Coloniality, Western Science, and Critical Ethnic Studies in STEM Education

Author

LaToya M. Strong, The Graduate Center, City University of New YorkFollow

Date of Degree

2-2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Program

Urban Education

Advisor

Jennifer Adams

Committee Members

Edwin Mayorga

Gillian Bayne

Wendy Luttrell

Subject Categories

Curriculum and Instruction | Curriculum and Social Inquiry | Digital Humanities | Ethnic Studies | History of Science, Technology, and Medicine | Science and Mathematics Education

Keywords

abolition science, curriculum studies, decolonial, podcast, STEM, transdisciplinary

Abstract

In this dissertation, I use a critical transdisciplinary approach to examine how the coloniality of Western Science impacts science education teaching, learning, and research. Weaving together Black geographies, settler colonialism, and decolonial theory, I illustrate how the historical, symbiotic relationship between colonization and Western Science created a culture that continues to shape modern science practices and science education. The coloniality of Western Science was codified into science education, resulting in three approaches to teaching, learning and research—the assimilationist model, the capitalist model, and the imperialist model. Moving from theory to research, I collaborated with STEM educators over six weeks to explore how critical ethnic studies could disrupt the coloniality that undergirds science education. Through a collective and generative process, the group created a resource for educators to use in their practice. This project lays the groundwork for using critical ethnic studies in science educational settings and opens up new programmatic possibilities for educational researchers and science teacher education programs.

Recommended Citation

Strong, LaToya M., "Coloniality, Western Science, and Critical Ethnic Studies in STEM Education" (2023). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/5269