An exploration of Iban communities’ indigenous funds of knowledge as an imperative resource for the STEAM curriculum-making process in Brunei Darussalam

Abstract

In colonial-based, mainstream educational systems, conventional teaching methods and curricula have been imposed on indigenous communities, often resulting in the neglect or devaluation of indigenous knowledge and ways of learning. This paper aims to explore the indigenous funds of knowledge of three Iban communities in Brunei Darussalam and to investigate the extent to which that knowledge can be utilized in the creation of a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) curriculum. To explore the indigenous funds of knowledge, we collected qualitative data via 9 focus group interviews with 24 primary school children (aged 6 to 12 years old), with 2–3 children participating in each group, 6 household visits with 10 parents, 5 interviews with 7 teachers, and other ethnographic data collection methods. As a result, five indigenous funds of knowledge were identified: agricultural skills, foraging and hunting, fishing and river activities, household management, and business and economic activities. The study offers timely discussions regarding the importance of incorporating indigenous funds of knowledge into the STEAM curriculum-making process in the context of primary school syllabi and textbooks in Brunei Darussalam. The mapped out Iban funds of knowledge and the exemplar STEAM curriculum seek to facilitate primary school teachers, curriculum designers, teacher educators and academics in the integration of this knowledge within different school curriculum areas. This study provides a significant contribution to STEAM education and curriculum-making research by highlighting the importance of culturally relevant curricula for indigenous children and by offering a comprehensive practitioner-oriented approach.