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Xhosa indigenous knowledge: stakeholder awareness, value and choice

This study investigated a sample of isiXhosa mother tongue-speaking science teachers’, their pupils’, and adult local community members’ awareness of Xhosa indigenous knowledge. It also investigated what aspects of this knowledge they value and think should and could be integrated into the school science curriculum and their reasons for suggesting that it should (or should not) be incorporated. The participating teachers voluntarily completed an open-ended questionnaire. On completion, they were given the task of administering the questionnaire to at least 1 of their pupils and 1 community member who they believed could contribute ideas about indigenous knowledge that might relate to science education. Interviews were held with a small sample of teachers and community members. The data generated suggest that there is a shared awareness of indigenous knowledge across the respondents (teachers, pupils, and community members). The reasons given for including indigenous knowledge in the school curriculum related mainly to the realm of recognition (social justice and cultural sensitivity), and there was also little evidence that the respondents were aware of current understandings underpinning the demarcation of science and indigenous knowledge as disciplines.

Uploaded by: Paul Webb
Author: Webb, Paul | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4118-8973
Institution: Nelson Mandela University | Centre: DIGI-FACE
Type: Journal article | English | Peer Reviewed
Subjects: Education

Published: International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education | Volume 11, number 1 | Springer, ISSN 1571-0068
Date: 2013 | Pages: 89-110
Copyright: National Science Council, Taiwan | License: This article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by National Science Council, Taiwan
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