Weaving Culture and Science A reflection on teaching science through story-telling

Loh, Su Ling

Abstract

Implementing culturally responsive education is possible by incorporating story-telling into science teaching and learning. It can be viewed as one way to present new scientific concepts or information that may be complex or difficult to comprehend. This study uses a local Malay folklore story, 'Hang Tuah dan Keris Tamingsari', alongside a hands-on activity during an after-school holiday program for primary students in a local library. A total of 25 participants were involved and their written reflection was collected. The collected data and images were coded and analysed along with the participatory observation. The results indicate that while participants expressed fascination with the story and the handicraft activity, they struggled to recall the science concept. Many mentioned learning about Hang Tuah and its noble values, emphasizing their engagement with the story and the craft rather than the intended science learning. This suggests the need to improve the alignment between the story, hands-on activity, and the science concept conveyed in the story. However, this is not a conclusive study as the findings may be influenced by factors such as the age group, duration of the program, and the reliability of participants' reflections. Several recommendations are provided to enhance the delivery of science content through story-telling in future research. Keywords: story-telling, culturally responsive education, culture, Hang Tuah, science education

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