Perceptions of the value of traditional ecological knowledge to formal school curricula: opportunities and challenges from Malekula Island, Vanuatu

Abstract

BackgroundThe integration of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) into formal school curricula may be a key tool for the revitalisation of biocultural diversity, and has the potential to improve the delivery of educational objectives. This paper explores perceptions of the value of TEK to formal education curricula on Malekula Island, Vanuatu. We conducted 49 interviews with key stakeholders (local TEK experts, educators, and officials) regarding the use of the formal school system to transmit, maintain, and revitalise TEK. Interviews also gathered information on the areas where TEK might add value to school curricula and on the perceived barriers to maintaining and revitalising TEK via formal education programs.ResultsParticipants reported that TEK had eroded on Malekula, and identified the formal school system as a principal driver. Most interviewees believed that if an appropriate format could be developed, TEK could be included in the formal education system. Such an approach has potential to maintain customary knowledge and practice in the focus communities. Participants identified several specific domains of TEK for inclusion in school curricula, including ethnomedical knowledge, agricultural knowledge and practice, and the reinforcement of respect for traditional authority and values. However, interviewees also noted a number of practical and epistemological barriers to teaching TEK in school. These included the cultural diversity of Malekula, tensions between public and private forms of knowledge, and multiple values of TEK within the community.ConclusionsTEK has potential to add value to formal education systems in Vanuatu by contextualising the content and process of curricular delivery, and by facilitating character development and self-awareness in students. These benefits are congruent with UNESCO-mandated goals for curricular reform and provide a strong argument for the inclusion of TEK in formal school systems. Such approaches may also assist in the maintenance and revitalisation of at-risk systems of ethnobiological knowledge. However, we urge further research attention to the significant epistemological challenges inherent in including TEK in formal school, particularly as participants noted the potential for such approaches to have negative consequences.

The challenges of maintaining indigenous ecological knowledge

“…Some have noted that such moves risk impacting IEK systems by forcing a change in the nature of IEK transmission (McCarter and Gavin 2011). Others have observed that including IEK in formal education runs the risk of replacing "one form of colonial mindset with another" by oversimplifying the dynamic nature of culture (Burnett 2007).…”

“…Holders of IEK do, however, actively adapt systems of knowledge transmission to changing ecological and social conditions (Greenfield et al 2000, McCarter andGavin 2011), and support for experiential and tacit learning will not be appropriate in all communities (Bates 2009). However, it is critical that due consideration is given to locally appropriate means for knowledge transmission, as "the fact that a specific unit of knowledge is lost or kept by a society is not as important as whether the society retains the ability to generate, transform, transmit, and apply knowledge" (Gómez-Baggethun and Reyes-García 2013).…”

Local Perceptions of Changes in Traditional Ecological Knowledge: A Case Study from Malekula Island, Vanuatu

“…These findings add weight to calls for the contextualization and re-direction of Vanuatu's education system, a process that has begun through work by the VCC (Baeraleo 2010) and an ongoing review of the national curriculum (Vanuatu Ministry of Education 2010). Moves to integrate TEK and formal schooling may provide several opportunities for the revitalization of TEK, however, a number of challenges (e.g., lack of teacher time, epistemological differences) will need to be overcome for it to be successful (McCarter and Gavin 2011). Participants also emphasized the influence of internal social change in the focus communities.…”

“…Since the archipelago obtained independence in 1980, rapid urbanization, linguistic attrition, and the influence of the market economy have shifted cultural norms and methods for cultural transmission (McCarter and Gavin 2011). Preceding this, missionary activity from the late 1800s resulted in widespread internal migration between customary lands in the island interior and the mission stations on the coast (MacClancy 2002).…”

La Biodiversidad en el contexto Educativo. Múltiples miradas en el escenario mundial

“…Estos trabajos presentan diversos enfoques, como: a) Las concepciones de grupos locales de la biodiversidad; b) Las relaciones y prácticas de los grupos locales y la biodiversidad; c) Los conocimientos ancestrales y los conocimientos escolares, y d) Propuestas didácticas para establecer puentes entre los conocimientos ancestrales y los conocimientos escolares acerca de la biodiversidad (González, et al, 2009;Kieninger, et al, 2009;McCarter y Gavin, 2011;Baptista, et al, 2009;Pardo, et al, 2004;Turner, et al, 2003).…”