DESIGNING PLACE-BASED, CULTURALLY INFORMED GEOSCIENCE ASSESSMENT: A MIXED METHODS APPROACH

We present a mixed-methods approach to community-based assessment design that engages Tribal College and University faculty, students, and science educators as well as experts in cultural knowledge from the Blackfeet and Diné (Navajo) Nations. Information from Blackfeet and Diné cultural experts, from Tribal College faculty, and from Native students at Blackfeet Community College (BCC) and Arizona State University (ASU) was gathered (via focus groups and surveys) and analyzed to identify important themes regarding assessment and geoscience content within the context of these communities. The data collection focused on the themes of geoscience, Native science, place, and culture. Participants provided a variety of examples of important geoscience concepts that focused on: (1) Traditional geoscience concepts (e.g., the composition of Earth materials); (2) Earth System concepts (e.g., the environment and ecosystems); and (3) Interactions between Native culture and geoscience (e.g., incorporation of Native language in science curriculum). The feedback provided by cultural experts, faculty and students is the basis for developing place-based and culturally informed geoscience assessments. Tribal College faculty and science educators as well as students from BCC and ASU also offered specific feedback on the question validity of select items from the Geoscience Concept Inventory (GCI), a standardized assessment instrument used to measure geoscience understanding. Emergent themes from the interview transcripts address assessment content, language and format and reference school science and cultural knowledge, physical places, and connections to the local landscape (i.e., sense of place). Together, these data address the validity of the GCI as a standardized assessment measure in these student populations, and provide the basis for developing new open-ended assessment questions and concept inventory-like questions that are place-based and culturally informed. New items have been developed with the Blackfeet community and we plan to have a second set of items with the Diné community this summer. We look to expand the application of this mixed-methods model to different geographic regions and cultural communities, and develop place-based assessment items that incorporate rural and urban contexts.