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In this paper, we synthesize existing literature on Culturally Relevant Science Teaching (CRST), more specifically the third tenet of CRST-developing students' sociopolitical or critical consciousness. While there is research on this third tenet, our review of the literature reveals that this tenet is understudied and underutilized. We offer our conceptual framework and an illustrative example to demonstrate how teachers can practically implement the third tenet of CRST to engage and empower students in science. We hope that the ideas and examples shared in this piece will help teachers foster students' sense of sociopolitical consciousness and advocacy within the walls of the classroom and beyond. We also urge researchers to continue producing research on this important topic so that practitioners can use this information to develop students' sociopolitical/critical awareness, reflections, and actions.
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Fostering critical consciousness: a systematic review of K-12 teachers’ integrations of sociopolitical issues in science and mathematics classrooms
Abstract Efforts towards providing inclusive science and mathematics education for marginalized students are increasingly found in literature advocating for equity-oriented instruction through supporting students’ critical consciousness. Despite a growing body of research centering on teachers’ development of culturally relevant pedagogies, studies examining how teachers support students’ critical consciousness development are scarce in the context of science and mathematics education. Thus, this systematic review uses empirical literature on critical consciousness to explore teachers’ experiences integrating sociopolitical issues into their science and mathematics classrooms. Using keywords synonymous with critical consciousness, 19 studies were identified through searches in various databases. The 19 studies were analyzed through an iterative coding process to identify how teachers supported students’ critical reflection, critical efficacy, and critical action by analyzing reported incorporation of sociopolitical issues, instructional strategies, and science and mathematical practices. The results highlight four themes: (1) Teachers discussed sociopolitical issues at various distances to the self (2) Classroom discussions and community projects were used to engage students in their critical consciousness (3) Science and mathematics instruction and sociopolitical issues were used synergistically to further student understanding (4) Critical efficacy was seldom explicitly discussed in the studies. Implications of this study include suggestions for future research and practices.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2101277
- PAR ID:
- 10594573
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer Open
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research
- Volume:
- 7
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2662-2300
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s43031-025-00126-y
