with indigenous Maori children between the ages of 10 and 12 years are discussed. The purpose of the study was to examine the ways that indigenous children in an urban school environment in New Zealand position themselves in relation to school science. Drawing on the work of Basil Bernstein, we argue that although the interplay between emergent cultural identity narratives and the formation of "science selves" is not as yet fully understood, it carries the potential to open a rich seam of learning for indigenous children. (Contains 1 note.)
Descriptors: Urban Schools, Indigenous Populations, Scientific Principles, Foreign Countries, Developed Nations, Educational Environment, Minority Groups, Science Curriculum, Culturally Relevant Education, Pacific Islanders, Self Concept, Science Education, Power Structure, Student Attitudes, Middle School Students, Indigenous Knowledge, Malayo Polynesian Languages, Language of Instruction
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A