An exploration of indigenous knowledge related to physics concepts held by senior citizens in Chókwé, Mozambique

dc.contributor.authorBaquete, Aguiar Muambalane
dc.contributor.authorGrayson, Diane J.
dc.contributor.authorMutimucuio, Vasco
dc.date.accessioned2017-03-01T11:03:37Z
dc.date.issued2016-01
dc.description.abstractIndigenous knowledge is at risk of being lost in many parts of the world. It is important to find ways to preserve it for both cultural and practical reasons, since it is often well-suited to addressing local needs using available resources. If indigenous knowledge can be incorporated into school science curricula, it can also provide familiar contexts within which to learn scientific concepts, as well as helping the younger generation to recognise its value. The purpose of this study was to identify indigenous knowledge that could be related to physics concepts, with a view to integrating it into school curricula. Twenty-nine senior citizens from Chókwé, a rural village in Mozambique, volunteered to participate in two sets of in-depth interviews. The first set of interviews was individual and unstructured in order to explore which aspects of indigenous knowledge might be related to physics concepts. The second set was semi-structured and conducted in small groups in order to probe participants’ understanding and application of the identified physics concepts. The results showed that participants had indigenous knowledge that was useful to them in their daily lives and that were applications of thermal physics, static electricity and mechanics concepts. In some cases participants’ explanations were aligned to physics explanations, in some cases they were similar to students’ alternative conceptions identified in the literature, and in other cases they referred to supernatural phenomena.en_ZA
dc.description.departmentPhysicsen_ZA
dc.description.embargo2018-07-30
dc.description.librarianhb2017en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipSwidish International Development Agency, SIDA, [Programme 7: Developing Research Capacity in Education.en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tsed20en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationBaquete, AM, Grayson, D & Mutimucuio, IV 2016, 'An exploration of indigenous knowledge related to physics concepts held by senior citizens in Chókwé, Mozambique', International Journal of Science Education, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 1-16.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn0950-0693 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1464-5289 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1080/09500693.2015.1115137
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/59220
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherRoutledgeen_ZA
dc.rights© Taylor and Francis. This is an electronic version of an article published in International Journal of Science Education, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 1-16, 2016. doi : 10.1080/09500693.2015.1115137. International Journal of Science Education is available online at : http://www.tandfonline.comloi/tsed20.en_ZA
dc.subjectIndigenous knowledgeen_ZA
dc.subjectPhysics conceptsen_ZA
dc.subjectSchool science curriculaen_ZA
dc.subjectChókwé, Mozambiqueen_ZA
dc.titleAn exploration of indigenous knowledge related to physics concepts held by senior citizens in Chókwé, Mozambiqueen_ZA
dc.typePostprint Articleen_ZA

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