Abstract:

An increasing trend in science education is the incorporation of indigenous knowledge into the physical sciences curriculum. The purpose of this study is to investigate how pre-service science students feel about the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in the physical sciences curriculum. A mixed-methods strategy was used to conduct the study, which included semi-structured interviews as well as a survey questionnaire. 200 pre-service science students received the survey questionnaire, and 10 of them participated in semi-structured interviews. The study's findings showed that most pre-service science students had positive perceptions of the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in the physical sciences curriculum. They believed that including indigenous knowledge would improve their understanding of scientific concepts and more holistic approach to teaching science. The study also found that pre-service science students had limited prior knowledge of indigenous knowledge but were willing to learn more about it. The findings of this study suggest that the integration of indigenous knowledge into the physical sciences curriculum is a viable strategy for enhancing the quality of science education and promoting cultural diversity in the classroom.

Keywords:

Pre-service teachers, Science Education, Indigenous knowledge, decolonization of the curriculum, Physical sciences.