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AFRICAN Worldview and School Science
Abstract
The purpose of the paper was to discuss the influence of AFRICAN worldview on school science. The paper discussed the attributes of the two world views and compared the two to locate their influences on one another. An attempt was made to discuss the implications of their interactions on science curriculum planning and development and science teaching and learning.
... The science education literature is replete with arguments about the relationships between scientific literacy and the African worldview (Abimbola, 1977;cobern, 1995& Ogunlana, 1976). The purpose of this paper is to examine the concepts of scientific literacy and African worldview and draw implications for sustainable development of science education in African. ...
... Despite these advantages, citizens in countries reputed for their advantages scientific and technological development, are scored low on indices of scientific literacy. An African World View According to Abimbola (1977), a world views is generally considered the body of beliefs, assumptions, and sentiments with which a people confront an organized life. Cobern (1995) defines a worldviews as "the set of fundamental nonrational presuppositions on which … conceptions of reality are grounded" (P.7). ...
... This was the case when the rational, hypothetico-deductive, and experimental methods of science dominated the science scene. This was, looking back now, the basis for Abimbola's (1977) disillusionment with perfect science in the face of deep-rooted African worldview that refused to yield to scientific explanations. With the ascendancy of the new philosophy of science (Abimbola, 1983;Brown, 1977;Kuhn, 1970) and its accommodation of non-logical elements in science and African worldview. ...
There have been arguments about the relationships between scientific literacy and the African worldview. The purpose of this paper is to examine the concepts of scientific literacy and African worldview and draw implications for sustainable development of science education in African. First, I present the definitions of the concepts of scientific literacy and African worldview to reveal their nature and characteristics. Second, I undertake a critical review of literature on the relationships between the two to identify their similarities and difference in form and content to enable me draw implications for sustainable development of science education in the continent. I use the following areas of Science Education to guide the discussion-policy, curriculum development, teaching and learning, teacher education and research. Finally, conclude the paper with a summary and a set of actionable recommendations that would foster the development of a sustainable scientific culture in Africa without loss of Africanness.
... A situation where another framework knowledge was allowed to interfere with curricular framework knowledge was reported by Roelfs (1988) where 3l% of teachers in his study treated evolution along with alternative explanations that were not necessarily specified in the curriculum. Also, Abimbola (1977), Oyinloye (1991) and Seton (1985) have described situations in which superstitious beliefs held by secondary school students adversely affected their achievements in science subjects. For instance, Oyinloye (1991) it is not necessarily wrong as far as the discipline is concerned. ...
This paper revisits the problem of terminology in the study of student conceptions in science. Progress on the resolution of the problem is reviewed first. Then, an analysis is performed on the knowledge of science subdividing it into components such as disciplinary, curricular, experiential, and personal knowledge. An attempt is then made to analyze how these four components of knowledge might interact in research settings to produce different contexts. Based on these analyses, it is suggested that the appropriateness of a particular term as a descriptor of science knowledge might be dependent on specific research contexts that science education researchers need to make more explicit. It seems misconceptions, alternative conceptions, and knowledge can coexist within each research context. How they might do this, and researchers' inferences about them, including underlying thought processes need to be documented. Remediation strategies would then vary with each type of conceptions and with each context. K e y w o r d s : p h i l o s o p h y , C o n c e p ABSTRACT This paper revisits the problem of terminology in the study of student conceptions in science. Progress on the resolution of the problem is reviewed first. Then, an analysis is performed on the knowledge of science subdividing it into components such as disciplinary, curricular, experiential, and personal knowledge. An attempt is then made to analyze how these four components of knowledge might interact in research settings to produce different contexts. Based on these analyses, it is suggested that the appropriateness of a particular term as a descriptor of science knowledge might be dependent on specific research contexts that science education researchers need to make more explicit. It seems misconceptions, alternative conceptions, and knowledge can coexist within each research context. How they might do this, and researchers' inferences about them, including underlying thought processes need to be documented. Remediation strategies would then vary with each type of conceptions and with each context.
... Bukhari (2002) concluded in a relevant study that most Nigerian have confidence in superstitions that are prevalent among unlearned but such may not forecast wellbeing interference programme for people. Abimbola (1977) investigated the relationship between scientific literacy and African superstition. His main purpose was to examine whether scientific literacy inhibits the growth of African superstitious belief. ...
In Nigeria, almost every tribe has several superstitious beliefs which, tend to affect their day to day behavior. The current work investigated the relationship of such beliefs with personality traits in the southeast geopolitical zone of the country [specifically Igbo land]. The researchers used the Big 5 personality Inventory (BFPI) and the Igbo Culture Superstitious Belief Scale. The internal consistency reliability of the ICSBS ranged from .30 to .67. A total of 250 participants [94 males and 156 females, between 25 and 53 years, with the mean age of 36.99 and standard deviation 5.89] participated in the study. Multiple regression analysis was adopted. From the above result, openness to experience (Beta = .484, t=8.15, p<.05=.00) and Neuroticism (Beta = .391, t=6.36, p<.05=.00) had a significant correlation with superstitious belief, while Extraversion (Beta = .072, t=1.51, p<.05=.13), Agreeableness (Beta = .997, t=.98, p<.05=.33) and Conscientiousness (Beta =-.078, t=-1.60p<.05=.11). This implies that only Neuroticism and Openness to Experience had significant relationship with superstitious beliefs. It was therefore recommended that further research be conducted to better understand the unique characteristics of the Igbo people.
... Schlitz, Vieten and Miller (2010) mentioned that each individual has a personal description and explanation of the nature of reality, as such, genetic tendencies, religion, culture, and geographic region, together with all the experiences people have both internally and in relationship to their environments, give rise to their worldview, or their general way of viewing themselves and the world around them. Abimbola (1977) argued that to maintain equilibrium and sanity, there is need for some guiding principles, attitude and sentiments for making sense out of everyday occurrences and experiences. Therefore, these principles, attitude and sentiments when integrated, constitute a people's worldview. ...
This study investigated the effect of Dilemmatic Problem Solving Model on Physics students’ enhancement in their scientific worldview and decision making framework. Quasi-experimental research design, specifically, the non-randomization pretest-posttest control group was used for the study. A sample size of 122 Senior Secondary School 1 (SS1) Physics students were selected by Purposive sampling technique for the study in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State. Research instrument titled “Integrated Cognitive Reflection and Scientific Worldview Test in Physics and Decision Making Template” with a reliability coefficient index of 0.82 using the Kuder-Richardson-20 coefficient statistics was used to obtain data for the study. Data were analyzed using the mean statistics for the research questions while hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using the Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The study revealed that there was a significant difference between the performance of students based on their improvement in their scientific worldview and decision making framework in the experimental and control groups [F = 83.663, df = 122, p<0.05]. Dilemmatic Problem Solving Model (DPSM) enhances better improvement in students’ scientific worldview and decision making framework than the Lecture Teaching Method (LM). There was also a significant difference between the performance of male and female students [F = 75.861, df = 122, p>0.05]. Male students had better improvement in their scientific worldview and decision making framework than their female counterpart. It was recommended that Physics teachers should use the Dilemmatic Problem Solving Model (DPSM) in teaching concepts in physics so as to strengthen students’ scientific worldview and make quality decisions when confronted with task associated with natural phenomenon.
... A situation where another framework knowledge was allowed to interfere with curricular framework knowledge was reported by Roelfs (1988) where 3l% of teachers in his study treated evolution along with alternative explanations that were not necessarily specified in the curriculum. Also, Abimbola (1977), Oyinloye (1991) and Seton (1985) have described situations in which superstitious beliefs held by secondary school students adversely affected their achievements in science subjects. For instance, Oyinloye (1991) it is not necessarily wrong as far as the discipline is concerned. ...
This paper revisits the problem of terminology in the study of student conceptions in science (Abimbola, 1988). Progress on the resolution of the problem is reviewed first. Knowledge of science is then analyzed into disciplinary, curricular, experiential, and personal knowledge. The paper concludes that misconceptions, alternative conceptions, and knowledge can coexist in a research context. Remediation strategies will therefore vary with each type of conception.
... These are cultural questions about world view and the compatibility of various non-western world views with modern science (e.g. Abimbola 1977, Ogunniyi 1984. ...
In this paper it is argued that science education research and curriculum development efforts in non-western countries can benefit by adopting a constructivist view of science and science learning. The past efforts at transferring curricula from the West, and local development projects that result in curricula only marginally different from western curricula, stem from an acultural view of science. These efforts also ground science learning in concepts of logical thinking rather than understanding. The resulting level of science learning, however, has not met expectations. Constructivism offers a very different view of science and science learning. It assumes that logical thinking is an inherently human quality regardless of culture, and instead focuses attention on the processes of interpretation that lead to understanding. Constructivism leads on to expect that students in different cultures will have somewhat different perspectives on science. Science education research should inform curriculum projects that incorporate this point, thus making science curricula authentically sensitive to culture and authentically scientific. Japanese elementary science education based on the Japanese traditional love of nature is a good example.
While the whole world has been discussing the standards and strategy of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programmes as a driving force of biomedical sciences development, Ukrainian science is surviving under limited funding; lack of governmental supporting and systematic quality control; stagnation in national policy of Ph.D. education; and undeveloped international mobility scheme for Ph.D. students. Is it possible to implement high quality standards in such a microenvironment? Not yet. However, awareness of the problem is the first step in its solving. Two years of experience of M. Gorky Donetsk National Medical University’s (DonNMU) collaboration with the Organisation for Ph.D. Education in Biomedicine and Health Sciences in the European System (ORPHEUS) has revealed to the development of a new model of Ph.D. education, joining national rules and requirements, but directed to achieving of European standards. This model is funded by DonNMU and targets to the following milestones: (a) optimization of scientific supervision by selection of scientists whose papers are published abroad and cited in international scientific journals; (b) organization of Ph.D. education, including ethics and methodology of scientific research, biostatistics, and fundamental and specialized courses; (c) creation of research environment by implementation of modern methods in universities’ clinics and laboratories, and cooperation with leading laboratories and institutions in Ukraine and abroad; (d) development of multidisciplinary scientific projects approach by shifting of clinical medicine to fundamental sciences and collaboration with specialists on chemistry, physics, social sciences, etc.; and
(e) strict selection of Ph.D. candidates with certificated English and encouragement of international mobility of
Ph.D. students and dissemination of their achievement and experience. Indeed, it is a long and thorny path, but we believe that “You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-range failures”, as Charles Noble said.
The most important conceptualizations of quality of life have three basic pillars in their definitions: psychical
dimension, psychological dimension, and social dimension. We focus our attention on the social dimension and
specifically on how lifelong learning could improve seniors’ quality of life. The purpose of this study is to analyze
senior students’ social networks at the Universitat Oberta per a Majors (UOM), from the 2006-2007 to 2011-2012
academic years. Application of a social support questionnaire was used as a research method. A total of 261
questionnaires were validated. Dimensions of lost relationships (and sources), new relationships (and sources),
feelings of loneliness, perception of changes on their social network from five years beforehand and for the
following five years, and influence of the educative program in these changes were evaluated. Most of the sample
confirmed that they had lost relationships in the working environment, but in general, they have increased their
social network; feelings of loneliness were rare and they think that their social networks will be stable. They
considered that the UOM program had a strongly positive effect on their social networks. In conclusion, positive
effects of lifelong learning are demonstrated in this study, specifically improving senior students’ social networks.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.