Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The project will address underrepresentation of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) individuals in STEM education and occupations by providing culturally responsive learning and instruction. The overall goal is to promote a diverse and resilient health and food systems workforce in rural California by increasing participation of AI/AN youth, supported by objectives (1) Integrate local Indigenous knowledge with UCCE educational resources to develop culturally competent STEM curricula for rural AI/AN communities and (2) Foster interest and participation in health and food systems STEM education and occupations within AI/AN students and young adults.The project supports three Education Needs Areas of experiential learning, recruitment, retention, mentoring, and educational equity, and curriculum design and library resources through community engaged research. Focus groups will review current Cooperative Extension curricula and gather locally held knowledge in a culturally safe "sharing circle" format. The curricula will be compiled into a Tribal Teaching Library and pilot tested to assess the impact of a culturally adapted educational model on AI/AN students' interest in STEM, science literacy and cultural connectedness.This project aligns with the program's goals to expand opportunities and improve quality of life in rural and tribal communities. Tribal project partners include Foothills Indian Education Alliance, Amador Tribal TANF, California Heritage Indigenous Research Project and Tuolumne Band of MeWuk Indians. Rural Areas served include Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Nevada Counties. The project will directly support 20 students and test the curricula with 80 students. Broad implications of products will serve AI/AN students across Rural America.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
0%
Applied
50%
Developmental
50%
Goals / Objectives
Objective 1: Integrate local Indigenous knowledge with University of California Cooperative Extension (CE) educational resources to develop culturally competent STEM curricula for rural AI/AN communities (needs areas addressed: curriculum design and library resources)1a. Identify and/or adapt current CE educational resources that are culturally competent for use with AI/AN students through consultation with tribal leaders and elders. A purposively selected sample (collectively referred to as "CE curricula" hereafter) will be drawn from the 4H, Master Gardener (MG), Master Food Preserver (MFP) and CalFresh Healthy Living (CFHL) extension programs. The materials present creative learning modules in agricultural, culinary, ecological, and chemical sciences.1b. Identify intergenerational wisdom and perspectives related to health and food systems. Locally held knowledge and materials created specifically by and for Indigenous communities (collectively referred to as "AI/AN specific resources" hereafter) will be discussed and aggregated with permission. Using community consultation and engaged listening, PI and Co-I's will continue to affirm knowledge sovereignty of the tribes during the documentation process.Objective 2: Foster interest and participation in health and food systems STEM education and occupations within AI/AN students and young adults (need areas addressed: Student Experiential Learning; Student Recruitment, Retention, Mentoring, Educational Equity)2a. Use the adapted CE curricula and AI/AN specific resources to create a Tribal Teaching Library (TTL) for community educators and organizations. PI will refine drafted CE curricula changes and new materials to create an accessible resource library for the tribal partner organizations. Continued engagement and feedback from tribal organizations will ensure that the insights from the sharing circles is effectively integrated and that the resources best serve the needs and cultural orientation of the tribes served.2b. Test and evaluate the impact of TTL implementation on STEM interest and Cultural Connectedness (CC) in AI/AN students. Extension educators and volunteers from CE programs will test implementation of the curricula to AI/AN students in after-school, summer, and tutoring settings. Baseline and retrospective surveys will assess changes in CC, self-efficacy in science, and interest in and understanding of STEM fields.Objective 3: Advance standards of ethical applied research using community engaged methods3a. Follow examples of successful anti-colonial extension and outreach. PI and Co-Is will align all research practices with the current literature and experience of community engaged efforts in AI/AN communities. A growing body of literature is available with specific cultural considerations, and current relationships with tribal organizations will serve to foster trust and mutually beneficial research outcomes.3b. Inform best practices for research and extension in AI/AN communities. The experiences throughout the project will provide a broad body of knowledge and data that will enrich the field of community engaged research. The findings from the project will advance research and extension efforts to be more just and ethical.
Project Methods
Objective 1a) Identify and/or adapt potential CE educational resources for use with AI/AN students.Key personnel will review the available food systems educational materials within the UCCE programs. A comprehensive internet search will be conducted to identify external curricula developed by Indigenous organizations and specifically for working with Indigenous youth. Objective 1b) Evaluate cultural competence of CE curricula and Co-create adapted materials Parents, leaders, and elders from the tribes will be invited to participate in "sharing circles" (focus groups). PI will communicate with tribal organizations and governments to distribute flyers and informational brochures about participation in the project. Participants will receive an incentive for their time invested in the activities. The proposal will recruit 6-7 participants each at 4 separate project sites (Nevada county, El Dorado County, Amador County and Tuolumne County) to complete a series of 3 circles. Each circle will last 90-120 minutes and include a ceremonial opening and an offering of local Indigenous foods to align with best practices for participatory research with AI/AN. PI will moderate the circles and take comprehensive thematic notes as an ethical and effective alternative to audio recording. Participants will be invited to share with written and oral communication.1c) Identify intergenerational wisdom and perspectives related to health and food systems. Circle 3 will include a series of open-ended informational interview questions related to experiences and knowledge about food systems held by the participants. The format of this circle is designed to allow for participant-driven topic selection and maintenance of appropriate boundaries and respect for data sovereignty.Objective 2a) Test and evaluate the impact of adapted curricula and AI/AN specific on STEM interest and CC. Modules selected for inclusion in the TTL will be implemented by PI, Co-Is, volunteers (Master Gardeners, Master Food Preservers) and tribal educators at 4 sites throughout the project region. Student participants (n=80) in the modules will complete pre/post- test surveys for evaluation of the modules and lessons.2 b) Use the adapted CE curricula and AI/AN specific resources to create a Tribal Teaching Library (TTL) for community educators and organizations. The information collected from circles will be analyzed thematically and used to draft culturally adapted CE curricula for the TTL. Adaptation and development of the curricula will draw upon established educational theory and prioritize methodology that emerges from the sharing circles. A draft collection will be presented to the focus group participants for content evaluation and member checking to confirm relevance to the tribes' educational needs and accuracy of translation from sharing circle conversations. Further community led revisions will be made as necessary and finalized by tribal educators and leaders.Objective 3a) Follow examples of successful anti-colonial extension and outreach. PI will review the literature and consult with the Native American Community Partners (NACP) project team at UCANR and Dr Nguyen (Co-I) for guidance on the ethical and effective administration of all project activities. Principles from the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and stringent research ethics will be adhered to.3b) Inform best practices for research and extension in AI/AN communities. Annual reporting of project activities will include an open comment period from AI/AN participants. PI and Co-Is will strive to uphold cultural humility to better understand how research efforts are perceived by the community. Comments and perspectives will be collected through feedback surveys and summarized for use in reviewing currently accepted practices in extension research to identify limitations and areas for improvements.