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What Matters? Instances of Science and Engineering Learning Among Students Living in Native American Communities in Idaho and Washington

Fri, April 17, 4:05 to 5:35pm, Sheraton, Floor: Second Level, Superior A

Abstract

This study examines how middle school students (Native and Non-native) that live in two tribal communities in the Inland Northwestern United States express and connect their identities as scientists, engineers, and community members. The research questions that the study seeks to answer are as follows: How do students from two communities display their socio-cultural identity while conducting tasks related to science and engineering? What perceptions do grade 4-9 students from two tribal communities have about science and engineering?
This research takes into consideration theories in socio-cultural learning that help understand ‘what people think’ (Banks, 2007), and collateral learning theory that helps understand ‘how people think’ (Aikenhead & Jegede, 1999). Socio-cultural learning theories emphasize that learning is contextual and is supported by various societal constructs (Barron, et al, 2009).
In this presentation we provide data from Year 1 and Year 2. As a part of the Year 1 and Year 2 activities the students attended two non-consecutive weeklong summer camps that focused on science and engineering activities related to the place of a shared watershed between the communities. This watershed is of great cultural significance to both tribes. In the first year, the summer camp focused on both western and traditional practices in science and engineering design, along with its application to solve community problems in the watershed. Based on feedback from the community partners and our own analysis, the Year 2 camp design incorporated an increased focus on community, relationship building and culture in the place.
We conducted student interviews and also collected student artifacts generated during camp in order to understand how their socio-cultural identities were reflected in their conduct while doing science and engineering related activities.
The interviews and artifacts have given us insight into how students relate ideas about science and engineering to socio-cultural identity. In one of the activities students had to work as a group and design a community that they would live in and label the science and engineering within the community. In this drawing activity we observed that majority of the students thought of engineering and science as “building things”. Since the students socio-cultural identities did not relate to “building things” the students did not see themselves as scientists and engineers. Also in the interviews some students mentioned houses and cars as science and engineering phenomena in their everyday lives. However cars and current time house designs are viewed as western science and engineering phenomena and therefore are difficult to connect to indigenous ways of knowing. Based on these observations, we can identify learning environment and activity attributes that either help or hinder how students connect science and engineering to their social-cultural identity.
Using data from interviews, student artifacts, and video analysis we intend to spark a discussion about how to design and foster effective learning environments for Native American students. Special emphasis will be on current and traditional science and engineering practices and how students can best connect learning to their everyday lives.

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