Integrating Indigenous Science with School Science for Enhanced Learning: A Nigerian Example

Abstract

This study attempted to implement a teaching framework that was developed to place formal school science instruction in the context of indigenous scientific knowledgeand to assess its effectiveness on learning of concepts in science among secondary school students. There is increasing recognition of the importance of using indigenous (traditional) knowledge for contextualizing school science instruction because it forms part of students’ prior experiences and source of information that they carry to school learning. Despite its proven effectiveness as useful teaching tool, there is yet no systematic effort to develop effective framework for incorporating indigenous knowledge into school science curricula to complement instruction process in Nigerian schools. This case study involved eighty students in two Senior Secondary 111 science classes and six teachers. Students responded to an activity sheet and experience assessment questionnaire.The findings demonstrate the positive impact of the framework on cognitive learning among students. The teachers also gained insight into how the framework can be integrated into instructional procedure to support students learning. The implication for school science curriculum and instruction reform was highlighted.