Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit in Elementary Life Science Education: Stories from the Kivalliq

Document
Abstract

This study examined how to incorporate Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit [Inuit knowledge] into elementary life science teaching in Nunavut. Interviews were conducted with Kivalliq teachers and elders to understand what teachers have done to incorporate Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit into their practice and interviewed elders to understand what Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit is, how it was shared, and used prior to the introduction of schools. The researcher used critical narrative inquiry to interrogate their practice in relation to the narratives of the elders and teachers. This research argues that Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit can be incorporated by Indigenizing science learning through content, processes, values, and Inuktut language of instruction; and decolonized by challenging the influences of standard Canadian curriculum. Sharing stories to construct elementary life science curriculum is a viable method for enabling culturally responsive and culture-based science education.

Author Keywords: decolonize, elementary science, Indigenous knowledge, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, Inuit science learning, life science education

    Item Description
    Type
    Contributors
    Thesis advisor (ths): Elliott, Paul
    Degree committee member (dgc): Bell, Nicole
    Degree committee member (dgc): Furgal, Chris
    Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University
    Date Issued
    2025
    Date (Unspecified)
    2025
    Place Published
    Peterborough, ON
    Language
    Extent
    211 pages
    Rights
    Copyright is held by the author, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise noted.
    Subject (Topical)
    Local Identifier
    TC-OPET-32243698
    Publisher
    Trent University
    Degree
    Master of Education (M.Ed.): Educational Studies