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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
WANG Zhiling
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DOI:10.17265/2161-623X/2026.04.007
Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
Drawing on Appadurai’s (1996) theory of cultural flows—specifically the concepts of disjunctureand recontextualization—this qualitative case study examined pathways to enhancing elementary pre-service teachers’ science literacy through the Manaakitanga pedagogical framework. The study was situated in a co‑taught Sino-New Zealand international course delivered across five cohorts (2019-2024), involving 250 pre-service teachers. All participants submitted written artifacts, and 30 completed pre‑ and post‑course semi‑structured interviews. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) yielded three findings. First, localizing instructional content with Chinese cultural elements activated meaning‑making through recontextualization. Second, the co‑teaching model functioned as a “contact zone” enabling cross‑field flow of theoretical and practical knowledge. Third, mathematical problem‑posing served as a mediating mechanism connecting content and pedagogical localization, simultaneously fostering cultural consciousness and pedagogical imagination. The findings suggest that dual localization—of content and strategy—can mitigate pre-service teachers’ “competence fracture” (i.e., high affect, moderate cognition, low ability). This study provides empirical operationalization of cultural flow theory within teacher education, extending its application from macro‑societal to micro‑classroom practices.
cultural flows, science literacy, problem-solving
WANG Zhiling. (2026). Enhancing Pre-service Teachers’ Science Literacy Through Manaakitanga Pedagogy in the Context of Cultural Flows: A Sino-New Zealand Collaborative International Course. US-China Education Review A, April 2026, Vol. 16, No. 4, 233-237.
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