Page 256 - Cultural Studies of Science Education

230 P.W.U. Chinn and D.D.M. Hana‘ike

These findings underscore the urgent need for culturally competent teachers. But
Hawaii’s new teachers, many from out of state, often work in rural schools with high
proportions of Native Hawaiian children. These schools tend to have less experienced
teachers, higher proportions of uncertified teachers, and higher rates of teacher turnover.
Compared to peers, Native Hawaiian children, 26% of public school students statewide,
are far more likely to be in No Child Left Behind restructuring schools and in special
education programs (18 versus 11%) but less likely to be in college (14% versus 23%
expected) (Ka Huaka‘i 2005, Kamehameha Schools 2005). Community-based, cultur-
ally relevant resources exist, but even being born and raised in Hawaii does not ensure
that teachers will acquire culture-science content knowledge and culturally responsive
teaching strategies. The marginalization of indigenous knowledge and culture has a long
history in Hawaii, perpetuated by American missionaries and businessmen who con-
structed a stereotype of Hawaiians as primitive, sensual, and hedonistic (Chinn 1999).
One of my (Chinn) Asian American graduate students recently used the word “primi-
tive” in his writing about Hawaiians. Though set in quotes, it reveals the life in this
stereotype and the writer’s familiarity with historical power–knowledge relationships.
The persistence of stereotypes that marginalize certain groups suggests the need
to study effective teachers and the experiences they draw upon to address complex
issues of race, culture, language, and power in their schools and communities. The
following collaboratively developed case study of David Hana’ike, a Native
Hawaiian science teacher, illustrates the way a teacher connects his lived experiences
to instruction, educational reform, and his own professional development. It seeks
points of entry into the question: “How does a science teacher become an effective
instructor of low-achieving, culturally marginalized students?”
The coauthors David Hana‘ike and Pauline Chinn taught secondary science at
the same middle school at different times and have known each other for more than
20 years. For over 10 years, Pauline taught students from David’s middle school in
her high-school science classes. Melissa, one of these students, began this inquiry
when she sought evidence for the rumor that students from David’s middle school
did better in high-school science classes than peers from a nearby school with similar
demographics. Melissa’s study found students in all classes from David’s school
evaluated their middle-school science experiences more positively (analysis of
means) than peers from the nearby school even though students from both schools
in Honors Biology had statistically identical grades (Chinn 1997). Three years later,
David’s study for his master’s degree replicated Melissa’s finding for Honors
Biology students and also found that Physical Science students from his school had
statistically significantly higher grades than their peers from the other school.
Cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) provides a theoretical perspective on
David’s development of teaching expertise through his lifelong participation in and
active establishment of activity networks connecting school learning to students,
place, culture, and science.

Literature Review

The persistence of educational inequity suggests the need to focus on effective
teachers, their professional development, and strategies they employ to address