ERIC Number: EJ1198483
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Dec
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1326-0111
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Tomato Pip's Story: Creative Narratives as Bridging Cultural and Science Discourses for Indigenous Students
Shortland, Lorrin Ruihi; Locke, Terry
Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, v47 n2 p171-184 Dec 2018
This article reports on what happened when a Rumaki putaiao kaiako (Science) teacher at a New Zealand high school trialled the use of creative narratives with her Year-10 students as a way of developing their understanding of the human digestive system. These students were members of the school's Maori immersion unit, and creative narratives were in part utilised as a bridge between science discourse and the cultural knowledges these students brought to their learning. In this case study, students developed 'Tomato Pip' narratives through four versions, which told the story of a tomato pip travelling through the human digestive system. Word-count data based on these versions and from a summative test were analysed and correlations found between test scores and three categories of word-count total (total words, total science words and total discrete science words). A discourse analysis of one student's narratives identified two distinct voices in these texts: the personal narrator and the emerging biologist. Questionnaire and focus-group data indicated that the use of creative narratives was both motivational to these students and effective as a bridge into science discourse mastery. It is argued that the findings have implications for disciplinary literacy theory, Indigenous education and science instruction.
Descriptors: Science Instruction, Indigenous Populations, Indigenous Knowledge, Science Teachers, Foreign Countries, Secondary School Teachers, Grade 9, Human Body, Story Telling, Discourse Analysis, Personal Narratives, Ethnic Groups, Pacific Islanders
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education; Grade 9; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A