African Cultural Perspectives and the Teaching of Science (original) (raw)
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CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON THE LEARNING OF SCIENCE: AN AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE
In many developing countries in Africa, learners' cultural background seems to be one of the major factors that militate against their learning of formal science in schools. On many occasions, the stakeholders in education attribute poor performance in science to bad teaching, the difficulty and the abstractness of science. What they fail to address, however, are the circumstances of the learners, which are mainly cultural. The influence of culture on the learning of science in schools should be addressed seriously by teachers, parents and educational planners. Culture has the categories of beliefs, practices, behaviour, communication skills, values and attitudes. This chapter presents empirical studies on the influence of culture on the learning of science in primary and secondary schools in Kenya. The chapter is divided into three major sections. Section one examines the manifestations of cultural influence on the learning of primary science in schools in four cultural communities in Kenya, the Maasai and Kipsigis of the Rift Valley province, and the Abagusii and Luo of Nyanza province. Section two is about the influence of cultural beliefs in the form of metaphors concerning " heat " in form three students' explanations of everyday life experiences in Nyandarua district. Section three examines the influence of the Bukusu culture of Bungoma district, on students' conceptions of the topic " nutrition " in secondary school biology. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the challenges this poses to science education in Africa.
Addressing the Challenges of Science Education in Africa Through a Global Lens
2016
The African continent does not rank well in global development indices, and for many decades, African countries have relied significantly on more economically viable nations in the world. While development is known to be closely tied to scientific advancement, a major factor responsible for Africa’s poor development rating is the comparatively low level of scientific and technological development; which has been adjudged to have significant influence on sustainable development and the quality of the human life. Many challenges have been identified as impediments to qualitative science education in Africa and evidences abound that the so called developed nations of the world today have in the past had, and still have similar challenges which they have addressed and which they are still addressing. This paper examines the position of science education in Africa within a global context, presents some of its challenges and suggests possible solutions through a global lens.
Recent reforms of science education in the modern world have shown an increased need for culturally and contextually responsive science education in non-western countries. Despite the initiatives, there has been little discussion about the problems of irrelevance, ineffectiveness, and dis-functionality of western science education in non-western contexts, especially Africa.This review examines science education (SE) practices as experienced in non-western contexts. Drawing insights from context conscious science education traditions, the paper examines the link between the modern science education and the students’ life worlds, in non-western contexts. It should be understood that this discussion is not about cultural change per se; rather, it is an engaging discussion focused at reimaging the western science to fit non-western frames of reference. Recognizing the need for relevant science education in non-western contexts, it is argued necessary to restructure science education in non-western contexts so that it exists within historical, cultural, and institutional contexts and that all western science education practices need to be examined to see whether they are better suited to non‐western communities.
This paper analyzed the evolution of formal education in Africa with emphasis on the weaknesses and strengths of the system identified. Although the roots of modern education can be found in the early institutions of learning and libraries of Alexandria and Timbuktu in Africa, the continent today lags behind in all the fields of formal education. The teaching of science in most African educational institutions, at all levels, has been reduced to theoretical description of scientific facts. Several factors have contributed to the present situation of education in Africa. This paper describes some of the factors responsible for the state of science education and education in general, prevailing in most African countries. The most prominent factors affecting education in Africa include policy framework of individual countries, access into educational institutions and population pressure, quality and affordability of education, and undue emphasis on employability of graduates, among others. Reliance on the Western educational system without resources to back it up is discussed. Innovative ways of financing education and development of syllabi based on analysis of culture and environment have promise for the future. Educational institutions with appropriate syllabi and attitude could greatly enhance technological development. Enhancement of the role model of teachers and their motivation underscores the success of future education and science in Africa. (DK)
Towards a Theory of African Science: Methods and Justification
IOSR Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences, 2012
It is a widely held belief that western Science is a metanarrative, there is no scientific story that is untold in it. In this paper, we opposed this exclamation by projecting the existence, theory and justification of African science as a veritable alternative. The justification for this project we summarized in three stellar points: that we construct a safer science able to solve African problems and other nagging world problems, that Africa may enter history and contribute to world civilization, and that Africans would excel if they learned to reason within their native thought system.
Prospect of Integrating African Indigenous Knowledge Systems into the Teaching of Sciences in Africa
American Journal of Educational Research, 2015
The consideration of cultural backgrounds of the learners in planning and teaching science has informed much recent discussions in making teaching more learner-centered. In many countries today, formal education continues to be Euro-centric in outlook and academic in orientation, reflecting Western scientific cultures rather than the cultures of learners and the teachers. This phenomenon is a major concern in developing countries, where formal education does not put into consideration the way the majorities of learners communicate, think and learn. Leaners’ underachievement in school has been attributed to the ‘cultural gaps’ between the expectations of school curriculum and those of the environment in which the learners are socialized. In the developing countries, this gap also existed for majority of the teachers and thus, raises the question of whose and what knowledge is considered worthwhile? The current euphoria for market driven economies and education development make issues...
2013
This paper is a study of historical foundations of science education in Igboland, its nature and scope as well as the challenges facing its integration into the 21st century school system in a globalized world. The authors found that there were many scientific activities in Igbo culture, but many problems hinder their integration into the basic needs of modern society. For instance, imposing the needs of a globalized world of the 21st century on modernized African (Igbo) science is like imposing industrial chemistry on non-industrialized society. Implications of the findings were discussed in this paper.