Science Education Through the Frame of Ethnic Studies

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 8

Abstract

The science education taught in school systems is based on a Westernized model of science, which is inherently Eurocentric and proclaimed to be universal and objective (Carter, 2004), reflective of the intrinsic coloniality embedded within it. Coloniality, namely the “long-standing patterns of power that emerged as a result of colonialism...that define culture, labor, intersubjective relations, and knowledge production” (Maldonado-Torres, 2007, p. 243), manifests itself in science education through what Bang, Warren, Rosebery, and Medin (2012) refer to as a ‘deficit discourse’, which in turn determines what constitutes smartness, right answers, and valid knowledges and experiences. These deficit discourses serve to marginalize minoritized populations from participation in sciences as is constituted in dominant institutions (schools, labs, museums, etc.) Similarly, coloniality is also manifest through the hidden curriculum, which lies beneath yet shadows the official material, becoming the dominant way of gatekeeping who and what belongs in the science classroom (Kidman, Chieng-Fun, & Abrams, 2013). Accordingly, this paper explores how the inherent coloniality of science education can be effectively acknowledged and addressed in teacher education and in the classroom.

A decolonial approach to science education must then necessarily challenge the Eurocentricism embedded in science as a whole. With this in mind, we see that an ethnic studies approach can provide a useful and effective model for science education teaching, learning, and research. The premise of ethnic studies is its fundamental centering of minoritized groups, with a focus on the socio-politico-historical contexts that gave rise to, and continue to shape, how various racial and ethnic groups operate and interact in society. Moreover, using an ethnic studies framework enables the underlying coloniality of science education to be unveiled, thereby highlighting the bias and value-laden nature of science as a discipline. In doing so, we can therefore begin to think of ways to reshape science teacher education and science pedagogy.

Author

• LaToya Strong, The City University of New York