Researching Māori and Māori-Medium Science Education

This chapter synthesises existing research into Māori science education to critically investigate the question of whether or not it is possible to improve equity in science education for Māori students by incorporating Māori knowledge into the science curriculum or qualifications. Comparing the two scenarios for Māori science learners, namely both English-medium and Māori-medium science education, helps illuminate this complex issue, and draws attention to the importance of the debates between universalist and relativist philosophies of science, language and identity. This chapter argues that, while English-medium science education unfairly dismisses the claims of relativism, Māori-medium science education risks replacing one set of universalist ideologies with another. These conclusions suggest changes in policy required to improve the outcomes of Māori-medium science education. Hei tā tēnei pepa he tuitui rangahau o mua e pa ana ki te ako me te whakaako Pūtaiao i ngā kura reo Māori, reo Pākehā anō hoki. Mā te whakarite i te tūranga o te Pūtaiao ki roto i ēnei momo whakaakoranga e rua, ka whai māramatanga pea ngā take whīwhiwhi mō Pūtaiao. Hei tohu hoki i te wāhi nui ki te whawhai i waenganui i ngā tautake e whakakaupapa ana i ngā whakaaro o te pūtaiao, o te reo, o te tuakiri tangata. Ko te tohe o tēnei pepa, me titiro anō ngā kaiako o Science ki te kite, āe, he painga o ngā tautake o te ‘relativism’; hēoi anō me tirohia hoki ngā kaiako Pūtaiao ki tēnei mea te ‘universalism’. He raru pea i te whakawhiti mai i tētahi herenga o te universalism ki tētahi atu – ko ngā ākonga Pūtaiao tērā e raru nui ai. Ka hua mai ētahi whakaaro hei whakarerekē ai i te huarahi e whai ana ngā kaupapa here o Pūtaiao, kia whakaora ai ko ngā ākonga, ko Pūtaiao anō hoki.