This high school-level, place-based, inquiry-driven laboratory module familiarises students with techniques used to analyse animal behaviour while facilitating the development of the observational skills highlighted by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Throughout the module, students observe, quantify, and discuss local invertebrate…

This dissertation is an invitation into our beloved biology classroom. Weaving hermeneutic phenomenology and critical participatory teacher action research, this study investigated self as teacher and two cohorts of student participants in a high school biology experience utilizing an 'Aina Aloha praxis. Articulating my ongoing 'Aina Aloha praxis,…

Understanding the experiences of Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHPI) students in science courses can help us foster inclusivity and belonging for these often excluded and unacknowledged students. Using social influence theory as a framework, we investigated the intersection between ethnic-racial identity and science identity in NHPI…

Hawai?i students, and in particular Native Hawaiian students, face high rates of attrition and low representation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) academic majors and careers, but place-based Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) such as the Research Experiences in Marine Science (REMS) summer program…

Despite the potential of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to positively impact science education, educators require time and support to learn the standards and their implications for science teaching and learning in the classroom. The Hawai'i Department of Education adopted the NGSS in 2016. While schools received professional…

To increase equity and inclusion for underserved and excluded Indigenous students, we must make efforts to mitigate the unique barriers they face. As their knowledge systems have been historically excluded and erased in Western science, we begin by reviewing the literature on the inclusion of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in biology…

Community-based research models hold potential to change who conducts geoscience research, its relevance to the public, and how researchers may begin to address historical injustices. However, this potential is contingent on such projects being led in ways that meaningfully and equitably bridge the worlds of scientists and community stakeholders.…

This research shares insights into the results of a three-year process of re-engineering general education at Brigham Young University--Hawaii (BYU--Hawaii), a private university, and the impact this change has conveyed to our students, curriculum, and faculty. The authors first describe the background of traditional general education, then…

The purpose of this paper is to describe a three-year limited-run offer of an energy science certificate in the University of Hawaii at Hilo campus, along with lessons learned that can be of use to other institutions considering comparable programs. Energy science is a loosely defined discipline that traditionally straddles physics and mechanical,…

This paper shares the experiences, engagement, and struggle of one young Indigenous Hawaiian woman as she grapples with her sense of disconnect with STEM while serving as a land protector on the Mauna Kea, the home of the Thirty Meter Telescope being built over the objection of the local Indigenous community. I examine her changing perspectives…

Indigenous peoples embody their sovereignty in higher education through their ancestors and deities. The author reflects and shares his personal experiences as a Hawaiian in higher education, and asks the question, "How do we Indigenize the social sciences for the future?" He utilizes an ?o¯lelo no?eau (proverb) - ?o ka wa¯ ma mua, ?o ka…

The Advancing Culturally-Relevant Computing Project is a collaboration between researchers and practitioners in Hawai'i focused on preparing elementary teachers to meaningfully incorporate culturally relevant Computer Science (CS) into their classrooms. This paper introduces a hybrid instructional design framework designed to facilitate the…

Business leaders in Hawaii cannot find the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent they need to stay competitive. Students' lagging performance in K-12 is a critical reason why. The good news is that the nation's most effective STEM education programs can help turn the tide. Hawaii students have made strong progress in math…

Culturally-relevant computing has been discussed as a way to promote K-12 Computer Science education and address ongoing challenges related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. What is not well understood about the practice of culturally-relevant computing, however, is how to bring together existing cultural frameworks and Computer Science…

The United Nations has identified the COVID-19 pandemic as the largest global disruption of education in history. Collaborative and hands-on learning activities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics were particularly challenging to maintain during this period. Future large-scale disruptions of schools are considered likely, leading…