Masters Degrees (Science and Technology Education)

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Concept development in mathematics : teaching and learning of quadratic equations, inequalities and their graphs.
(1994) Grewal, Ajmer Singh.; Moodley, Mathew.
This was an evaluative study undertaken to unpack some of the factors which could explain Transkei matriculation students' apparent poor conceptual understanding of Mathematics and to throw some light on possible solutions to their problems. In addition the study attempted to examine how Mathematics as well as the learning and teaching of Mathematics, were viewed by Transkei teachers and students at the high school level. The theory of quadratic equations, inequalities and their graphs constituted the mathematical content research area of this study. This topic was chosen because of the key role that it plays in the matriculation Mathematics syllabus. There were 8 research questions which led to 8 hypotheses. The research sample comprised 311 matriculation students taking higher grade Mathematics and their 10 Mathematics teachers from 10 schools in the Umtata education circuit. Four researcher-designed instruments, namely: a diagnostic test (students'), a student interview schedule, a teachers' questionnaire, and a teacher interview schedule were used. The diagnostic test consisted of 38 items aimed at addressing the first 7 research questions. Students' mean scores for each group of items of the test addressing a particular research question were computed and compared against a criterion score of 60%, using the "Z” statistic. In addition, an analysis of students' scripts was carried out and clinical interviews on a sample of the subjects (students) were conducted to find out their conceptual difficulties/misconceptions. The teachers' questionnaire and interview schedule were used to ascertain the teachers' disposition towards Mathematics teaching. Accordingly, teachers were divided into two groups A and B on the basis of their scores in relation to the median for the whole group. This enabled the testing of hypothesis 8. In this regard, means for the students taught by the two respective groups of teachers were comared by using "Z" statistic to establish if they were statistically different from each other. Teachers' reasons for their responses to some of the items in the questionnaire were analyzed and discussed with a view to finding out their favourite teaching styles and some of the difficulties they faced in order to be as effective as they wished to be. Analysis of data for research questions 1-7 showed that students did not have sufficient pre-requisite knowledge, and did not display a satisfactory level of mastery in solving quadratic equations and inequalities, and interpretation of graphs for quadratic equations and inequalities. Students' difficulties identified from the findings of this study were classified into 7 categories, namely: mathematical terms, mathematical symbolic language, mathematical skills, form in mathematics, over generalisations, translation and conceptual difficulties. The "Z" test for hypothesis 8 showed that students taught by teachers whose teaching strategies were more student-centred performed better than those who were taught by teachers whose teaching was inclined towards teacher-centredness. Finally, recommendations for teachers, curriculum planners, education authorities and other researchers are also made.
Towards a new framework for reconstruction of the primary science curriculum in South Africa.
(1996) Raubenheimer, Carol Dianne.; Graham-Jolly, Michael.
The purpose of this study is to ascertain, from a review and analysis of the literature, if any key messages emerge within which curriculum reconstruction of primary science education in South Africa can be undertaken. Firstly, three paradigms in education are equated with three philosophies of science and the compatibility of modes of inquiry are highlighted. It is argued that paradigms can be used as a form of analysis to locate particular approaches to the teaching and learning of science. Thereafter, an overview of major trends in science education is provided. The various views of and approaches to science education are analysed and located within particular paradigms. In order to assist in such analyses, a conceptual framework is developed. This draws on key determinants of curriculum development and locates these within each of the three paradigms. The framework is applied to a review and analysis of international emphases in primary science education, within which five different perspectives are identified. These are located within different paradigms. Science education in developing countries is considered thereafter and some recent trends in primary science curriculum development in South Africa are examined. It is shown that the recent syllabus revision process and the revised syllabuses in South Africa are still located in a technical approach to curriculum development. In seeking an alternative approach, the weaknesses of imported ready made solutions from more developed contexts are highlighted, and an exploration of alternative approaches that are more responsive to local contexts is then undertaken. Some innovative examples of curriculum development in other parts of Africa and South Africa are examined. From the review and analysis a set of key messages emerge for curriculum development in primary science education. In selecting appropriate programmes, it is vital that attention is given to children's' existing abilities and ideas, to the expected role for science in society, and to a particular society's values and norms. Material provision, of itself, does not bring about meaningful change, and teachers can and should be involved in the production of teaching materials. Another key message is that it is crucial for teachers to be involved in curriculum decision making, although they may need inservice support to make this possible. Approaches to inservice education must therefore give due consideration to this, and to developing classroom based teaching competencies. Finally, attention is given to some of the factors which may contribute to systemic change in science education.
Exploring the relationship between policy and practice : a study of continuous assessment.
(1997) Ramsuran, Anitha.; Jansen, Jonathan David.
Research reveals that policy intentions seldom define classroom practice. This research study uses continuous assessment as the 'case' to explore the policy-practice relationship. The research approach adopted involved a critical review of policy documents on continuous assessment; interviews with Department officials; a survey questionnaire on continuous assessment distributed to teachers in ten secondary schools; and a detailed exploration of continuous assessment practice in three institutional settings. The findings show that continuous assessment is rarely implemented as policy intended; teachers at the classroom level have transformed the aims of policy-makers to the extent that implementation proceeds at some distance from the original policy intentions; and teachers are experiencing numerous problems in attempting to implement continuous assessment.
Senior certificate examinations November 1996 Physical Science : factors contributing to pupils' performance as perceived by various role players.
(1997) Sookraj, Heeraman.; Brookes, David W.
Abstract available in the PDF.
Environmental education case studies for curriculum development in science teacher education.
(1998) Pillay, Alan Sathiaseelan.; Brookes, David W.; Naidoo, Premanithee.
Science student teachers' participation with practising teachers in developing curriculum in environmental education for implementation in schools has been a neglected field. This study focuses on the collaboration of science student teachers with practising teachers in developing an alternative curriculum for environmental education compared to existing traditional practices in most schools in South Africa. The science teacher educator, as the researcher, used action research or elements of it to facilitate the process. The action research component served as an inquiry into, and improvement of, the PRESET/INSET curriculum development model for teacher development. This dissertation reports on four case studies of curriculum development and environmental education in science teacher education practised at the University of Durban-Westville from 1991 to 1996. Innovative strategies serve as the basis of interventions in four primary school contexts, each representing a case study on its own, yet sequentially linked as action research cycles. The case study approach served the purpose of illuminating the curriculum development process with the intention of generating grounded theory through action research or elements of it. The outcomes of a survey of the status of curriculum development in institutions offering science teacher education in KwaZulu-Natal are also presented to support the need for an innovative approach to the PRESET/INSET curriculum development model.
Exploring teacher's beliefs about the nature of science and their relationship to classroom practices : a case study with special reference to physical science teachers in the Empangeni / Richards Bay area.
(1998) Singh, Suresh Kamar.; Brookes, David W.
This research explored the complex issue of the nature of science. The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between teachers 's beliefs about the nature of science and their classroom practices. Limited literature exists on the nature of science in South Africa. However, findings from the study concurs with the abundant international literature on the nature of science. This research has shown that textbooks, the curriculum, and teacher training are three of the primary factors that shape teachers ' beliefs about the nature of science. The under-emphasis of the nature of science in textbooks, the curriculum and in teaching training contributes to the misrepresentation of the nature of science by teachers in their classroom practices. This research was conducted as a case study using quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection such as questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations. Findings from the study have shown that teachers' instructional strategies are consistent with their personal educational philosophies, that is, teachers' teach science according to a belief system. For teachers operating in the analytical paradigm, the products of science such as the laws and theories were emphasized in their teaching and lessons were teacher dominated. Teachers operating in the hermeneutic and critical paradigms present science as dynamic and changing and they emphasized the products and processes of science with the teacher acting as a facilitator. Recommendations from the research include the development of new textbooks, curricula, teaching techniques and approaches to science. The research also calls for the inclusion of history and philosophy of science in the science curriculum.
OBE in action.
(2000) James, Angela.; Vithal, Renuka.
Abstract not available.
Secondary school learners' intuitive modelling strategies for solving problems in kinematics.
(2000) Chetty, Pritha Devi.; De Villiers, Michael David.
Abstract available in the PDF.
An investigation and identification of indigenous science understandings among Zulu community elders and the impact of these understandings on the Zulu secondary school learners.
(2001) Khumalo, Gugu Catherine Helen.; Maqutu, Tholang.
A lot of scholars have alluded to the existence of indigenous knowledge among community elders. The purpose of this study was to explore existence of indigenous science understandings among Zulu elders and determine the impact of these understandings on the indigenous secondary school learners. A group of elders and a group of learners from a selected rural community were interviewed on three phenomena pertaining to biology and physical science. Each phenomenon was chosen according to its relevance to the traditional African practices of the rural community studied. The data from both groups was analysed to determine understandings held by each group. Findings of this study revealed that elders held indigenous science understandings that had an impact on the indigenous secondary school learners. Elders transmit these understandings as views that I chose to call indigenous conceptions and duality explanation conceptions. As a result of the impact of elders' views and school science, learners on the other hand held three types of conceptions, namely, unchanged indigenous conceptions, hybridised conceptions and duality explanation conceptions. The recommendations I made are based on the findings that elders' indigenous knowledge has an impact on learners' science understandings. This then has implications to classroom practices and science education.
A case study of a high achiever's learning of physical science.
(2002) Stott, Angela Elizabeth.; Hobden, Paul Anthony.
This is a case study of the learning of physical science of a high achiever, selected on the assumption that instruction in learning strategies and styles used by successful learners may improve learning effectiveness of less successful learners. Operating in an interpretive paradigm, qualitative data was gathered by participant observation aimed at sensing the complexities of the case. A rich, holistic description is given, enabling readers to form naturalistic generalisations of their own. The data corpus spans three years and is composed of audio-recorded lessons and interviews, field notes and written material. Data collection, analysis and interpretation were done in an inductive, cyclic manner, guided by research questions about learning strategies used by the learner, instructional strategies used by the teacher, and the roles played by intrinsic factors, practical work and problem solving, in contributing to effective learning of physical science by the high achiever. The study implies that effective learning, even by the highly intelligent, involves struggle and requires the use of a variety of strategies. This fits a constructivist, rather than transmissionist, view of learning, and thus supports learner-centered transformations in South African education. The learner is interpreted to be intrinsically motivated by interest and a high regard for knowledge precision, elegance, and transferability, to use a large number of learning strategies, particularly while solving open-ended problems and performing practical investigations, in order to come to a deep understanding of physical science. The study suggests that teaching children how to learn, particularly by addressing their outlook on learning and introducing them to a variety of strategies, should be an aim of physical science instruction, and that interesting, open-ended, learner-centered tasks should be used in attempts to induce self-regulated learning.
The mathematics education of youth at-risk : Nellie and Wiseman.
(2003) Rughubar, Sheena.; Vithal, Renuka.
This study examines the mathematics education of youth at-risk in South Africa. It explores how two learners at the margin understand and perform in mathematics in two radically different educational environments. It also examines what provisions, if any, are incorporated into the mathematics curriculum to accommodate these pupils. One of the research participants attended Thuthukani, a residential school for youth at-risk and the other was based at Sanville Secondary, a mainstream school. The differences between the two contexts were in the scarcity of resources, limited space and class sizes. The qualitative case study, which was the preferred method of choice, was carried out in two stages. Observation of learners at the residential school was stage one. Stage two was the observation of a learner at the margin in a mainstream school. Observations were captured through audio and visual recordings and photographs. Pupils' written reflections and workbooks, combined with the information acquired through interviews, informal discussions and a research diary, supplemented the instruments to produce a rich data for analysis. The analysis suggests that each of the components of this study, namely: the educational environment (context), the mathematics curriculum, the teacher and the learner at the margin influence the teaching and learning in the classroom. The study concludes with the researcher's recommendations on the mathematics education of learners at the margin.
Teaching physical science in rural (under-resourced) secondary schools.
(2004) Legari, Kgomotso.; Malcolm, Clifford Keith.; Pillay, Alan Sathiaseelan.
The study provides a closer look at Physical Science teachers in the rural secondary schools (of the Bafokeng area). It puts focus on the different teaching methods that they use in order to overcome the realities of teaching in an under-resourced environment. This includes different aspects that affect the teaching and learning process, both directly and indirectly. In view of the above, the study displays the necessity and roles that different stakeholders have to play. For instance, the contribution of NGOs/ companies towards the development of teachers and school learning areas. The need for parental involvement in their children's learning process has also been highlighted. In the midst of having problems with resources, and learners from disadvantaged backgrounds, this study enlightens that" by going an extra mile, teachers can make a difference in the (disadvantaged) teaching environment, as well as to the lives of learners. Teachers in this study do not use any unknown special methods to deal with their situation. They do what they feel has to be done in order to continue with what is expected of them. The study has not managed to link any direct negative impact between class size and learning, since the school which had most learners in Physical Science, seemed to have being doing well under similar conditions as others. Also highlighted, is the importance of the relationship amongst Physical Science teachers themselves. Since most of the schools in this study did not have enough materials for teaching Physical Science/Chemistry, building relations with other teachers from different schools seemed worthwhile.
Exploring science teachers' experiences of diversity in the multicultural science classroom.
(2004) Paideya, Vinodhani.; Sookrajh, Reshma.
I have found that as a rule of thumb, when the majority of our learners in our science classrooms respond to expectation under examination conditions, the teacher's focus is on the minority who did not succeed. However, when only a minority of learners respond expectedly, then I feel teaching approaches have to be seriously questioned. My personal studies and readings in the education field, revealed a myriad of explanations and approaches surrounding the above problem. Literature has revealed that our greatest benefits can be achieved by successfully coping with the diversity of learners found in our science classrooms. There is no doubt that the problem is large, and thus a proper understanding of the problem is paramount to its resolution. This is where my study focuses, a case study that checks for gaps in science teachers' understanding of multicultural diversity in their classrooms and the impact of such understanding on classroom practice. Approaching the problem from an interpretive viewpoint within a social-constructive paradigm, the issue of multicultural diversity, especially in the field of science, is a "relatively" new concept in the South African context. Europeans and especially the Americans have at least forty years of experience in this field, their economy, low unemployment and advanced technology being a measure of their successes in multicultural science classrooms. At a theoretical level much of the American experiences do have direct relevance in our South African setting and is thus used throughout my study as a point of reference. The study used as its tools semi-structured interviews of 5 science teachers, (respondents), observations of a single lesson of each of the respondents and analysis of documents used in the observed lesson. The study was conducted in a middle to low socio-economic suburban secondary school of Kwazulu-Natal where science teachers' understandings of multicultural diversity was found to be somewhat traditional, simplistic and parochial. The study further revealed how a poor understanding of the issues of diversity amongst learners impacted on the teachers' abilities to successfully adapt the science curriculum and their teaching approaches to meet the needs of their diverse learners, and thus create equitable learning opportunities for all learners. Recommendations proposed in this study stem from the fact that though the respondents have some knowledge of the diversity in their science classrooms, their attempts to cope with the diversity based on currently available guidelines, viz. OBE, C2005 and the RNCS, still falls short of achieving equitable learning opportunities for all learners. Thus the study recommends serious attention to issues of multicultural science education with respect to language barriers and practice of appropriate teaching and learning methods. It also recommends appropriately designed training for both pre and in-service teachers and teacher educators. The study further recommends making science more meaningful by localising the Eurocentric curriculum and lastly, diversifying our teaching force to better reflect the increasingly diverse learner bodies.
An investigation into teachers' views of continuous assessment (CA) and its implementation in grade 12 higher grade mathematics in the Ethekwini region.
(2004) Deonarain, Suren.; De Villiers, Michael David.
The proposed research is about the introduction of Continuous Assessment (CA) in Grade 12 Higher Grade Mathematics, as part of the learner's overall assessment. Schools are required by policy laid down by the Department of Education to implement CA in Grade 12 Mathematics. The introduction of CA is a new development. It is important to study how it is being implemented and the effect it has on the quality of Mathematics Education. The goals of this research are to: • investigate Grade 12 Mathematics teachers' understanding and views of CA; • the strategies that they are implementing in CA; • how CA is impacting on the conceptual understanding of their learners and • to what extent are teachers' assessment practices consistent with the Rationale of Continuous Assessment? The data was collected by means of a questionnaire which consisted of both close-ended and semi-structured questions. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the quantitative data. The findings show that continuous assessment is not being implemented in terms of a wide range of alternate assessment strategies as it was intended to be, with pen and paper testing still being the more dominant practice. The findings also show that whilst Continuous Assessment is having a measured educational impact on teachers and learners, there are still problems experienced by educators. These problems are hampering its implementation. Teachers require more workshops on the Continuous Assessment strategies.
An exploration of biology teachers' practice with regard to practical work and how it relates to the NCS-FET life science policy document.
(2004) Pillay, Asheena.; Alant, Busisiwe Precious.
When democracy was achieved in South Africa there was a need to create an education system that served the needs of all South Africans. An education system which would produce literate, creative, critical and productive citizens. This led to the introduction of OBE, Curriculum 2005 and the National Curriculum Statement policy document. The principles on which the current South African education system is based has been borrowed from countries like Canada, England and Scotland. Although there are educational changes, the legacy of apartheid continues to be felt in the education system. There still exists an unequal distribution of resources both physical and human. Many previously disadvantaged schools do not have laboratory facilities nor qualified biology educators. This unequal distribution of resources impacts on teaching and learning. The successful implementation of the NCS-FET Life Science Policy Document hinges on teachers. Teachers are expected to through their teaching espouse the philosophy of the NCS-FET Life Science Policy Document. The majority of teachers teaching in South African schools had their training in a "content era," where it was amiable to transfer as much content knowledge as possible to learners, with little inquiry and the accompanying practical work. The NCS-FET Life Science Policy Document embraces the idea of learner centredness and emphasises the development of basic and integrated science process skills, in its first learning outcome. These educational changes imply a re-examination of the ways in which activities may have been conducted in the past, and at present. The context in which practical work is done in South Africa is different from the context in which practical work is done in countries like Canada, England and Scotland. This study uses an open-ended questionnaire and focus group interview to investigate teacher conceptions of practical work, the types of practicals teachers use to teach science process skills. The purpose is to get a deeper insight and understanding of teacher practices within a South African context, taking into account the effects of the legacy of apartheid. The study also highlights the possible challenges the teachers face in embracing the NCS-FET Life Science Policy Document.
Learners' conceptualization of the sine function with Sketchpad at grade 10 level.
(2004) Jugmohan, Jansheela H.; De Villiers, Michael David.
This study investigated how Grade 10 learners conceptualise an introductory activity to the sine function with The Geometers' Sketchpad. In a study by Blackett and Tall (1991), the initial stages of learning the ideas of trigonometry, are described as fraught with difficulty, requiring the learner to relate pictures of triangles to numerical relationships, to cope with ratios such as sinA = opposite/hypotenuse. A computer approach might have the potential to change this by allowing the learner to manipulate the diagram and relate its dynamically changing state to the corresponding numerical concepts. The learner is thus free to focus on specific relationships, called the principle of selective construction, as stated by Blackett and Tall (1991). The use of this educational principle was put to test to analyse the understanding of Grade 10 learners' introduction to the sine function. Data was collected from a high school situated in a middle-class area of Reservoir Hills (KZN) by means of task-based interviews and questionnaires. Given a self-exploration opportunity within The Geometers' Sketchpad, the study investigated learners' understanding of the sine function only within the first quadrant: A) as a ratio of sides of a right-angled triangle B) as an increasing function C) as a function that increases from zero to one as the angle increases from 0° to 90°. D) as a relation between input and output values E) the similarity of triangles with the same angle as the basis for the constancy of trigonometric ratios. The use of Sketch pad as a tool in answering these questions, from A) to E), proved to be a successful and meaningful activity for the learners. From current research, it is well-known that learners do not easily accommodate or assimilate new ideas, and for meaningful learning to take place, learners ought to construct or reconstruct concepts for themselves. From a constructivist perspective the teacher cannot transmit knowledge ready-made and intact to the pupil. In the design of curriculum or learning materials it is fundamentally important to ascertain not only what intuitions learners bring to a learning context, but also how their interaction with specific learning experiences (for example, working with a computer), shapes or changes their conceptualisation. The new ideas that the learners' were exposed to on the computer regarding the sine function, also revealed some errors and misconceptions in their mathematics. Errors and misconceptions are seen as the natural result of children's efforts to construct their own knowledge, and according to Olivier (1989), these misconceptions are intelligent constructions based on correct or incomplete (but not wrong) previous knowledge. Olivier (1989), also argues that teachers should be able to predict what errors pupils will typically make; explain how and why children make these errors and help pupils to resolve such misconceptions. In the analysis of the learners' understanding, correct intuitions as well as misconceptions in their mathematics were exposed.
Voices from the classroom : beliefs of grade 11 learners about science and indigenous knowledge.
(2004) Maharaj, J. S. K.; Malcolm, Clifford Keith.
The dismantling of apartheid in South Africa provides educational researchers with the opportunity to explore many issues in education one of which being knowledge and its epistemology. Since colonization Africa has been mainly a consumer of Western knowledge and hardly a producer of new knowledge. Generally indigenous knowledge is taken by Western scholars and then sold to its motherland dressed in Western garb. Because of colonization and subsequent apartheid rule the progress of indigenous ways of knowing was marginalized and only Western ways of knowing were promoted. Indigenous ways of knowing need to be debated not only by scholars in the main but also by the science learners in African schools. Hence this study firstly explores the beliefs of a large group of grade 11 Physical Science learners about school science and indigenous knowledge and secondly explores how these learners negotiate relationships between school science and indigenous knowledge.
An investigation of grade 9 learners educational conceptions in two secondary schools : a case study.
(2004) Makhathini, Thamsanqa Emmanuel.; Brijlall, Deonarain.
This research considers specific strategies that would enhance teaching and learning of fractional concepts in mathematics at a secondary school. The notion of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) ~ Vygotskian view, is invoked as one of the fundamental frameworks for explaining fractional knowledge. This view is contested on the bases of that "human thinking is inherently social in its origin" (Goos, 2004: 259). Another theory that bears testimony to mathematics education especially abstract concepts like fractions is that of constructivism, drawn from the works of, Lave (1996), Steffe (1990) and others. Learners' informal knowledge is investigated for the purposes of highlighting what learners know and can do. Therefore, the study examined the development of learners' understanding of fractions during instruction with respect to the ways their prior knowledge of whole numbers influenced the meanings and representations they construct for fractions as they build on their informal knowledge. There were 30 participants (15 School A and 15 from School B) that were engaged in worksheets. Thereafter, 6 cases of the participants were carefully selected for clinical interview purposes. The overall methodology of this study is participatory action research (Kemmis & Mctaggart, 2000).
A case study of the implementation of continuous assessment in grades 11 and 12 physical science classrooms in three secondary schools.
(2004) Shilenge, Veronica Zanele.; Hobden, Paul Anthony.
The Department of Education has introduced a policy of Continuous Assessment (CASS) in grades 11 and 12. This, however, does not mean that the current policies such as senior certificate examinations will immediately change. It appears that the old and the new practices will co-exist. This implementation of CASS took place in some environments characterised by enormous infra-structural backlogs, resource limitations, inadequate supply of quality learning support materials and absence of common national standards for learning and assessments. Consequently, the purpose of this interpretive research is to investigate how CASS has been implemented in grades 11 and 12 Physical Science classrooms in three disadvantaged secondary schools. This research study is a qualitative case study of three secondary schools in a school circuit. The three secondary schools were chosen on the basis of their varying socio-economic backgrounds and history related to quality of work and innovation. The research study examines the contexts and processes that took place during the implementation of CASS in these schools. The principal theories underpinning this study are those supporting educational change and curriculum innovation. The argument is that different understandings of the nature of the curriculum have important implications for the implementation of curriculum change. The literature was reviewed to expand the argument that curriculum change has different meanings and is dependent on the context. In this research study, curriculum changes in South Africa, the meaning of curriculum changes, CASS and CASS policy are discussed. The research methods used to gather data are semi-structured interviews, document analysis and questionnaires. The participants in this study were grade 11 and 12 Physical Science teachers, the Science Head of Departments (HOD) and grade 11 and 12 Physical Science learners from each school. The three schools were visited in the second half of 2002. This research study considered the roles and importance of learners, teachers, school management team, community and external inputs for the successful implementation of CASS. The feedback from teachers, HOD's, and learners were analysed and discussed. The schools were found to have profiles and strategies that were unique, but also some principles, practices and characteristics were common. The overall findings show that CASS has been implemented in these classrooms, but the strategies that are mostly used are those which were used in a content-based curriculum. For example, tests, classwork and homework were common in these schools. This study therefore suggests that more thorough and different support and developmental programmes be put in place so as to equip teachers with the skills necessary to implement CASS. This study also suggests that further research in schools be conducted, so that the best procedures are used to ensure the effective implementation of curriculum innovation in South Africa.
A case study of girls' participation in physical science at a rural high school.
(2005) Mntambo, Simeon Jabulani.; Hobden, Paul Anthony.
The study aimed to add to our understanding of why many girls in rural high schools were not choosing to study Physical Science. A case study of a local high school was used as the research method. Questionnaires to the 120 learners in grade 9 and 10 were the main instrument used to gather data. This was followed up with interviews of a sample of learners and some classroom observations. The science teacher was also included as a key informant in this study. The data collected aimed at answering the following key question: What influences girls in their decision to choose to study Physical Science at a rural school? The following sub questions guided the researcher in answering the key research question: (a) Are there any differences in participation between boys and girls? (b) What influences their choice in Grade 9? (c) Were Grade 10 learners happy with their subject package choices made in grade 9? The data were captured, coded, analysed and interpreted. The study produced evidence that the learners' family, the classroom environment, peer influence and the shortage of role models were the main reasons for the low • number of girls participating in Physical Science. The study found that these factors have a significant influence on girls' subject choices. Ofthe four factors found, the family was the most significant factor (i.e. where the family members tended to choose the subject package for girls). In the classroom the girls were involved in proportionally the same number of interactions but importantly the female teacher had a disproportionate number of interactions with the boys. In apparent contradiction to the teachers comments that the boys were the more active learners, the girls initiated more interactions with the teacher. However, the girls reported that they were uncomfortable in the class as boys mocked and intimidated them during the lessons. Unfortunately, a large percentage of the girls who did choose to take Physical Science were unhappy with their choice as they then found it difficult. The main recommendations of the study were that; teacher and community awareness programmes should be established to raise awareness of the gender issues and to promote girls taking science; career guidance should be given to learners so they could make their own informed decisions; and possibly specialist science girls schools could be established. Further suggestions for research were made. The findings of this study should provide policy makers, curriculum developers, and science teachers with valuable information about some of the factors that influence girls not to take Physical Science.

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