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Cultural Studies of Science Education

, Volume 13, Issue 2, pp 485–515 | Cite as

When technology, science and culture meet: insights from ancient Chinese technology

  • Yeung Chung Lee
Original Paper
First Online:

Abstract

This paper draws together two important agendas in science education. The first is making science education more inclusive such that students from non-Western or indigenous cultures can benefit from culturally relevant curricula. The second is integrating technology into the curriculum under the umbrella of Science–Technology–Society (STS) education to embrace the social aspects of science, with technology serving as a bridge. The advancement of the first agenda is hindered by the pursuance by both Western and non-Western societies of narrow cultural and practical goals without considering the development of science and technology from a cross-cultural perspective. The second agenda is limited by the misconception that technology is applied science, leading to the exclusion from STS discussions of pre-science or indigenous technologies developed by non-Western cultures. Through selected case studies of the evolution of Chinese traditional technologies and their interaction with science, this paper offers a perspective from the Far East, and argues for situating culturally responsive science education in broader historical and cross-cultural contexts to acknowledge the multi-cultural contributions to science and technology. A form of cross-cultural STS education is advanced, encompassing the cultural basis of technological developments, technology diffusion, interactions of traditional technology with science, and the potential development of traditional or indigenous technologies. This approach provides a bridge between the existing universal science education paradigm promoted in the West and the different forms of multi-cultural education advocated by indigenous science educators. To translate theory into practice, a conceptual framework is proposed in which the essential transdisciplinary knowledge base, curricular goals, and pedagogical approaches are embedded.

Keywords

Cross-cultural science education STS education China Ancient technology 

摘要

本文揉合了當今科學教育的兩大課題。其一是讓不論來自西方文化或非西方文化的學生都能從科學教育中受惠。其二是在科學課程中加入科技元素,通過科技,探討科學與社會的互動關係,以體現 “科學-科技-社會”(STS)教育的理念。迄今,這兩個課題的推展仍面對頗大阻力。第一種阻力是來自狹隘的文化觀。科學教育工作者,包括來自西方或非西方的,都未能跳出以自身文化去理解科學的本質,以及科學教育所應該擔當的角色;更鮮有從跨文化角度,探討科學及科技在不同文化的歷史發展及相互關係,令源出於西方的現代科學教育無法與非西方文化共冶一爐。第二種阻力是來自西方科學教育的一種迷思。西方教育工作者往往只把科技視為一門應用科學,而非一門獨特的知識體系。這種迷思造成了古代科技或原住民科技長期被排拒於STS教育大門之外。 本文透過個案研究,對中國傳統科技的演進作了深入剖析;冀能從遠東出發,探討遠東文化對科學科技發展的貢獻,為發展與文化共融的科學教育,提供更廣闊的理論基礎。本文提倡一個以跨文化為主調的STS教育新方向,內容包含科技發展的文化基礎,傳統科技與現代科學之間的互動關係,以及傳統科技在現代科學的氛圍下可以作出的貢獻。這個方向可以提供一道橋樑,化解以科學的普世性為基礎的西方科學教育,與發展中國家所倡議發揚本土文化的另類科學教育彼此之間的矛盾。最後,本文提出了一個有助融匯不同文化的STS教育概念架構,使理論付諸實行。

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Notes

Acknowledgements

Funding was provided by The Education University of Hong Kong (Grant No. CRS-2).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Science and Environmental StudiesThe Education University of Hong KongTai PoHong Kong

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