The Impact of Linguistic and Cultural Contexts on Elementary Science Education

The National Science Teaching Association emphasizes that STEM should be taught through hands-on, interdisciplinary projects that connect classroom learning to real-world applications. STEM learning also equips students with essential skills such as problem-solving, collaboration, and critical thinking. Given its importance in K–5 education, effective STEM instruction is crucial for student success. However, culturally holistic science instruction remains uncommon in many classrooms. To address this gap, we examine the impact of integrating students’ cultural experiences into science curricula and learning activities. In this study, culture is defined as the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular social group. Specifically, our work aims to identify the cultural assets of students in the Greensboro community and investigate how leveraging these assets can directly impact success in science education. Grounded in a “whole child” approach, this framework invites students and educators to engage in STEM learning while recognizing and valuing the cultural strengths each group contributes. Using comparative methods to analyze students’ science journals alongside pre- and post-surveys, this case study examines the effects of implementing this approach. For this project, we designed a science lesson that embedded local cultural elements through field trips and active learning experiences within students’ own communities. We then analyzed the resulting data to measure its impact on student outcomes. Our findings suggest that students benefited from holistic science instruction, developing deeper connections with the content and an enhanced ability to communicate their scientific understanding.