Making Science Assessment Culturally Valid for Aboriginal Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14288/cjne.v32i2.196494Abstract
Developing visible and meaningful connections between Western school science andAboriginal science will bring school science closer to home experiences fo r Aboriginalstudents, giving them greater confidence, increased self-esteem, more initiative, andcreativity (Cajete, 1994; Shizha, 2007). Developing these connections is achieved inpart through creating culturally responsive assessment practices in science classrooms from a sociocultural perspective. Such a perspective sees knowledge and learning in terms o f the relationship between an individual and his or her environment(Gee, 2008; Mislevy, 2006). It is imperative that science assessments reflect the ideathat culture and society play a critical role in cognitive development (Solano-Flores &Nelson-Barber, 2001). Science assessments related to Aboriginal experiences and developed in collaboration with Aboriginal community members will have greater cultural validity and develop the connections between Western and Aboriginal science.Attaining greater cultural validity in science assessments occurs when the focus ofschool science changes from a positivistic, assimilative perspective to a more sociocultural perspective.