Browsing by Author "Stears, Michele."

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A case study of teachers' implementation of the grade four natural sciences curriculum.
(2013) Mpanza, Mavis Nokuthula.; Stears, Michele.
Many teachers have difficulty in implementing the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS). This is particularly true of the natural science curriculum. The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which natural science teachers interpret and implement the natural science curriculum in Grade Four. A further aim was to find out which factors impinge on teachers’ ability to implement the curriculum. The study is underpinned by a theory of implementation developed by Rogan and Grayson (2003) who argue that major changes in new curricula are difficult to implement and suggest that any curriculum innovation should be ahead of existing practices. Rogan and Grayson’s (2003) framework is further used to identify the levels at which teachers are located with regard to their ability to implement the curriculum. The research was conducted within the interpretive paradigm. It is a case study of four natural science teachers who teach in the Folweni cluster of the Umbumbulu district. The methods of data collection included a questionnaire, document analysis, pre- and post-semi structured interviews and class observation. The data was analysed using Rogan and Grayson’s framework. The findings indicate that teachers are at different levels with regard to their ability to implement the natural science curriculum. This is partly due to the way they interpret the curriculum and partly due to a number of factors that influence their capacity to implement a new curriculum. Teachers have different abilities with regard to their interpretation of the curriculum. These abilities were interpreted in terms of their understanding of content, outcomes and assessment, as well as their ability to teach in learner-centred ways. Teachers’ capacity to implement a new curriculum are influenced by factors such as their qualifications, the circumstances of the learners they teach; the physical resources available to them, the support they receive from the school management, as well as the ethos that prevails in the school. The study concluded that teachers be supported in different ways to improve their capacity to implement the natural science curriculum and that this can ultimately lead to an improvement in teachers ability to implement the natural science curriculum as set out in the Revised Curriculum Statement (2002).
Exploring alternative assessment strategies in science classrooms.
(ESASA, 2010) Stears, Michele.; Gopal, Nirmala Devi.
The knowledge children bring to the classroom or construct in the classroom may find expression in a variety of activities and is often not measurable with the traditional assessment instruments used in science classrooms. Different approaches to assessment are required to accommodate the various ways in which learners construct knowledge in social settings. In our research we attempted to determine the types of outcomes achieved in a Grade 6 classroom where alternative strategies such as interactive assessments were implemented. Analyses of these outcomes show that the learners learned much more than the tests indicate, although what they learnt was not necessarily science. The implications for assessment are clear: strategies that assess knowledge of science concepts, as well as assessment of outcomes other than science outcomes, are required if we wish to gain a holistic understanding of the learning that occurs in science classrooms.
Foundation phase teachers' interpretation and implementation of the natural science curriculum in the life skills learning programme : a case study.
(2014) Beni, Saritha.; Stears, Michele.; James, Angela Antoinette.
Since 1994, Early Childhood Development has been acknowledged and recognised as an essential focus theme for South Africa’s social and economic transformation and development. Early learning is an imperative for the growth of an educated South African society. The focus of the study is on teachers’ abilities to interpret and implement a new innovative curriculum. This interpretative, qualitative, case study attempts to explore foundation phase teachers’ interpretation and implementation of the Natural Science Curriculum within the Life Skills Learning Programme in South Africa. The study was prompted by personal observations of how teachers and students viewed the purpose of Natural Science in the Foundation Phase. Four foundation phase teachers, one from each Grade (R to Three) participated in the study. The learning environment was selected as the unit of analysis since this is where the learners, teachers, curriculum and educational resources meet. The theoretical framework for this study is entrenched in the relationship between the prescribed and the implemented curriculum and was developed by adapting the theory of implementation proposed by Rogan and Grayson (2003). It served as a guide to identify factors that influenced the way foundation phase teachers implement the Natural Science Curriculum in the Life Skills Learning Programme. The Zone of Feasible Innovation (ZFI) is the proposed theory of implementation. The ZFI is a hypothetical construct, which suggests that innovation should not exceed current practice by too large a gap between existing practice and the demands of the innovation. It provided the lens for positioning teachers at particular levels with regard to their capacity to implement a curriculum. The theoretical frameworks were used to answer the research questions and design the data collection instruments: a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews schedules, document analysis, classroom observation schedules and a rating scale were used to analyse the data. The levels for each teacher were determined for each construct of interpretation and implementation and subsequently used to determine their respective ZFIs. The teachers were located at relatively low levels of interpretation and implementation, resulting in very narrow ZFIs. The implications are that these teachers’ current practices are too far removed from that which the curriculum expects of them. Examples of such practices are: emphasis on Numeracy and Literacy; misunderstanding of the meaning of integration of subjects and a lack of science content knowledge and instructional methods used to teach Natural Science. The most significant finding, however, is that teachers have very little chance of expanding their ZFIs due to a misalignment between the Natural Science Curriculum and the Foundation Phase Curriculum that makes implementation of Natural Science in the Foundation Phase particularly problematic. The outcomes of this finding have resulted in the development of a proposed model which depicts a barrier preventing expansion of the teachers’ ZFI. A number of recommendations are proposed as possible actions to remove this barrier. It is envisaged that the findings of this study may provide useful insights for curriculum planners in the design of appropriate, innovative curricula for the Foundation Phase and beyond.
In the Mix: exploring urban Black Youth Culture in desegregated life sciences classrooms.
(2017) Kapofu, Lifeas Kudakwashe.; James, Angela Antoinette.; Stears, Michele.
Through an anthropological approach, in the form of a focused-ethnography, this study explored urban Black youth culture (UBYC), in the life sciences classrooms of a desegregated former model C school. In the exploration of UBYC the study was guided by the four research questions the address of which helped explain the context in which UBYC was created by UBY; the nature of this created culture and lastly; how and why it influenced the teaching and learning of life sciences. This study was trellised on a conflated conceptual and analytical framework which informed the nature of the research questions, research design and methodology. Such a conflated framework included: Schein’s (2004) organisational culture model for cultural analysis; Ryan and Deci (2000) Self-Determination Theory of Motivation; Bourdieu’s (1991) social imagery and Foucault’s (1997) notions of power. Using multiple methods, qualitative data were collected over a six month period. Data were analysed and interpreted against the analytical and conceptual frames and a report was compiled. Key findings of this study included the identification of the culpability of the context as structured by players in the life sciences classrooms in the creation of UBYC. Such contextual shortcomings included: classrooms in which culturally responsive pedagogy was not operationalised, classrooms contexts which were falling short in addressing learners’ needs for autonomy, competency and connectedness, and lastly, operationalisation of power in ways that escalated classroom conflicts. Schein’s (2004) model was used to decipher life sciences teachers’ assumptions. Through knowledge of the teachers’ assumptions and observation of their classroom practices, the context in which UBYC was created was established. It was from this understanding that UBY assumptions were deciphered. The deciphering of UBY cultural assumptions provided for the interrogation of how UBYC was influencing, and why it was influencing the teaching and learning of life sciences. It was found that UBYC enabled UBY to trivialise life sciences as a discipline, speak disparagingly about their teachers, disrupt classroom proceedings, sometimes openly defy or aggressively engage with their life sciences teachers. UBYC enabled UBY to perform such enactments as it allowed them to feel superior, powerful, connected and competent. It is envisaged that findings of this study would provide a lens for viewing contemporary classrooms. This perception is critical in deciphering and explaining phenomena that may be perceived as indiscipline and behavioural challenges. This study culminated with the development of a model for cultural studies in classroom settings. It was my view that such a model will help teachers in multicultural classrooms explore culture, as cultural understandings and their harnessing for instruction is the ultimate challenge that comes with diversity.
Life sciences teachers' understanding of the nature of science within the context of teaching evolution.
(2013) Kirsten, Fadeela.; Stears, Michele.; Coleman, Joy Carol.
The introduction of evolution in the ‘new’ Grade 12 life sciences curriculum in 2008 has created many challenges for life sciences teachers. The curriculum requires teachers to integrate evolution in all aspects of their teachings. The literature reveals that many life sciences teachers teach the concept of evolution in isolation and fail to integrate the topic as the underlying principle of Biology. Various studies conclude that teachers’ understandings and beliefs about the NOS no doubt influence their classroom instruction. This study explores life sciences teachers’ understanding of the NOS when teaching the theory of evolution. The NOS is used as the framing concept of the study. My research is a case study of three experienced life sciences teachers. Data was obtained from questionnaires, classroom observations and interviews with the teachers. This data provided valuable insight into the teachers’ understanding of the NOS as well as the way in which this understanding influences their pedagogical practices. Furthermore I was able to develop some understanding of why teachers teach evolution in the way that they do. The instruments were analysed qualitatively. The findings were reported as narratives and reveal that the teachers have different levels of understanding of the NOS. These different understandings have a profound influence on their understanding of evolution, however their understanding of the NOS did not have the same effect on the manner in which they taught evolution. While all three teachers had some misunderstandings, two teachers were able to teach evolution without demonstrating these misconceptions, while one teacher was not. Furthermore, there are also a number of additional factors such as exam-driven approaches, teacher identity, controversy surrounding the theory of evolution, and finally, lack of resources that impact negatively on the way evolution is taught. In conclusion I offer strategies to improve life sciences teachers’ understanding of the NOS and evolution and highlights areas for further research.
The meaning of relevant science in townships in Cape Town.
(2005) Stears, Michele.; Cliff, Malcolm.
This study explores the meaning of relevant science in two townships in Cape Town. Reform in science education, both nationally and internationally has placed much emphasis on the fact that science education should be relevant. The research conducted in this study attempts to interpret different dimensions of relevance. This study explores not only how learners make meaning of their everyday lives, but what 'science' they deem to be relevant and worth learning within this context. It acknowledges the important role of teachers in establishing what learners perceive to be relevant. The theory of social constructivism is suited to this investigation, in its recognition of the roles of children's knowledge, purposes, social groups and interactions in learning. The children in this study often have personal lives steeped in poverty, abuse and violence. The curriculum design is also guided by social constructivist theories. However, a second version of constructivism, critical constructivism, is used to frame the second phase of the study. A critical constructivist approach raises questions about the type of knowledge learners interact with. In critical constructivism, science and its methods, the curriculum and the classroom are opened up to critical inquiry. Teachers' knowledge of their learners is used to design science lessons that are more meaningful, relevant and personalised. The individual lessons, as well as the lesson series that are used in this study are designed as examples of relevant science, while the lesson series also serves as a tool to elicit deeper understandings of what learners in this particular context experience as relevant to their lives. Although the main focus of this research is the relevance of using everyday knowledge in the classroom, bringing everyday knowledge into the classroom allows for the inclusion of a number of dimensions of relevance. The different ways in which learners respond to the science lessons in both phases are discussed as five outcomes. The findings of the research show that the essence of a relevant science curriculum lies in a particular design. This design accommodates many dimensions of relevance, such as relevant content, context and purposes. Such as design helps learners to negotiate the difficult border between the formal school environment and the informal home environment. A relevant curriculum acknowledges that science education is more than only science, but also recognises the implications for science curriculum development. This study is part of a larger project which is a comprehensive evaluation of the Primary Science Programme (PSP). The PSP gave the research its full support as the investigation of relevance may have an influence on curriculum design.
Negotiating the transition between primary and high school within the context of teaching and learning science : a case study in the Umgungundlovu District.
(2014) Thabethe, Cebisile Sybil.; Stears, Michele.
Learners experience a variety of social and academic challenges as they move from primary school to high school. There is a need to understand learners’ experiences of this transition in terms of teaching and learning Science. The purpose of this study is to explore learners’ experiences as they transit from primary to high school with regard to teaching and learning of Natural Science. It does so by exploring what type of skills learners acquire in Grade Seven and are able to use in Grade Eight. The study aims to develop a better understanding of grade eight teachers’ perception of what learners know and how they manage learners’ transition from primary to high school Science classes. This study is located within the pragmatic paradigm as it applied both qualitative and quantitative approaches to gather data. It is the a case study of two grade seven natural sciences teachers and two grade eight natural sciences teachers and their learners in the Umgungundlovu district. A conceptual framework consisting of a number of constructs related to teaching and learning science within the context of my study served as lens for the study. Various data collection methods were used. These were teacher questionnaires, learner questionnaires, classroom observations, document analysis, focus group interviews with learners and teacher interviews. The constructs and sub-constructs of my conceptual framework which is informed by literature was used to analyse the data collected. The study revealed that learners experience the transition with regard to teaching and learning of Science as challenging. The factors identified as influencing the challenges range from teaching strategies of grade eight teachers to the volume and frequency of homework. These factors resulted in the decline of enjoyment of science in learners in Grade Eight as compared to the enjoyment of Science in Grade Seven. This study further revealed that grade eight teachers have expectations that learners are often unable to meet, making the transition from primary school to high school difficult for learners as well as teaches. This study concludes that teachers are not fully conversant with the subject of transition and therefore do little to support learners through this critical stage of their schooling lives. The study concludes with a number of recommendations which may assist in easing the transition for learners from primary to high school within the context of teaching and learning Science.
Science foundation students' experiences at a tertiary institution.
(2008) Keke, Bulelwa.; Stears, Michele.
Abstract not available.