A Case for Culturally Relevant Science Education in the Summer for African American Youth

• In Event: 66.052 - The Significance of Qualitative Studies on the Sociocultural and Sociopolitical Contexts of Education to Inform Policy

Abstract

The correlation between poor science outcomes and the lack of high quality science education and opportunities for Black students in formal education spaces are clear; however, one area of promise is informal learning spaces such as afterschool and summer programs (Afterschool Alliance, 2011). Summer learning programs often take a back seat to mainstream education reform efforts as policymakers devote considerable amounts of time and funding to improve outcomes within traditional school settings. Yet, in many formal education classrooms, students of Color continue to experience inequitable opportunities to high quality science learning, if at all, as some schools do not provide science curriculum (Atwater, 2000). Furthermore, for students of Color, their cultural beliefs and practices are oftentimes at odds with Western science; therefore, effective science instruction should seek to provide students of Color the opportunity to bridge and connect their home cultures with the culture of science (Aikenhead & Jegede, 1999; Gao & Watkins, 2002; Lee & Luykx, 2006).

In this paper, we report findings of a culturally relevant approach to science education for African American youth in a summer program. The study focused on student interests in science education and STEM career fields before and after participation in a science course within a TRIO Upward Bound Summer Program. We position summer learning spaces as a key policy and practice solution to address both achievement and opportunity gaps (Milner, 2010) for African American youth. All participants were high school students, rising 10th - 12th graders. Student participants took part in two focus group interviews, the first at the start of the summer program and the second at the end of the summer program. Other data sources included program documents, student science journals, and artifacts. Interest can be a difficult domain to assess and evaluate, thus for this study, interest refers to the state or desire of wanting to know and/or learn more about something or someone. Ladson-Billings’ (1995, 2009) theory of culturally relevant pedagogy was used as a lens to interpret the data. As a pedagogy of opposition to systemic injustice and deficit perspective, Ladson-Billings outlines three tenets or outcomes of CRP—sociopolitical consciousness, cultural competence, and academic success. Focus group interviews and science journals were coded for words, terms, and/or phrases representative of the three student outcome measures for culturally relevant teaching. Two important themes emerged from the data indicating a significant impact on students: 1) guest speakers of Color and 2) knowledge for future aspirations.

Summer learning programs can fill gaps in students’ school-year learning as well as help to deepen and engage students’ interest in science education and STEM careers. If education reformers and policy makers take time to consider the impact such programs are having, incorporate best practices from successful programs such as the ones presented in this article, and expand the research base on long-term and cumulative effects of summer learning programs, we believe more African American youth can have access to such opportunities during the summer.

Authors

• Brittany Ashley Garvin-Hudson, The Ohio State University

• Tambra O. Jackson, Indiana University - IUPUI