Traditional and Religious Beliefs and the Teaching of Science in Fiji

A dilemma commonly faced by science educators working in developing countries is how to promote the learning of knowledge and processes associated with science in the face of alternative approaches to explaining natural phenomena, particularly those offered by traditional cultures or religions. This article reports on research that was recently carried out in Fiji with students who were either indigenous Fijians or ethnic Indians - each group having quite different cultural and religious backgrounds but under the same compulsion to learn the ways of science. The authors discuss their findings in the light of other research, and propose a model and approach that might be useful to science educators in a variety of settings.