“…The role of pluralistic ignorance regarding valuing nature in EE education has not been directly examined, but it is implicated in studies suggesting that perceptions of discrimination [40] and the role of devalued racial experiences [57], that include racialized concepts of environmental valuing [58], serve as cultural barriers in EE education. These will be examined more thoroughly below.…”
Section: Cultural Barriers In Ecology and Environmental Biologymentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The pedagogical significance of culture is gaining traction in EE. A number of environmental education scholars promote the inclusion of environmental understanding and environmental contributions of non-dominant groups as part of the curriculum [24,57,63,66,67]. Jenkins [66] notes that because cultures are typically distributed discretely, curricula may consequently become more local than is customary in order to adapt to student-centered pedagogies.…”
Section: Cultural Humility and Educationmentioning
Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines suffer from chronically low participation of women and underrepresented minorities. Diversity enhancement initiatives frequently attempt to mitigate skill deficits such as math skills in an attempt to improve preparedness of these students. However, such interventions do not address cultural or social barriers that contribute to the isolation and marginalization that discourage continued participation in STEM. Science exists and is developed within social constructs.; because of this, cultural conflicts can occur pertaining to contrasting cultural belief systems between educators and students, or to socially-biased perspectives that are embedded in disciplinary values. These conflicts are implicated in the low recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in STEM. To address the relationship between culture and STEM diversity, I present a case study that examines the role of culturally-biased views of nature on the lack of diverse participation in ecology and environmental biology. I conclude by advocating the use of inclusive, culturally-sensitive teaching practices that can improve the climate for underrepresented students and increase diverse recruitment and retention in STEM.
“…The role of pluralistic ignorance regarding valuing nature in EE education has not been directly examined, but it is implicated in studies suggesting that perceptions of discrimination [40] and the role of devalued racial experiences [57], that include racialized concepts of environmental valuing [58], serve as cultural barriers in EE education. These will be examined more thoroughly below.…”
Section: Cultural Barriers In Ecology and Environmental Biologymentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The pedagogical significance of culture is gaining traction in EE. A number of environmental education scholars promote the inclusion of environmental understanding and environmental contributions of non-dominant groups as part of the curriculum [24,57,63,66,67]. Jenkins [66] notes that because cultures are typically distributed discretely, curricula may consequently become more local than is customary in order to adapt to student-centered pedagogies.…”
Section: Cultural Humility and Educationmentioning
Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines suffer from chronically low participation of women and underrepresented minorities. Diversity enhancement initiatives frequently attempt to mitigate skill deficits such as math skills in an attempt to improve preparedness of these students. However, such interventions do not address cultural or social barriers that contribute to the isolation and marginalization that discourage continued participation in STEM. Science exists and is developed within social constructs.; because of this, cultural conflicts can occur pertaining to contrasting cultural belief systems between educators and students, or to socially-biased perspectives that are embedded in disciplinary values. These conflicts are implicated in the low recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in STEM. To address the relationship between culture and STEM diversity, I present a case study that examines the role of culturally-biased views of nature on the lack of diverse participation in ecology and environmental biology. I conclude by advocating the use of inclusive, culturally-sensitive teaching practices that can improve the climate for underrepresented students and increase diverse recruitment and retention in STEM.
“…Fortunately, education scholars are already engaging in this study. Educational spaces are being re‐envisioned and reconfigured to “burst open” new perspectives on transformative environmental education for Black and Indigenous youth (Nxumalo & Ross, ; Vakil & Ayers, , p. 435). Educators are partnering with members of local communities to identify place‐based problems that not only engage STEM practices and tools (Morales‐Doyle, ), but also intertwine those practices and tools with Indigenous knowledge systems in ways that expand, deepen, and strengthen both (Tzou et al, ).…”
Section: Implications For Science Educationmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…As we consider what it would mean to bring science education “down to Earth,” we turn to an imagined future learning space woven by Nxumalo and Ross (). In their re‐imagined pedagogy, cadres of Black and Indigenous children learn within nature; Nyawela, cadre leader, explains her approach to new families:Here, we work through the environment.…”
Section: Implications For Science Educationmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…In learning with nature, for example, your children will build on what they intuitively know about the significance of their relationship to the more than human world. We will embark to comprehend, on a visceral level, the depths of our people's history with water, with animals and other beings, and with the land (Nxumalo & Ross, , p. 514).…”
Section: Implications For Science Educationmentioning
Natural history, loosely defined as the observational study of organisms in the habitats where they occur, is recognized at the roots of ecology. Although the centrality of natural history in ecology has shifted over time, natural history is currently in resurgence: many again consider it to be the foundation of ecological and evolutionary inquiry and advocate the value of organism‐centered approaches to address contemporary ecological challenges. Educators identify natural history as the foundational entryway into the practice of ecology, for example in the Ecological Society of America's Four‐Dimensional Ecology Education (4DEE) framework. A strong natural history foundation can help generate testable hypotheses to refine mechanistic understanding of the drivers regulating species distributions and abundances and to inform restoration and conservation efforts. Given the resurgence of natural history as the foundation for ecological knowledge and practice, it is important to recognize that natural history has a long history of racism that has impacted ecological thought and priorities. This history shapes not only who conducts ecological science but also foundational ecological concepts. For example, natural history's emphasis on pristine nature untouched by humans disregards or appropriates stewardship and knowledge of most of the world's population. Because of the legacy of chattel slavery, this exclusion is particularly strong for people of African descent. This exclusion narrows ecological inquiry, limits the capacity to find solutions to ecological problems, and risks interventions that perpetuate the relation between eugenics, ecological knowledge, and natural systems. If ecology is to become an inclusive, responsive, and resilient discipline, this knowledge gap must be addressed. We here present the colonial and racist underpinnings of natural history and offer strategies to expand inclusion in the study of nature. Natural history was steeped in racism, providing a hierarchy of cultures and a taxonomy of races. Complementing growing interest in traditional and Indigenous ecological knowledge, we focus on Black ecological knowledge, for example in the study of “maroon ecologies.” Addressing the racist history of natural history is necessary for removing structural and racist barriers to diverse participation and expanding ecological knowledge bases in service of better and more just science.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
