Dataset Information

Integration of the Topic of Social Justice into High School Biology Curricula.

ABSTRACT: Systemic oppression includes inequitable education that historically does not fully prepare students for comprehensive participation in society. The tools of science education, however, uniquely enable students to explore social inequities as well as the natural world. Thus, a role of education can be to embed social justice in science curricula. Presented here are three case studies that investigate pedagogical methods used by experienced teachers to integrate social justice into upper level high-school biology curricula. Two separate semi-constructed interviews were conducted with participants, along with an analysis of their pedagogical materials. Two main themes are identified and explored: (1) delivery methods (pedagogy) and (2) biological science content. Storytelling and culturally responsive pedagogy were reported to be highly effective in engaging students; using these vehicles for delivery, social justice content can be seamlessly introduced alongside organic evolution. This embedded exploratory multiple-case study serves as an example of how science education can become a tool for student empowerment.

Supplementary information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11191-021-00287-y.

SUBMITTER: Upegui D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8503382 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Integration of the Topic of Social Justice into High School Biology Curricula.

Upegui David D Coiro Julie J Battle Stefan S Kraus Rudolf R Fastovsky David D

Science & education 20211011 4

Systemic oppression includes inequitable education that historically does not fully prepare students for comprehensive participation in society. The tools of science education, however, uniquely enable students to explore social inequities as well as the natural world. Thus, a role of education can be to embed social justice in science curricula. Presented here are three case studies that investigate pedagogical methods used by experienced teachers to integrate social justice into upper level hi ...[more]

PMID: 34658533

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Project description:ImportanceDespite being one of the fastest-growing populations in the US, the Asian American population is often misrepresented in and omitted from health research and policy debate. There is a current lack of understanding of how Asian American populations are portrayed in medical school curricula.ObjectiveTo assess how Asian American populations and their subgroups are represented in medical school curricula.Design, setting, and participantsIn this qualitative study, the content of 632 lectures from all 19 courses of the preclinical curriculum at a single US institution from the academic year 2020 to 2021 was analyzed to identify and characterize unique mentions of race and ethnicity as well as granular ethnicity. Among the 632 lectures, we identified 256 nonrepetitive, unique mentions of race and ethnicity or granular ethnicity. These unique mentions were coded and analyzed for emerging patterns of use.Main outcomes and measuresStudy outcomes included (1) the frequency of specific racial and ethnic categories mentioned in the curriculum, (2) the relative proportion of mentions of race and ethnicity that involved or included Asian American data by courses and context, and (3) key themes representing emerging patterns found from qualitative analysis of curriculum content for mentions of Asian American populations or lack thereof.ResultsAmong the 632 lectures, 256 nonrepetitive mentions of race and ethnicity or granular ethnicity were identified; of these, Asian American populations and/or their subgroups were mentioned in 79 of the instances (30.9%). The most common terms used to denote Asian American populations were Asian, with 36 mentions (45.6%); followed by Japanese, with 10 mentions (12.7%); and Chinese, with 8 mentions (10.1%). Overall, there were 26 mentions (10.2%) of American Indian or Alaska Native populations, 12 mentions (4.7%) of Asian and Pacific Islander or Asian American and Pacific Islander populations, 67 mentions (26.2%) of Asian or Asian American populations, 143 mentions (55.9%) of Black or African American populations, 62 mentions (24.2%) of Hispanic or Latino populations, 4 mentions (1.6%) of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander populations, and 154 mentions (60.2%) of White populations. During the analysis of the curriculum for representation of Asian American populations, the following 5 key themes emerged from the data: (1) omission, (2) aggregation, (3) inconsistent categorization, (4) misidentification of granular ethnicity, and (5) association of race and ethnicity with disease.Conclusions and relevanceThis qualitative study suggests that the curriculum from a single US medical school largely mirrors the inappropriate use of race and ethnicity found in published health literature and clinical guidelines. Solutions with long-term results will require collaboration among diverse groups of interest to adopt inclusive research programs and design. Such solutions could better equip students in combating race-based medicine and could promote community outreach programs built based on trust.

Dataset Information

Integration of the Topic of Social Justice into High School Biology Curricula.

Supplementary information

Publications

Integration of the Topic of Social Justice into High School Biology Curricula.

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