Teaching Nature of Science (NOS) through Cultural Windows: A Framework for Latinx Preservice Science Teachers

• In Event: Achieving Culturally Sustaining Science Education: Looking Back and Moving Forward

Abstract

Objectives
This study addresses the persistent underrepresentation of Latinx students in STEM fields by developing culturally responsive Nature of Science (NOS) instruction for preservice teachers. The primary objectives include: (1) understand lived experiences of Latinx preservice teachers through autobiographical narratives, (2) identify evidence-based NOS curriculum components from literature, and (3) design and implement culturally responsive NOS activities that integrate Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP) and Rightful Presence (RP) frameworks.

Theoretical Framework
This research integrates three complementary frameworks. CSP(Paris, 2012; Alim et al., 2020) explicitly supports maintenance of cultural pluralism while challenging whiteness as the norm in educational spaces. Rightful Presence (Calabrese Barton & Tan, 2020) emphasizes justice-oriented teaching through allied political struggle, making injustice visible, and disrupting guest/host classroom dynamics. NOS frameworks encompass both Consensus View tenets (McComas, 2020) and Family Resemblance Approach elements (Erduran & Dagher, 2014), recognizing science as both cognitive-epistemic and social-institutional systems. These frameworks create "third spaces" where diverse knowledge systems coexist and cultural border crossings become opportunities for enriched scientific understanding (Aikenhead & Jegede, 1999; Gutiérrez et al., 1999).

Methods
We employed a systematic three-phase approach. Phase 1 analyzed autobiographical narratives from ten Latinx female preservice teachers using in vivo and domain/taxonomic coding (Saldaña, 2015) to identify recurring themes in their science learning experiences. Phase 2 conducted a meta-synthesis of 58 qualitative articles about teaching NOS to teachers, extracting nine essential curriculum elements. Phase 3 integrated findings to develop six culturally responsive NOS activities.

Data Sources
Data sources included autobiographical narratives from Latinx preservice teachers at a Hispanic-Serving Institution, systematic literature review of NOS teacher education research from Scopus database, and implementation artifacts from six designed activities: Dolores Huerta environmental justice case study, modified Tangram puzzle activity, historical cases of marginalized scientists, cultural pictures for observation/inference distinction, nixtamalization black box investigation, and family night with diverse scientists.

Results
Eight themes emerged from autobiographical analysis: family involvement, linguistic barriers, cultural relevance, science-religion conflicts, gender stereotypes, early science experiences, teacher attitudes/methods, and standardized testing impacts. Literature synthesis revealed nine essential NOS curriculum elements. Integration of them with CSP and RP frameworks generated culturally responsive activities that successfully: bridged cultural identity with scientific understanding, disrupted traditional power dynamics, validated multilingual approaches, integrated family/community knowledge, addressed science-religion tensions, and made invisible scientific contributions visible. Participants demonstrated enhanced NOS understanding while maintaining cultural identities, showing how cultural perspectives enrich rather than conflict with scientific thinking.

Scholarly Significance
This work addresses critical gaps in NOS research, where 97% of participants historically have been white (Walls, 2012) and cultural considerations appear in only 5.5% of studies (Authors, 2025). By demonstrating how cultural frameworks can enhance rather than compromise NOS instruction, this research provides a replicable model for science teacher educators working with diverse populations. The systematic integration of lived experiences, evidence-based curriculum components, and cultural frameworks offers practical approaches for addressing persistent STEM representation disparities while enriching scientific understanding through diverse perspectives.

Authors

• Noushin Nouri, University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley

• Maryam Saberi, University of Shiraz