Teaching Geoscience Using Aspects of the Arts with Marginalized Student Populations

Abstract:

The following findings were from the 2010 case study "Seeing Science Everywhere: A Case Study of the Perceptions of Three Fifth Grade Science Teachers’ Use of the Arts in the Science Classroom in an Economically Distressed County in Appalachia." By employing qualitative methods, this study sought to determine the perceptions three fifth grade science teachers held about using the arts to complement science teaching in an economically distressed county in rural Appalachia and the perceived roles the arts and sciences play in the lives of those living in rural Appalachia. Each case was studied using participant-observer observations, personal journals, archival data, and interviewed using semi-structured, in-depth interview techniques. Constant comparative analysis was used to analyze the data set for each individual case. A cross-case analysis was then employed to generate the common broad themes among the cases.

The findings suggest that time is perceived as the greatest deterrent to complementing science with aspects of the arts with greater frequency, even when the approach has been perceived by the teacher as successful for a greater number of students, especially students who had previously been perceived as having difficulty in the science classroom. The approach is perceived as an avenue in building relationships with students and colleagues, thus perceived as ensuring a greater frequency of success for both students and teacher in science classes. Findings further suggest the roles of the arts and sciences in the lives of those living in rural Appalachia are perceived in two distinct ways by participants, depending on the education levels attained by the populations. Findings revealed the arts and sciences are perceived as hobbies or as the continuation of cultural traditions in the lives of those in rural Appalachia who do not further their education. However, the arts and sciences are perceived as an avenue for personal, financial, and educational success in those members of the population who further their educational levels. These findings suggest that science success and science failure may play a role in the continued stratification of an already marginalized population. Findings further reveal that the arts may offer a bridge to those students who were previously unsuccessful in the science classroom.