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Source publication
In this paper we build a conceptual framework to argue for culturally compelling instruction that leads to teaching for change. Culturally compelling instruction calls for a substantive shift in how teachers view their students, communities, and what the perspective might mean for students’ future when they have access to alternative learning oppor...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... is moments like these where teachers might embrace student dialogue that may not appear to be a part of their agenda, yet relevant within the context. Figure 1 is the K-W-L chart that the children generated across multiple lessons over a two-week period. To foster an inclusive learning environment all of the children had an opportunity to contribute their thoughts and experiences. ...
Citations
... This study aligns all three conceptual frameworks to 1) garner teachers' appreciation for culturally competent instruction; and 2) educate students on the importance of social justice and environmental equity. Boyd et al. (2019) offered that culturally competent instruction "encourages teachers to take a stance and assume responsibility and ownership for their own decisions about the curriculum and instructional delivery" (p. 1). ...
Superfund sites and other deleterious environmental conditions plague urban America and Black communities at disproportionate rates. While routes of exposure vary encompassing epigenetic factors; primary exposure; and lifestyle, most are marginalized or prevalent among minority populations living near Superfund sites and other origins of pollution. Deficient in scientific literacy, many affected persons are unable to comprehend the extent to which environmental pollution contributes to adverse health. This multiple methods comparative case study sought to: 1) introduce students and teachers to the concept of Superfund Sites; 2) encourage teachers to adjust curricula to address issues within one’s community and culture; and 3) expose students to a culturally competent curriculum that promotes environmental awareness and self-advocacy. Theoretically framed by culturally compelling instruction and place-based science teaching and learning perspectives, this study collected pre- and post-implementation data on students’ understanding of environmental pollution and the consequence of such exposure to human health. Interviews with teachers were conducted to understand their perspectives on culturally competent science curricula and in what ways, if any, they incorporate environmental justice into their instruction.
... The classroom environment that Monica encouraged was one where students had a voice and she listened to what they had to say (Boyd, Ridgeway and Nyachae 2019). This classroom environment led students to ask any question that came to mind. ...
The contributions, participation, and exploitation of Black people within science and science education are devalued within the cannon of science teaching and learning. This in part is due to the Eurocentric nature of science and education. As a result, Black youth participate in science regularly; however, it is overlooked, not recognized, and/or misinterpreted within formal learning experiences. In this qualitative case study, the authors address this tension through the oral traditions of storytelling which historicize Black excellence in science while centering the voices and engagement of youth as scientists. This work is guided by critical race theory as a means of critiquing science education and its practices. While presenting a counter-narrative to mainstream science descriptions of Black youth, the authors posit the role of liberatory science education for Black learners.
... We caution against pedagogy that takes a deficit-based approach and re-creates hierarchies between those who "help" and those who need help (Grusky, 2000;Nieusma & Riley, 2010). Furthermore, students need not go abroad to witness inequity; they can work to solve problems affecting marginalized groups within their local communities, such as residents of Flint, Michigan, devastated by lead poisoning, who are disproportionately Black (Agyeman, Schlosberg, Craven, & Matthews, 2016;Boyd, Ridgeway, & Nyachae, 2018). Such exposure could help students understand the contextual factors shaping the problem and their own contribution to it. ...
Background
Research shows that engineering and computing students who are marginalized by race and/or gender and experience social suffering often wish to challenge social inequities through their vocation, an attribute we refer to as an equity ethic. This study explores how doctoral engineering and computing students develop this attribute even when they do not directly experience social suffering.
Purpose/Hypothesis
We explored the relationship between (a) doctoral engineering and computing students' experiences with social suffering and their development of an equity ethic and (b) their equity ethic and career interests.
Design/Method
We present a thematic analysis of the transcripts of in‐depth, semistructured interviews with 18 engineering and computing PhD students, coding for experiences with social suffering, degree of equity ethic, and their career interests.
Results
Students with an equity ethic who aspired to reduce inequities within their disciplines personally experienced or witnessed social suffering within and outside academia. Students with “high potential” for developing this attribute who aspired to help others with their disciplines acknowledged social suffering. While both those with an equity ethic and those with high potential saw inequities as socially caused, those with an equity ethic reported more impactful experiences with social suffering, resulting in greater empathy and responsibility to respond. Several students described neither altruistic nor social justice concerns (students with low potential) and did not experience social suffering directly or indirectly. Those with an equity ethic or high potential often showed interest in academia.
Conclusions
Most participants expressed concerns for helping others in their occupations. This result suggests a nascent equity ethic that could be cultivated through intentional programmatic efforts.
