Epistemological Pluralism in Nigerian Science Classrooms: A Critical Ethnographic Study of Indigenous and Western Knowledge Encounters in South East Schools

This study critically examined the dynamics of epistemological encounter between indigenous knowledge systems and Western science in secondary school classrooms in the South East geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The integration of indigenous knowledge in science education is a globally contested question involving power, validity, and cultural authority, yet deeply contextualised critical studies of these encounters in Nigerian classrooms are absent from the literature. A critical ethnographic design was employed. The researcher conducted 18 months of fieldwork in six secondary schools across Enugu, Imo, and Anambra States, involving participant observation of 320 science lessons, in-depth interviews with 30 Science teachers and 60 students, and analysis of curriculum documents and classroom artifacts. Data were analysed using critical discourse analysis and Bhabha's Third Space theory. Findings revealed that indigenous knowledge appeared in classrooms primarily as an object of dismissal, rarely as a legitimate epistemological standpoint. Students demonstrated dual knowledge maintenance, holding indigenous and Western science frameworks in parallel rather than integrated form. The study makes an original theoretical contribution by proposing a Third Space Pedagogical Framework for South East Nigerian science classrooms that legitimises indigenous knowledge without abandoning scientific rigour. Keywords: epistemological pluralism, indigenous knowledge, critical ethnography, South East Nigeria, science classrooms.