Impact of Culturally Relevant Contextualized Activities on Elementary and Middle School Students’ Perceptions of Science: An Exploratory Study

González-Espada, Wilson J.; Llerandi-Román, Pablo A.; Fortis-Santiago, Yaihara; Guerrero, Giovanna; Ortiz-Vega, Nicole M.; Feliú-Mójer, Mónica I.; Colón-Ramos, Daniel A.

doi:10.1080/21548455.2014.881579

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Given the importance of cultural relationality advocated by researchers more broadly in science education that has been shown to be hard for elementary teachers to implement due to lacking knowledge of how science can be made relevant to diverse learners (Braaten and Sheth 2017;Mensah et al 2018), this study illuminates the possibilities of leveraging context-specific learning as a way to ameliorate diverse students' differential attitudes toward science that can inhibit interest and motivation in STEM pathways (Aguilera and Perales-Palacios 2020;Ing and Nylund-Gibson 2013;Osborne et al 2003). Moreover, this research aligns with extant literature in science education that argues the importance of leveraging students' local communities and identities within science curriculum such that the relevant and relational nature of the content is exposed and confronted as a path toward scientific literacy (Buxton 2010;Djonko-Moore et al 2018;González-Espada et al 2015). Indeed, as with all studies, our research had limitations.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

“…Grounded in CBL, as well as our research goals, we sought to leverage Design-based Research (DBR) principles to study the impact of contextualizing science content in diverse urban youth's communities, leveraging the immersive qualities of VR 360. In doing so, we combine the importance of relationality advocated by researchers more broadly in science education that has been shown to be hard for elementary teachers to implement (Braaten and Sheth 2017;Mensah et al 2018) with the extant literature in science education that argues for leveraging students' local communities and identities within science curriculum (Djonko-Moore et al 2018;González-Espada et al 2015). In sum, we coin this type of learning context-specific, rather than context-based, due to the nuanced similarities and differences between CBL framework and our VR 360 DBR iterations.…”

Section: Conceptual Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Designing for Relationality in Virtual Reality: Context-Specific Learning as a Primer for Content Relevancy

Boda

Brown

2020

J Sci Educ Technol

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Science achievement gaps exhibit racial disparities starting in primary grades and have been shown to persist through middle and high school. In turn, increasing positive attitudes toward science have been shown as one factor that affects academic achievement and motivation among K-12 students. Exploring novel ways that technology can influence diverse students' attitudes toward science, and the design elements pertinent therein, is thus one prominent goal toward achieving science education for all. Leveraging the immersive nature of Virtual Reality 360 videos, we present a design-based research iteration testing how a novel technology-enhanced learning experience influenced close to 400 urban elementary students' attitudes toward science. Using a two-way MANCOVA analysis, the data support that our design iteration emphasizing context-specific learning can prime students that do not see science as relevant to them to change these attitudes in significantly positive ways. Implications are discussed around relationality, technology use in urban schools, and local contexts as learning resources.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Section: Conceptual Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing for Relationality in Virtual Reality: Context-Specific Learning as a Primer for Content Relevancy

Boda

Brown

2020

J Sci Educ Technol

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“…A lack of diverse STEM role models in the face of negative STEM stereotypes may explain differences in science identity by gender (Kim et al, 2018). In PR in particular, there is a dearth of culturally-relevant educational resources in the Department of Education curriculum, including those that present Puerto Rican role models of either gender (González-Espada et al, 2015). Through Seeds of Success, we sought to provide girls with culturally-relevant female STEM role models through group and individual mentoring interactions, as well as through participation in the Juntas Podemos webinar series.…”

Section: Seeds Of Success Improves Girls' Attitudes Towardsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeds of Success: Empowering Latina STEM Girl Ambassadors Through Role Models, Leadership, and STEM-Related Experiences

Hernández-Matías,

Díaz-Muñoz,

Guerrero-Medina

2023

JSTEM

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Gender stereotypes and lack of access to relatable role models, mentors, and STEM opportunities have been suggested to deter middle school girls and students from underrepresented backgrounds away from STEM. Seeds of Success, an out-of-school program, is designed to inspire girls to consider STEM careers by countering gender stereotypes through relatable role models, promoting STEM confidence through STEM workshops and hands-on activities, and encouraging alignment between cultural and STEM identities through community-based STEM projects that develop leadership skills. Since 2015, the program has impacted 453 students who in turn have reached more than 42,777 people in Puerto Rico through their STEM Ambassadors projects. A robust mix-method evaluation of the 2020 and 2021 cohorts demonstrates significant improvements in participants' STEM attitudes and science identity, as well as in their self-perception as a leader, confidence in their ability to succeed in science, knowledge about STEM careers and opportunities, and access to STEM role models. Moreover, 95% of participants intend to continue participating in STEM activities after the program and overall scores for the entire survey were significantly higher after the program than before. We discuss lessons learned for other programs seeking to empower girls from historically underserved backgrounds in STEM.

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“…This also means contextualizing science instruction materials so that they hold cultural relevance to students who are marginalized by mainstream science instruction. Gonzalez-Espada and colleagues (20), who examined the impact of such contextualized and culturally relevant instructional materials, demonstrate that such an approach improved students' perceptions of the nature of science. Similarly, Favero and Van Hoomissen's attempt to infuse culturally relevant examples from human biology into their anatomy and physiology curriculum led to "a deeper and more complex understanding of how intersections of ancestry, culture, language, and socioeconomic status can impact health" (21).…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Culturally Relevant Pedagogy to Reconsider the Genetics Canon

Sparks

Baldwin

Darner

2020

J Microbiol Biol Educ.

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In this article, we explore culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) to work toward alleviating persistent underrepresentation in STEM fields of oppressed minorities. We argue that biology instructors can practice agency, or the capacity to act in ways that undermine opportunity gaps that lead to underrepresentation, by developing themselves into culturally relevant pedagogues who are committed to underrepresented minority (URM) students' learning and career success, who demonstrate cultural competence, and who develop a sociopolitical consciousness regarding the culturally laden nature of their discipline. We then explore Gregor Mendel's story to demonstrate the culturally laden nature of the history of science as well as the nature of our current curricular canon. The article concludes with a postulated alternative method to genetics education in a general biology course that reflects the culturally laden nature of our genetics knowledge, as well as our current understanding of inheritance.

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Impact of Culturally Relevant Contextualized Activities on Elementary and Middle School Students’ Perceptions of Science: An Exploratory Study

Cited by 5 publications

References 19 publications

Designing for Relationality in Virtual Reality: Context-Specific Learning as a Primer for Content Relevancy

Designing for Relationality in Virtual Reality: Context-Specific Learning as a Primer for Content Relevancy

Seeds of Success: Empowering Latina STEM Girl Ambassadors Through Role Models, Leadership, and STEM-Related Experiences

Using Culturally Relevant Pedagogy to Reconsider the Genetics Canon

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