JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING VOL. 38, NO. 5, PP. 499±501 (2001)

PREFACE

Culture and Language in Science Education: What DoWe Know and What Do We Need to Know?

Okhee Lee

School of Education, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33124-2040

Received 3 January 2001; accepted 30 January 2001

As the nation's student population becomes more culturally and linguistically diverse,

science educators are increasingly aware of the need to address equity for these students. The

motivation for this special issue of JRST on language and culture in science education is to

examine what we know and what we need to know to ensure that all students achieve high

academic standards.

The research on culturally and linguistically diverse students in science education

challenges conventional notions of science content, learning, teaching, and assessment (Lee,

1999). The research has led to questions that ask what counts as science, what should be taught,

how science is taught, and how student learning can be assessed in valid and fair ways. As the

`̀ one size ®ts all'' approach from the mainstream perspective is challenged, alternative views of

science and science education are proposed.

Research on diversity and equity stimulates science educators to examine the nature of

science and science education as it has traditionally been de®ned in Western science (Lee, 1999;

Loving, 1997). What counts as science or what should be taught in school science is critically

important because this de®nition determines school science curriculum. Western science, as

traditionally practiced in the science community and taught in school science, is the `̀ high status

knowledge'' to which every student should have access in order to function competently in the

mainstream, in a global economy, and in an information society. There is no equity if students

are not provided with opportunities to learn Western science. At the same time, students from

diverse languages and cultures bring to the science classroom ways of knowing, talking, and

interacting that are sometimes different from those in the mainstream. When disparities abound

between school science and students' cultures, the quality of educational experience suffers if

Western science is imposed on students who do not share its system of meanings, symbols, and

practices.

Equitable instruction and assessment practices for diverse students involve consideration of

their cultural and linguistic experiences in preparing them to function competently in the

ß 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

institutions of power as well as in their homes and communities. Instruction should enable

diverse students to connect their cultural norms with mainstream expectations. Instruction

should also allow diverse students to meet national standards as well as maintain their cultural

and linguistic identities. In addition, assessment practices should maximize opportunities

to demonstrate diverse students' knowledge and abilities in ways compatible with their

backgrounds.

To achieve equitable outcomes with diverse students, teachers need to have both knowledge

of science and understanding of the students' languages and cultures (Lee & Fradd, 1998). It is a

challenge for teachers to integrate science and students' languages and cultures in ways that are

meaningful and relevant for their students. It is particularly challenging when cultural norms for

students' classroom participation and mainstream expectations may be incompatible (Fradd &

Lee, 1999). Because of such differences, teachers may fail to recognize, ignore, or even

disparage the knowledge and experiences that the students bring to the learning process. The

demands placed on teachers are exacerbated by the fact that culturally and linguistically diverse

students are often found in inner-city schools with limited educational resources and low

academic expectations. From early grades on, these students are often tracked into low

performing schools, classrooms, and groups.

The articles in this special issue examine science content, learning, teaching, and

assessment with students from diverse languages and cultures. They illustrate dilemmas that

arise when the nature of science traditionally de®ned as Western science is in con¯ict with

alternative views of science in diverse languages and cultures in instruction (Tippins et al.) and

assessment (Solano-Flores & Nelson-Barber). Tensions also arise between the ways science is

taught in school and alternative views that diverse students bring to the science classroom in

secondary (Yerrick & Gilbert) and post-secondary settings (Lewis & Collins). On the other hand,

when diverse students are provided with equitable opportunities, they capitalize on their

linguistic and cultural resources in ways that may be unrecognized in science classrooms

(Solano-Flores & Nelson-Barber and Warren et al.). These contrasting but potentially

complementary viewsÐdiversity as a barrier to be overcome versus diversity as a potential

asset enriching the resources of learning communitiesÐrun through all these papers, with

varying degrees of emphasis on one side or the other.

This special issue consists of articles, followed by conclusions from Sharon Lynch high-

lighting key themes emerging from this set of papers as well as unique contributions of each

paper. In addition to advancing our research agenda, these papers have implications for other

topics and questions that also need be considered, such as educational policies related to

standards-based and systemic reform, high-stakes testing and accountability, instructional

technology, and school ± community connections. For example, the authors suggest potential

dif®culties and con¯icts when culturally based approaches to instruction and assessment are put

into practice in the context of high-stakes testing and accountability (Solano-Flores & Nelson-

Barber and Warren et al.). To explore the links between research, on one hand, and practice and

policy, on the other, both large-scale and in-depth studies need to be conducted using a range of

research methods. As educational practices and policies on culturally and linguistically diverse

students gain attention, a corresponding research agenda will continue to expand. We hope that

by extending our research knowledge base, this special issue on language and culture in science

education will inform practitioners and policy makers who seek to provide equitable educational

opportunities for all students, including those from diverse languages and cultures.

The editors of this special issue thank the authors of these ®ve articles for advancing our

understanding in this area, as well as express our gratitude to the authors of 17 other manuscripts

submitted for publication consideration. Due to space limitations for this issue, some of these

500 LEE

papers have been relayed to other issues (see Fusco & Barton in March 2001 and Moje et al. in

April 2001) or are in the revision and resubmission pipeline and may appear in the future. The

editors also acknowledge the constructively critical and thoughtful comments by the reviewers

of the submitted manuscripts. Finally, the editors appreciate the guidance and insights of Andy

Anderson, JRST editor, throughout the process of this special issue.

References

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Gilbert, A., & Yerrick, R. (2001). Same school, separate worlds: A sociocultural study of

identity, resistance, and negotiation in a rural, lower track science classroom. Journal of

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PREFACE 501