HISTORICAL AND REFLECTIVE NARRATIVES FOR CREATING AWARENESS ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIETY AND CULTURE IN THE GEOSCIENCES

Current science education efforts emphasize the need to train students to understand the influence of society and culture in science. In the geosciences, training students to understand this domain of science does not only promote their interest and community engagement in the field, but also has the potential to promote awareness about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) issues. However, explicit instructional activities that promote students learning of the role of society and culture in science remain scant. A promising approach suggested and speculated by researchers is historical approach that integrates explicit cultural and societal issues in science. In this study a two-day class unit intervention that integrates explicit nature of science objectives and the role played by culture and society in the development of the plate tectonics theory was introduced in an undergraduate course for non-science majors. We measured the influence of the lesson on students’ awareness and knowledge about the influence of society and culture on science through reflection essays after the lesson. Deductive and inductive analysis of the reflections indicated that explicit instruction through history provided an avenue for students to develop awareness about society and culture influence in science such as representation, genderism, and support for minority knowledge. Results imply that geoscience educators should consider using an explicit and reflective approach when teaching about nature of science issues.