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    Unearthing the coloniality of neoliberalised curricular discourses to promote a public orientation towards secondary science education


    Delahunty, Thomas (2024) Unearthing the coloniality of neoliberalised curricular discourses to promote a public orientation towards secondary science education. International Journal of Science Education. pp. 1-20. ISSN 1464-5289

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    Abstract

    Considering the challenges facing curricula in science education forces a reckoning with neoliberalism and its transmogrification of education, generally. Science, which has contributed significantly to humanity, is exalted in neoliberal secular discourse and forms a key pillar of social policy governance. However, the progress and innovation attributed to scientific education, within the broader STEM agenda, must be read against the rise in societal inequalities wrought by far-right hostilities and the general erosion of democratic principles in the milieu of neoliberal policy making. This is especially prescient for science curricula given the widespread crystallisation of scientism in society and its role in framing anti-equality arguments. This must also be situated against the broad resistance movements that have arisen, demonstrating the resilience and promise from alternative perspectives such as decoloniality. While decolonial theory reckons with the epistemological violence of science, these perspectives remain underdiscussed in STEM fields. This is necessary for contemporary science curricula given the broader neoliberal erosions of public education that champion instrumentalism and mass measurement in the name of capitalism. This forms the impetus for this conceptual article which presents a decolonial consideration of recent curricular discourses in science.
    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: Science curricula; neoliberalism; coloniality;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Social Sciences > Education
    Item ID: 19260
    Identification Number: 10.1080/09500693.2024.2374539
    Depositing User: Mr Thomas Delahunty
    Date Deposited: 11 Dec 2024 15:05
    Journal or Publication Title: International Journal of Science Education
    Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
    Refereed: Yes
    Related URLs:
    URI: https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/19260
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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