The Cultural and Indigenous Epistemologies of Non-Western Immigrant Teachers

• In Event: 66.061 - Intersectional Examinations of Race, Class, and Gender Structured Poster Session

Abstract

This paper utilizes a life history methodology to explore teacher identity formation for immigrant teachers and whether/how cultural and indigenous beliefs are brought forward into science classrooms. While there is a wealth of research conducted on the experiences of various immigrant groups, there is a dearth of literature on beliefs and the meaning making processes among immigrant science teachers. These exclusions have potentially made an impact on the curriculum, culture and processes of science teaching. A life history method is utilized to explore interconnections between culture, immigrant experiences and teacher identity. Evident from the narratives collected are the ongoing cross-cultural tensions. This study reveals that how participants experienced transformative consciousness of hybridized identities and ideologies.

Author

• Ndindi Kitonga, Angeles Workshop School