Connections between the culturally relevant curriculum in sciences and science learning in Lebanon on the students' attitudes towards science

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to look into the relationships between students' attitudes toward science and science learning and their perceptions of the science curriculum's relevance to their life. I also investigated the perceptions of Lebanese science teachers regarding the cultural relevance of the Lebanese science curriculum. A mixed method approach was used. Grade 7 and 8 learners’ perception were investigated using a survey that included the TOSRA and ROSE questionnaires. Furthermore, ten interviews with instructors in grades 7 and 8 were conducted. The study compared views of various student groups’ attitudes and their perceptions of the cultural relevance of the Lebanese science curriculum. Results show that most students have positive attitudes towards science and science learning. Furthermore, positive correlation between students' attitudes and cultural relevance was detected. Any increase or decrease in ROSE is associated with similar changes in the TOSRA. This means the more the students feel science is relevant the better their attitudes towards science and vice versa. Finally, the findings revealed that while teachers agree that the official Lebanese curriculum is relevant to students' lives and cultures, they saw many limitations in the official Lebanese book the hinder learners from seeing the relevance of the material.