Browsing by Author "Mabaso, Bongeka Petunia."

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ACE technology lecturers' and in-service teachers' understanding of the design process and its enactment in their pedagogical practice.
(2015) Mabaso, Bongeka Petunia.; Alant, Busisiwe Precious.
This thesis is an exploration of Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE) Technology lecturers’ and in-service teachers’ understanding of the design process and how it influences their pedagogical practice. Creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving capabilities and other related skills are key aspects of Technology Education. In order for Technology learners to develop these capabilities and skills they need to engage with the design process. It is in this regard that the design process is argued to be the core of technology education. Hence, it is argued that it ought to be used to structure and drive the delivery of all learning aims of the Technology subject in South African schools. Research shows that the context based and complex nature of the design process presents a huge challenge for teachers. As a result, teachers present it as a linear process, rather than an iterative process as suggested in the South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement for Grades 7-9 Technology. The two research questions explored were: “What are ACE Technology lecturers’ and in-service teachers’ understanding of the design process?” and “What informs and influences Technology Education lecturers’ and in-service teachers’ understanding of the design process?” These questions were addressed through the use of a questionnaire and two focus group interviews with the ACE Technology lecturers’ and teachers’. Schön’s notions of reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action were used to trace how these ACE Technology lecturers’ and teachers’ developed their understanding of the design process. The results indicate that through the use of reflection in and on action, ACE Technology lecturers’ and teachers’ understanding of the design process broadens and changes. Reflection occurred by means of narrative, graphic presentations and participative engagement methods. W.r.t. to Research Question 1, four conceptions of the relationship between the design process and problem solving emerged which then led to the emergence of the seven ways in which the design process is understood: Conception 1: Design process is action orientated. Conception 2: Design process is not linear, but iterative. Conception 3: Design process is solution based. Conception 4: Design process is appraisal and evaluation. Conception 5: Design process is systematic. Conception 6: Design process is complex. Conception 7: Design process is context based. With regard to Research Question 2, the findings revealed two factors that influence and inform ACE lecturers’ and teachers’ understanding: a) reflection and interacting in a community of practice and b) the interface between understanding and practice. This interface is premised upon two factors which cause understanding to be transformed and confirmed during practice: (i) contextual issues and (ii) identity. In this regard, the analysis of data from this study shows that ACE technology lecturers’ and in-service teachers’ understanding of the design process not only directs their pedagogical practice but impacts on learning of Technology with respect to critical thinking, innovation and creativity.
A case study of gender differences in 8th grade students’ performance in TIMSS 2011 science test in United Arab Emirates, Dubai schools.
(2016) Jagesar, Nivesh.; Singh-Pillay, Asheena.; Mabaso, Bongeka Petunia.
The UAE suffers from a serious shortage of professional scientists, mathematics and science teachers, engineers and technologists due to low levels of engagement and reduced enrollment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines, also referred to as the STEM disciplines. Within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the 1900s, women were not required by society, tradition or religion to contribute financially to the family. The responsibility of financially supporting a family was relegated to men, while females were given the primary role of care givers over that of career women (Sidani, 2005). However, since the 1990s, a concerted effort has been made by the Ministry of Education (MoE) of Dubai to increase females’ access to education and to enhance their participation in scientific fields. In the light of the aforementioned factors, this study sought, firstly, to explore if there was a gender difference in 8th Grade UAE learners’ performance in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) science test in 2011 in Dubai schools. The research questions that guided this study were: 1. What gender difference is evident in 8th grade learners’ performance in the TIMSS 2011 science tests with regard to: 1.1. The science content dimension (biology, chemistry, physics and earth sciences)? 1.2. The science cognitive dimension (knowing, applying, reasoning)? 2. What contextual factors in the TIMSS 2011 science test could possibly account for the observed gender difference, if any? This study made use of secondary data from the TIMSS test questionnaires to answer the research questions. Bourdieu’s (1977) Theory of Cultural Capital and Social Reproduction was used as a framework as it had a direct link to the research focus of this study. Bourdieu (1977) asserts that the major role of educational systems is the reproduction of power relationships and privilege between social classes or groups, where social inequality is reproduced and legitimated. Bourdieu’s concepts of capital and habitus were used during the comparative analysis of the data. The findings of this study indicate that the 8th grade female science students outperformed boys in both the content and cognitive domains of the 2011 TIMSS test. Furthermore, the findings raised questions about the quality of the science investigations being conducted in schools, as well as the type of professional development available to teachers as the vast majority of teachers teaching science in the UAE are foreign qualified teachers.