Primary Science Curriculum. The constraints and limitations of learning and teaching on an 'over-stuffed' science curriculum: A case study from Fiji

The content of this paper reflects on my experience of learning and teaching science in Fiji. The critical autoethnography approach employed to generate data for this study places emphasis on my educational journey, where I have used multiple genres, such as dialogue [with teachers and students] and short stories, to represent and interrogate my lived experiences. The study considered my lived experiences as a student, a teacher and a teacher educator, and set out to generate findings pertinent to the following questions: 1. Is the Fiji Primary Science curriculum 'overstuffed'? If so, in what nature and to what extent? 2. What are the constraints and limitations faced by teachers in effectively teaching science in Fiji? 3. What are the constraints and limitations faced by Fijian students in constructively learning science? 4. Can an 'overstuffed curriculum' be responsible for students' poor performances and negative perceptions of science in Fiji? Findings generated from this study emphasise that the present primary science curriculum in Fiji is viewed by teachers and students involved in this study as overcrowded with a lot of factual content. Further more, the study highlighted that poor achievement and the negative perception of science by students in Fiji can be attributed to factors ranging from the science curriculum to teaching pedagogies generally employed in Fiji. The paper also unearthed teaching and learning constraints encountered by teachers (and students) when attempting to teach (and learn) science in a constructive manner. Finally recommendations on teaching approaches that underpin constructivism in science to promote conceptual understanding are also discussed