Presents a role for indigenous knowledge in extension education and research programs. Defines indigenous knowledge and then predicts efforts to utilize indigenous knowledge to facilitate the development of agriculture systems that will be agronomically, environmentally, and economically sound and enhance acceptance by practitioners because of the…

In the mountains of western Guatemala, Maya K'iche communities draw on extensive indigenous knowledge of the local ecosystem to manage sections of forest allocated as community responsibility for generations. Supported by spiritual beliefs, community elders seek to guide the use and preservation of the forest despite illegal loggers, corrupt…

Since their establishment in 1916, Thai universities have faithfully performed the duty of transferring Western knowledge to Thai society, at the expense of creating a body of knowledge within the country. They have neglected Thai traditional knowledge. Consequently, the knowledge that has been taught in Thai universities has not been in harmony…

This research investigated the sources of explanations and understanding of natural phenomena in terms of the students' cultural and school science experiences. The first phase involved interviews with eight village elders that probed their explanations and understanding of natural phenomena. The second phase involved the design, development and…

Canadian health regions are required to set priorities and allocate resources within a limited funding envelope. Program budgeting and marginal analysis (PBMA) was piloted in continuing care in Claresholm, Alberta, with the aim of improving overall benefit from available resources. A marginal-analysis expert panel was used to assess options for…

Teaching methodologies and uses of competitive intelligence and competitive technical intelligence in countries where the culture and the technological level are very different from the western world cannot be implemented without a cultural understanding of the tacit local knowledge and cultural behavior of people. As an example of…

One perpetual concern among Indigenous Australian peoples is authenticity of voice. Who has the right to speak for, and to make representations about, the knowledges and cultures of Indigenous Australian peoples? Whose voice is more authentic, and what happens to these ways of knowing when they make the journey into mainstream Western academic…

While psychology has tended to focus on urban issues in research and practice, rural areas have undergone a series of changes in recent years that have increased the need for behavioral health services. A variety of social and economic factors has contributed both to the increasing needs and to the inability of the existing services to meet them.…

During the winter and spring of 2003, the Survey Research Laboratory conducted a survey of residents of the Ida Wells and Madden Park housing developments on Chicago's near-south side. This article reviews existing research findings on using indigenous interviewers and reports the findings about the benefits and challenges of using residents as…

This paper reports on the challenges that were experienced as I engaged in an action research project in which I designed and enacted a cross-cultural unit of work entitled "Maintaining Health". George has advocated the use of traditional knowledge as a strategy for increasing the relevance of science curricula within the Trinidad and…

This planning study was designed and conducted in a predominantly rural Canadian province to examine the strengths and learning needs of four categories of nursing staff practising in New Brunswick nursing homes. Participants included directors of care, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and resident attendants. The nursing homes ranged…

Many South-African learners, bringing their particular cultural identity to the higher education environment, find it challenging to achieve the academic literacy required for successful mastery of their studies. Though they want to realize academic success, a cultural chasm may exist between their cultural roots and their academic identity. This…

This article reports the results of a qualitative field study of the ethnotherapeutic treatment practices of "curanderos," the practitioners of traditional Mexican medicine, and their effectiveness in the treatment of mental illness. Three healers and their patients from the southwestern state of Oaxaca participated in the study. The…

In November 2001, elders, youth, educators, culture bearers, and community members came together to speak from within their own experiences about the critical issues and challenges facing Native people in the 21st century and to envision the positive thinking required for future generations. This proceedings documents 34 oral presentations and…

A panel of Indigenous staff from the Koori Centre of the University of Sydney (Australia) presented challenges, issues, and opportunities facing the field of Indigenous research in education. A new paradigm for Indigenous research is emerging in Australia that recognizes the value and efficacy of Indigenous knowledge systems and that aims to…