DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scp.2020.100229

Summary
In this paper the integration of perspectives of indigenous (in Indonesia) and western science into chemistry learning, in order to enhance students’ views on sustainability issues, is discussed. The term “Western science” is understood as Western science knowledge and alternative Western thinking which is shaped by modern Western societies. A case study testing a lesson plan incorporating indigenous science in secondary and tertiary chemistry education is presented. The study was carried out in Indonesia and used a socio-scientific issues-based, sustainability-oriented approach and the context of the Baduy community.
The study focuses on pesticide use, including a discussion of alternative, green pesticide use in an indigenous community. The use of conventional pesticides, such as glyphosate, has been discussed by the mass media and in public debate for a long time. In Indonesia, this context is suggested to be relevant to Indonesian students because of Indonesia’s large agricultural economy and thus the question of pesticide use has potential to directly influence students’ lives and should have meaning to them.
The case study in this paper is part of a larger educational design project which aims at incorporating Indigenous Science (IS) and perspectives of sustainability into modern chemistry education in Indonesia. Two classes of university chemistry student teachers (N=73) and 40 students in upper secondary school (12th grade, science majors) were involved. The lesson focuses on the role of different perspectives taken from indigenous and Western science and connects the issue with chemistry concepts from general and organic chemistry. A post-intervention questionnaire (ten Likert scale items and one open-ended question) was used to explore students’ feedback regarding the learners’ experiences and attitudes towards the lesson plan.
The sessions of this teaching intervention as well as the connection between problem-solving, the aspects of chemistry education’s relevance, and chemical content are presented. The data collected from the post-intervention questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics and text analysis. The findings indicated that students’ perception of the lesson was positive and that the lesson was considered to be interesting and relevant. It showed that chemistry learning can be enriched by an interconnected system of worldviews in order to find solutions to sustainability issues.

Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
The paper deals with system thinking and sustainability and proposes approaches to reimagine higher education. The framework uses the education for sustainable development (ESD) pedagogical approach in connection with science education based on socio-scientific issues. It combines social-cultural contexts, local wisdom, and the philosophical aspects of IS in the same sense that socio-critical sustainability issues do. Socio-cultural aspects of IS can be used in ESD as potential contexts to achieve science learning. This encourages teachers and students to develop enhanced respect for local cultures. It also provides pathways for teaching and learning locally relevant knowledge and skills, as well as promoting ESD simultaneously.

Point of Strength
The point of strength of this paper is the integration of perspectives from indigenous and Western science to the development of better-balanced, more holistic worldviews, intercultural understanding, and sustainability.