Connecting Scientific Literacy with Culturally Competent Instruction to Educate Teachers and Youth on Environmental Pollution and Superfund Sites

Superfund Sites and other harmful environmental conditions disproportionately affect urban America and Black communities. Historically, many affected citizens were unaware of these conditions until the environmental justice movement. Due to insufficient opportunities to develop scientific literacy, many members of the community remain unaware of the adverse effects of environmental pollution on their health, despite the efforts of advocates for environmental justice. The purpose of this multiple methods comparative case study was to: introduce students and teachers at three different sites to the concept of Superfund Sites; understand students' and teachers' perceptions of environmental justice; encourage teachers to adjust curricula to address issues within one's community and culture; and expose students to a culturally competent curriculum which promotes education and self-advocacy to improve educational outcomes and subsequently better health for current and future generations. Theoretically framed by culturally compelling instruction and place-based science teaching and learning perspectives, this study collected pre- and post-implementation data on students' understanding of environmental pollution and the consequence of such exposure to human health. Interviews with teachers were conducted to understand their perspectives on culturally competent science curricula and in what ways, if any, they incorporate environmental justice in their instruction. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]