Science Teachers’ Indigenous Knowledge Identities

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to report on science teachers’ indigenous knowledge (IK) identities, in relation to the teacher professional development program whose aims were: to research IK, to produce teaching and learning materials on the integration of IK and science, and to introduce pre-service and in-service teachers to the construct of multicultural science learning and teaching environments. The formation of a teacher identity in multicultural science teaching environments is a complex construct because of the existence of the multicultural environment. It is important to understand the effectiveness of the current teacher preparation and professional development programs; these have important implications for educational success, access to education, and the effectiveness of such education, which could ultimately lead to sustainable development in developing countries. The trajectory of the transition of science teachers’ IK portraits and formations, based on the findings of this study of six teachers, provides a rich yet sobering account of the potential challenges and pitfalls that teachers working with multicultural science classes can experience – especially when students bring their own IK from their communities into the science classrooms.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p1554