The Integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Science Curriculum in Canada: Content analysis of grades 7 and 8 official curriculum documents Eun-Ji Amy Kim Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the Master of Arts in Education Department of Society, Culture and Literacies Faculty of Education University of Ottawa © Eun-Ji Amy Kim, Ottawa, Canada, 2012 INTEGRATION OF TEK IN SCIENCE CURRICULUM IN CANADA Acknowledgment This is it. This is the beginning (or the final work) of this manuscript. I would like to thank all of my professors at the University of Ottawa, who inspired and shared their knowledge and expertise with me. I would like to thank especially my thesis committee: Dr. Liliane Dionne, Dr. Giuliano Reis and Dr. Richard Maclure. Dr. Liliane Dionne, Merci pour ton support et dévouement à ce projet. I’ve learned many academic and life lessons from you. When I was frustrated over this thesis project, you said: “Be confident and you will succeed.” Thanks for encouraging me throughout this journey. Your devotion and enthusiasm to your students and researches has inspired me. I’ve learned a lot from you. Merci, Dr. Dionne! Dr. Giuliano Reis, without you, I would have never met Dr. Dionne. You were the one who referred me to Dr. Dionne and helped me in deciding to pursue graduate studies. From my B. Ed. biology class to this thesis project, your ideas and insights on science education always have inspired me. Thank you again. Dr. Richard Maclure, though I have not taken any courses with you, reading about your works relating to marginalized youth and international education gave me a lot of insights. Despite your busy schedule, you always managed to help me to structure this manuscript and challenged me throughout this journey. Because of these challenges, I’ve became a more critical thinker and a researcher. Thank you! Professors from other departments and universities -- Dr. Gordon Robinson from the University of Manitoba and Dr. Marcelo Saavedra-Vargas from the Aboriginal Studies -- thank you so much for providing me with the great resources and putting me in touch with people that I could talk to and learn more from. Your guidance and support helped me tremendously. i INTEGRATION OF TEK IN SCIENCE CURRICULUM IN CANADA I would also like to thank my fellow CCGSE, EGSA, STP-Educarium and SASS graduate student mentoring groups. Being a grad student can be very lonely. But, with you tous et toutes, I was able to share my stories with you and to create many great memories along the road. Especially all my colleagues who are now in Ph.D. programs, thank you again for giving me advice on Ph.D. applications, how to get through the M.A proposal mayhem, and most importantly, how to keep your sanity and “STAY POSITIVE” in the final phase of finishing this manuscript. Thank you all. My family, without your support, I would have never been able to be where I am now. Dad and Mom, your humorous phone calls and encouraging emails always motivated and comforted me. Without your prayers and support I would have never finished my studies or decided to continue to learn more. You two have always told me that whenever there is an opportunity to learn, don’t worry about anything and just GO and learn and seize the opportunities. Because of your dedication to my education, I was able to focus on learning more, and being a better person without having to “worry about anything”. 엄마아빠감사합니다. To my lovely siblings: Eun-Sun and Sung-Jin, thank you! You two have been the best siblings I could ever ask for! You both helped me when I first moved to Ottawa, kept me company every night on the phone, and planned all house events and trips, which were awesome! Most importantly, Sung-Jin, you fixed my laptop numerous times! Thank you! I would like also thank my God, for giving me the passion and the opportunity to work with Aboriginal people, Mr. Donald Mearns from the Nunavut Department of Education and Tasha Ausman from the Western Quebec School Board for providing me with the documents needed for this project, my girls from Grassy Narrows: Shaylene, Sally, Phyllis, Meaghan, Ayana, Jill, and Kyla, my roommate Queeverne and Takwana for reading various papers that I ii INTEGRATION OF TEK IN SCIENCE CURRICULUM IN CANADA wrote this year, including a part of this manuscript and listening and putting up with all my funny (or not-so-funny) stories, Philippe for your time and assistance in formatting and providing all other technologies used for this project and finally, my best friends from everywhere – Alice Kitty, Ellen and Mimi, Thank you Thank you Thank you! Oh yes...I also have to thank the Rage comics, Ph.D. comics and my coffee maker. iii INTEGRATION OF TEK IN SCIENCE CURRICULUM IN CANADA Table of Content Acknowledgment..................................................................................................................................... i Table of Content .................................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ...................................................................................................................................... viii List of Tables .......................................................................................................................................... ix List of Appendices ............................................................................................................................... xii List of Abbreviations ......................................................................................................................... xiii Abstract .................................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 2 CHAPTER ONE ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Literature Review and Research Questions ................................................................................ 4 The Experiences of Aboriginal Students in Mainstream Science Education ............................... 4 Cup of Water: Interconnectedness of Knowledge and Science ......................................................... 7 Indigenous Sciences, Indigenous Knowledge and Traditional Ecological Knowledge ............ 9 The Status of Science Education in Society and the Status of WMS in Canadian Science Curricula ........................................................................................................................................................... 11 Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Science Education ................................................ 14 The Status of TEK in Canadian Science Curricula ............................................................................... 18 Research Questions ............................................................................................................................ 19 Quantitative Questions ................................................................................................................................ 20 Qualitative Questions ................................................................................................................................... 20 CHAPTER TWO ..................................................................................................................................... 22 Methodology ......................................................................................................................................... 22 Epistemology ................................................................................................................................................... 22 iv INTEGRATION OF TEK IN SCIENCE CURRICULUM IN CANADA Data Source ...................................................................................................................................................... 23 Data Collection ................................................................................................................................................ 24 Procedure ......................................................................................................................................................... 24 Data Analysis: Content Analysis ............................................................................................................... 25 CHAPTER THREE ................................................................................................................................. 35 Results ..................................................................................................................................................... 35 British Columbia (BC) ........................................................................................................................ 36 Results for Quantitative Questions ......................................................................................................... 36 Results for Qualitative Questions ............................................................................................................ 39 Nunavut (NVT) ....................................................................................................................................