Decolonizing Engineering Education: Tensions, Contexts, and Commitments Across Four National Settings

This position paper critically evaluated the integration of indigenous knowledge into the South African Technology Education curriculum. Using a robust theoretical framework, it compared the historical significance of indigenous practices with the contemporary landscape of technology education. By conducting an in-depth review of existing literature and analysing ongoing curricular initiatives, the paper elucidated both the challenges and advantages of such integration. Despite encountering institutional and pedagogical hurdles, the incorporation of indigenous knowledge enriches technology education by providing a contextualised, culturally sensitive, and comprehensive learning experience. The findings in this paper highlight the necessity of addressing barriers to effectively integrate indigenous knowledge into the curriculum. Strategic recommendations are proposed to overcome these challenges and enhance the integration process. Central to these recommendations is the recognition of the indispensable role of indigenous knowledge in shaping a more inclusive and forward-thinking Technology Education landscape in South Africa. Finally, this paper underscores the imperative of acknowledging and incorporating indigenous knowledge systems into the Technology Education curriculum. Doing so not only enriches students’ understanding of technology but also promotes cultural appreciation and holistic learning. By embracing indigenous knowledge, South Africa can advance towards a more inclusive and culturally relevant approach to Technology Education, ensuring that all learners benefit from a well contextually grounded educational experience. Keywords: Indigenous Knowledge (IK), Technology Education, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Decolonization of Knowledge, Constructivist Learning Curriculum Integration.

Indigenous peoples live in, manage and own large areas of land that are often rich in biodiversity. Their management is based on Indigenous knowledge systems that have sustained their societies over millennia, and carry insights critical for sustainability. Indigenous peoples and communities across the world maintain traditional and cultural connections amongst and within their own societies, and to their traditional lands. Many of these connections support Indigenous ways of life, identity and cultural belief systems that form the basis of knowledge systems. Indigenous people's governance systems influence the application of Indigenous knowledge, and therefore the management of landscapes, including protected areas. For protected areas, the cornerstone of biodiversity conservation, understanding how Indigenous knowledge is recognised and supported by Indigenous governance is vital. Therefore, this research examines the conditions under which Indigenous governance systems recognise and support the application of Indigenous knowledge, through a comparative analysis between two world heritage areas, one in Australia and one in Sweden. Analysis of different concepts of Indigenous knowledge and models of Indigenous governance systems, within Australia and Sweden, is central to addressing key policy and practice issues in Indigenous land management for biodiversity conservation outcomes. Furthermore, investigation of the interrelationship between Indigenous governance and Indigenous knowledge, through an Indigenous lens, focusing on Indigenous epistemology, ontology and worldview, provides Indigenous perspectives and insights. The research also embeds me, an Aboriginal woman from the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, in the research, allowing incorporation of critical understandings and perspectives that reflect Indigenous lived and shared experiences. I developed an 'Empowering Indigenous Lens' methodology, embedding Indigenous worldviews, ontologies and epistemologies to undertake this research. The Empowering Indigenous Lens recognises Indigenous knowledges in a place-based context, so emphasis can be drawn from the shared lives, experiences and knowledges of the Indigenous peoples from that place, informing and influencing the methodology. Practical application of the Empowering Indigenous Lens methodology is guided by its Walking Together approach. Five key stages to the Walking Together approach include: invitation; conversation and interview; analysis; feedback; and reinterpretation. This approach reflects fundamental Indigenous cultural protocols of 'giving back' to Indigenous peoples and communities. Further, the practice of shared experiences through Walking Together remains in effect throughout the research process, therefore implementing the Empowering Indigenous Lens. To enable effective application of the Indigenous lens, a case study methodology was adopted. A case approach best supported this research as it supports culturally-sensitive investigation of contemporary phenomena within a real-world context. Qualitative data collection methods and analysis based on interviews, documentary analysis and context mapping underpin the case study approach. The comparative analysis identified the nexus between Indigenous governance systems and three major influences on Indigenous knowledge application. These include: Indigenous Peoples' arrangements to express sovereignty of governance; arrangements of nation-state sovereignty that support and/or influence Indigenous Peoples' governance; and shared governance arrangements. Indigenous Peoples' sovereignty of governance in turn depends on conditions that enable Indigenous self-determination, empowerment and leadership. This research, and its Indigenous methodology, highlights previously invisible aspects of governance that support Indigenous knowledge application in protected areas, and carry implications for management and research.

Non-Linear Modes of Narrative in the Disruption of Time and Genre in Ambelin Kwaymullina’s <em>The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf</em>

Purpose The construction industry is considered worldwide to be a dangerous industry because of its high rate of fatal accidents and serious injuries. This study aims to find ways to improve this situation by focusing on how to improve competence on health and safety (H&S) among newly graduated construction engineers in Norway. Design/Methodology/Approach In Norway, the regional safety representatives (RSRs) are considered to be cornerstones in ensuring H&S in the construction industry. Information in this study was gathered by conducting semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 RSRs. Findings The results show that RSRs believe that while construction engineers have sufficient theoretical competence on HS however, many seem to lack the practical competence needed to ensure and implement H&S measures. The informants underline the importance of work practice on construction sites as part of the education as key to improve H&S competence among graduates. Research Limitations/Implications Input on possible improvements is collected from only one group of stakeholders in the industry. Other stakeholders might have valuable input that should be considered before concluding what improvements in the education are most effective. Practical Implications The findings may help to decide upon and implement improvements in the education of construction engineers and, thus, contribute to a safer and healthier industry in the future. Originality/Value The stakeholder perspective of RSRs on education of construction engineers has not been considered in earlier research despite the fact that they represent vital competence on H&S in the construction industry. This study aims to fill some of this gap.

This study aims to bridge the ethical gap in integrating indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) and scientific knowledge systems (WSK) to enable sustainable mitigation of environmental and climate change challenges. Indigenous knowledge and belief systems have been used to guide nature conservation in sub-Saharan Africa for many years. Traditional knowledge is passed down from generation to generation, leading to resource management practices that promote environmental protection and sustainable development. Many indigenous communities in Asia, Australia and Africa just as globally have developed conservation plans that incorporate traditional ecological knowledge and community participation to protect habitats, animals, and ecosystems. However, there are ethical issues surrounding the integration of IKS and WSK that may weaken efforts to combat environmental and climate change challenges. To analyze many case studies from Asia, Australia, and sub-Saharan Africa (including Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, the Ivory Coast, and Zambia) that have investigated the integration of IKS and WSK for environmental and climate change mitigation, this study used a qualitative research method through the combination of document and content analyses. The study uses consequentialism and utilitarianism as environmental ethics theories to guide the integration of indigenous and scientific knowledge systems for sustainable mitigation strategies. Ethical issues encountered during the integration include proprietary rights for IKS, distortion and loss of traditional, cultural, and religious beliefs, and unequal recognition of IKS. The study advocates for broad and meaningful participation of indigenous and local knowledge in the international assessment process to promote effective environmental and climate change initiatives across diverse knowledge systems and perspectives.

This paper presents comparative research which examines issues in teaching Indigenous primary school students in Australia and the USA. It portrays the dilemmas for teachers and students when the curriculum is dominated by a monocultural, Eurocentric ethos. It then describes schools that have moved towards an alternative curriculum. In discussing postcolonial challenges for teacher educators and education policy makers arising out of these issues, the paper continues the debate about postcolonial approaches to cross-cultural and anti-racist education for Indigenous children in their community contexts. It argues that elements for significant educational change exist in both countries, and discusses how these changes need to be expanded and systematised to achieve a culturally powerful curriculum in Indigenous schools.

New technological systems emerge when a strong foundation of complementary knowledge consolidates and feeds an array of coherent applications and implementations. The absence of scientific knowledge in rural communities creates value in the use of indigenous knowledge (IK) and innovation. Innovation activities (including scientific, technological, organizational, financial, and commercial activities) are critical in Technology Education. This chapter focuses on the following: the Development of Technology Education in the school curriculum; Philosophical Perceptiveness of Technology Education; Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and Modern Technology relational coexistence; Unpacking IKS and Modern Technology; Building Modern Technology Innovation within IKS context, and whose responsibility is it; and advancing IKS within Technology Education (TE) classes. There has been an argument for the recognition and decolonization of technology education putting more emphasis on the integration of IKS in the modern curriculum and Traditional Knowledge Systems (TKS). The idea of canvasing the TE curriculum for the schooling of African learners in South Africa has been emphasized. The institutionalization of learning based on Western liberal values ruined both the freedom of the individual and his/her respect for the elder’s wisdom. A progressive and robust approach to the transformation of education to address this crucial issue of the disparity in the utilization of TKS. These arguments will be explored further in this chapter. There is a relational coexistence of IKS and Modern Technology and practical examples are used to illustrate this.

Debate has continued throughout the last decade over the existence and possible causes of differences between males' and females' mathematical skills. Several observations recur as the focus of this controversy. First, adolescent boys have been found to score higher than girls on standardized mathematics achievement tests.' Second, males are more likely than females to engage in a variety of optional activities related to mathematics, from technical hobbies to careers in which math skills play an important role.2 Third, adolescent males typically perform better than their female

In colonial nations such as Canada, there have been increasing requirements for governments to engage directly with Indigenous communities regarding their rights and interests in natural resource management generally, with specific focus on the role of Indigenous knowledge systems in harvest management decision-making (Tikina et al.2010). Canadian courts have repeatedly focused on two factors with extremely important consequences for the Nation-to-Nation relationships that exist between the Crown and the Indigenous communities: (1) Indigenous rights must be reconciled with other government responsibilities including justified infringements for the often ill-defined concept of ‘conservation’ (Crawford and Morito 1997; Ayers 2005; Nadasdy 2005), and (2) the ‘honour of the Crown’ must be maintained when consulting Indigenous communities, especially with regard to management decision-making about their natural resources (Morito 1999; Slattery 2005). Given the legal necessities for a Eurocentric government to engage in honorable and meaningful consultation with Indigenous communities about conservation ethics and natural resource management, it remains to be seen how these Indigenous-Western science cross-cultural consultations should be undertaken (Crawford et al.2010). The trend to date has largely been the domination of Western Science over Indigenous knowledge systems (in the sense described by Pentland 1995); circumstances in which Indigenous knowledge holders might be requested to provide information to scientists/managers who would evaluate it for reliability and utility before deciding whether to incorporate in a science-based management program (McGregor 2004; Clark and Slocombe 2009; Lyver et al.2009). Some scholars have suggested that conflict caused by this kind of cultural domination could be reduced if governments and Indigenous communities re-initiated their discussions with an examination of similarities and differences in principles regarding ‘conservation’ and ‘natural resource management’ (Ratner and Holen 2007; Ebbin 2011; Watson et al.2011). In this way, the communities could develop a structured and respectful dialogue about wild harvest management in the spirit of reconciliation and productive collaboration. There have been numerous attempts by Western scientists to reach internal consensus on general principles for natural resource management (Holt and Talbot 1978; Christensen et al.1996; Mangel et al.1996; Dale et al.2000), habitat management (Lindenmayer and Nix 1993; Botsford et al.2003; Naiman and Latterell 2005), harvest management (FSC 1996; Heissenbuttal 1996; Lauck et al.1998; Fowler 2003; FAO 2001; Gonzalez-Laxe 2005; Utne 2006; Shelton and Sinclair 2008; Francis et al.2007; MSC 2010) and biodiversity/endangered species management (Walters 1991; Tilman 1999; Ebbin 2011). Although the practice of ‘defining principles for resource management’ is not something that Indigenous societies typically engage in, there have been many attempts to survey and understand Indigenous values and social norms in this regard (Ratner and Holen 2007; Turner and Berkes 2006; Watson et al.2011). For example, Alcorn (1993) offered a general treatise on the relationship between Indigenous worldviews and the Western idea of ‘conservation.’ Berkes et al. (1998) explored fundamental properties of ecosystem-like concepts in Indigenous cultures. In the 2011 ‘Principles of Tsawalk,’ Umeek (E. Richard Atleo), a hereditary Nuu-Chah-Nulth chief, discussed his culture’s principles of Recognition, Consent, and Continuity and their important role in maintaining balance—in contrast to the global consequences of Western ‘sustainable’ development. Prober et al. (2011) characterized the principles of Australian Aboriginal ecological calendars and indicators and evaluated their possible interaction with Western social-ecological systems for natural resource management. Over the past decades, a growing body of community-based collaborative studies has provided more depth and insight into the structure and function of traditional Indigenous knowledge systems and their associated decision-making processes for harvest management (e.g., Feit 1986; Brightman 1993; Horstman and Wightman 2001; Ayers 2005; Castleden et al.2009; Lyver et al.2009; Moller et al.2009; Bilbao et al.2010). However, as Jones et al. (2010) caution, researchers must always be careful to consider Indigenous community-based value systems as spatially and temporally local expressions of their culture. Efforts to identify general Indigenous ‘principles’ of natural resource management must be tempered by conscious recognition that (1) ‘principles’ are social constructs which are deeply embedded in cultural and social norms that are typically complex and subtle to the outsider (Houde 2007; Peloquin and Berkes 2009), and (2) Indigenous cultures and worldviews are inherently more diverse than the relatively homogenous standards of Western science (although see a provoking challenge of this assumption about scientific homogeneity by Watson-Verran and Turnbull 1995). The goal of our investigation was to develop and demonstrate a process for engaging with Indigenous communities to inquire about the structure and function of social norms in their culture that could relate to Western ‘principles’ for natural, renewable resource management. In order to achieve this goal, we worked in partnership with a sponsoring Ojibway community on a case study to employ community-based, participatory research methods with traditional people who were most familiar with social norms for harvest management.

Differences in Indigenous worldviews, practices and values highlight the need for Indigenous-specific health quality indicators, such as patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs). The purpose of this paper is to present our methodology, as part of a larger study that sought to develop a framework for creating Indigenous-specific PROMs and PREMs. The research design was informed by Indigenous research methodology and a community-based participatory approach. It had three core components: (1) a literature exploration of existing Indigenous-specific PROMs and PREMs; (2) interviews with researchers with expertise in PROMs and PREMs developed for Indigenous populations and community leaders interested in using these Indigenous-informed evaluation tools; and (3) conversations with Indigenous community members about their experiences with health surveys. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim; transcripts were analyzed qualitatively using an inductive and deductive approach. Themes and sub-themes were identified to build a framework that honours Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing. Results were validated with select research participants and the Project Advisory Committee. Findings demonstrate how relationship building is the necessary starting point for engagement when developing survey instruments with Indigenous peoples. Engagement requires respectful collaboration through all stages of the project from determining what questions are asked to how the information will be collected, interpreted, and managed. A relational stance requires responsibility to Indigenous communities and peoples that goes beyond research carried out using a western scientific lens. It means ensuring that the project is beneficial to the community and framing questions based on Indigenous knowledge, worldviews, and community involvement. This study employed a collaborative, participatory qualitative approach to develop a framework for creating PROMs and PREMs with Indigenous peoples. The methods described offer concrete examples of strategies that can be employed to support relationship-building and collaboration when developing Indigenous-specific survey instruments.

The purpose of this theoretical paper is to explain the relevance of the Master of Engineering Education (M Eng. in Education) at one university of technology in South Africa, that comprises four distinct faculties. The paper is based on relevant literature review. The M Eng in Education creates the nexus between Engineering Sciences and Education as specific fields of study and research to enhance cross-boundary knowledge, skills, pedagogy and application. This is in line with the South African National Development Plan, Vision 2030, that accentuates the need for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in the country to address the economy, develop skills, create jobs, eradicate poverty and unemployment towards a capable developmental state. Using a social constructivist lens, the researchers draw from their experiences while working with Engineering lecturers who enrolled for the Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education (PGDHE) programme, offered within the institution. From the interaction with the Engineers through the PGDHE programme, the researchers found that the teaching and research skills of these engineers fundamentally improved because they had to submit long essay-type assessments. The researchers conclude that the M Eng in Education will enable engineers to teach better and improve student learning within their classrooms.

In this study, a rapid grey and academic literature scoping review was conducted to investigate how Indigenous Knowledges, perspectives, values and cultures are being incorporated into engineering education in several colonialized countries. The findings were used to make recommendations on advancing the Biosystems Engineering curriculum at the University of Manitoba to educate future engineers who have the cultural capacity to work ethically, respectfully, and reciprocally in engineering practice and partnership with Indigenous Peoples and communities. The study was spurred in part by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action. In collaboration with Indigenous Peoples, calls for integrating Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms and building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect. Sources for this review were gathered from Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, countries that share a similar history of European colonization and are developing methods for curricular change. The findings demonstrated that incorporation of Indigenous Knowledges perspectives in engineering education can be organized into five main themes: 1. capacity building for engineering educators, 2. consultation and collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and communities, 3. coalescing dominant, Indigenous and engineering perspectives, 4. preparing students for professional practice with Indigenous Peoples, and 5. developing a new curriculum. By incorporating these recommendations, engineering educators will help create an educational environment where Indigenous Peoples and their ways of knowing, being and doing have space alongside Western and engineering worldviews. This will prepare engineering students for culturally sensitive and ethically sound professional practice and support the students who will see themselves reflected in Biosystems Engineering.

Over the past two decades, South Africa has emphasised the need for school learners to be technologically literate by the end of high school. Specifically, South Africa’s Department of Education (2007) and the Department of Basic Education (2019) stated that it was critical for high school learners to be technologically literate by the end of their schooling. The inclusion of Technology as a subject within the South African education policy framework was considered an important innovation, an attempt at making the curriculum compatible with the skills needed of a globalised economy (Ankiewicz, 2020). Given this context, the goal for teaching Technology as a school subject should enable both learners and teachers to acquire skills, values, knowledge, and attitudes to become critical and creative thinkers and developers. There is a need to continuously explore ways to promote the effective teaching and learning of Technology at high school level. This study explores the teachers’ adoption of ICT into the teaching of the school subject Technology in two Cape Town high schools. The theoretical framework drawn on in this study is the RAT model (Hughes et al., 2006), which helps in the understanding of an individual learners’ and teachers’ personal experiences of teaching, and understanding technology’s role in teaching, learning, and curricular practices. The study explores the presence or absence of ICT adoption and utilisation in the teaching of Technology, as well as techniques that were applied within pedagogical practices. The research design was a multiple case study at the two schools in the Province of the Western Cape. A qualitative approach was used to collect and analyse the data. Semi-structured interviews with both the Grade 9 learners and teachers were conducted. Focus group discussions were conducted with the learners at the selected high schools, herein referred to as School A and School B. Based on the findings, recommendations will be disseminated to the Department of Basic Education in raising the learners’ levels of technological literacy through innovative teaching and learning strategies.

First, I acknowledge all of the Indigenous Peoples known as the original descendants, traditional right holders, and custodians, as well as their historical relations, to the lands upon which we live and benefit, still to this day. Specifically, I want to offer my respect and honor our kihtêhayak-the Old Ones, Knowledge Holders, Elders, and the children of the past, the present, and the future, for they hold the memories and the traditions and the hopes of all Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island. I pay special tribute to my own ancestral beginnings, the traditional unceded and occupied territories of Beaver Lake Cree Nation and my grandmother, Marianne Bearskin, and her children, my mother Elma Bourque Bearskin who gave me life and shaped how I live in the world today, and in the everydayness of my nursing work, and my children who have helped me to journey through a life of caring, healing, and love. My family comes from the lands known

The chronic underrepresentation of Native and indigenous peoples in STEM fields (Fig. 1) has been a longstanding issue in the United States, despite concentrated efforts by many local and national groups, including the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) to address it. Here we report on the conference on Indigenous Worldviews in Informal Science Education (I-WISE), convened in Albuquerque, NM, on Sept. 2-5, 2015. We share what we learned on the commonalities and differences in perspectives between indigenous knowledge (IK) and Western science; summarize the role that IK is already playing in scientific fields, ranging from astrophysics to medicine to climate change; and describe how IK can help science education and research be more sustainable, inclusive, and respectful to all peoples.