Doctoral Degrees (Science and Technology Education)

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Addressing sustainable development goals by leveraging indigenous knowledge: experiences of Science and Mathematics teachers.
(2022) Sanjigadu, Sebastian.; Mudaly, Ronicka.
The post-COVID era has illuminated the crucial role of education in reducing inequalities and promoting inclusive and sustainable growth. Literature is replete with rationales for higher education programmes to be aligned with the sustainable development goals through partnerships to ensure that programmes are globally and locally relevant. Based on these insights I adopted the Ubuntucurrere and decolonial theories as intellectual resources as I departed from traditional education norms which valourise only Euro-Western science and mathematics. I did this by exploring possibilities for leveraging indigenous knowledge to address the sustainable development goals in the curriculum. My study demonstrated the potential for transforming understandings of Education for Sustainable Development to include “low voices” in the production of valuable knowledge about sustainable living. I engaged 36 purposefully selected, practicing science and mathematics teachers who were enrolled in an Honours in Education module to generate qualitative data. I explored how science and mathematics teachers integrated indigenous knowledge to address sustainable development goals. Teachers participated in focus group interviews and engaged collaboratively with indigenous knowledge holders to develop portfolios of evidence, where they documented the stages of their work. They also taught lessons in micro-teaching sessions during which they demonstrated their ideas related to context, content, and pedagogy as they constructed and utilised IK to address the sustainable development goals. Among the strategies that teachers used was to engage Chilisa’s (2012) processes of “Dreaming, Commitment, and Action” by re-imaging and practically enacting lessons for sustainable development using a decolonial lens. Specific ideologies from Ubuntu-currere such as social interactions through collaboration and challenging epistemic othering of IK informed teacher thinking and action. The findings from this study revealed that science and mathematics teachers address sustainable development using indigenous knowledge in sparse, indirect ways in the curriculum. Findings also showed that teachers were committed to exploring indigenous pedagogy and content as a strategy to address sustainable development goals in the curriculum. Furthermore, my study revealed that science and mathematics teachers adopted specific strategies which resonated with work done during the teacher professional development programme in which they had engaged. This study also revealed factors that enabled or constrained teachers who sought to address the sustainable development goals by leveraging indigenous knowledge. The obstructive factors included issues of time management and an inherent lack of teacher capacity about content and pedagogy linked to indigenous ideologies and sustainable development. Enabling factors were linked to the “democratic interactions” that teachers experienced through their engagements with indigenous knowledge holders, with their lecturers, and with one another. Teachers addressed obstructive factors by developing teacher agency and seeking assistance from more knowledgeable individuals who were supportive of their learning processes.
Changes in science teachers' practice of learner-centred education as a result of action research in Lesotho.
(2005) Khoboli, Benedict Mapere.; Malcolm, Clifford Keith.
The study looks at Lesotho Science teachers' understanding, practice and explanation of learner-centred education (LCE) prior to, during and after different activities. Six Physics teachers from Maseru were selected from 20 who attended an initial meeting and workshop. The selected teachers participated in the research for two years, completing a Baseline Study, then 3 cycles of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting in the action research on LCE. During the Baseline Study and each of the action research cycles, the teachers' explanations, understandings and practices of learner-centred education were determined through analyses of discussions and meetings, lesson plans, classroom practices, responses to the literature and other support activities, and interviews with the teachers. The process was collaborative, with the teachers and the researcher working as a team in the planning, observations of classrooms, reflections and analyses. The teachers changed their understanding and practices significantly in the course of the study. Consistent with the Concerns-based Adoption Model (CBAM), their primary concerns shifted from classroom management issues and impediments to learner-centred education in their schools at the start, to adaptation, innovation, and conducting teacher-workshops at the end. Early in the project, they opted for a model of learner-centred education comprised of three levels: caring for learners and their learning; adopting learner-centred teaching methods and allowing learners to influence the content and desired outcomes of the learning. During the research, within the team and in classrooms, the teachers developed each of these levels, though they applied the third level more in their own learning as part of the action research, than in their classrooms. At the end, the teachers co-constructed a model of LCE which they felt was doable under the conditions in Lesotho (including school constraints and competing demands on teachers and curriculum), and which would meet the expectations of principals, parents and learners. The teachers changed not only in their professional knowledge and skills, but in social-professional and self-professional aspects. For example, they began inviting other teachers to observe their classes, they conducted workshops in their schools, and enrolled for higher degrees. The teachers persisted with the study for two years, not because of school expectations or pressures, but because they wanted to participate. Their motivation was high, arising from a mix of personal, professional, career and school factors. Their motivations shifted during the research, as their knowledge and concerns changed, and they came to see different opportunities from what they had imagined at the start. Through participation and collaboration, they extended the objectives and outcomes of the study beyond its initial focus on learner-centred education in classrooms: they defined and addressed their own personal, social and professional interests. The data demonstrated that teachers' engagement with in-service activities that provide for long-term project-based learning, critical collaboration, support and reflection, can bring personal and group change more significantly than in conventional district and national workshops.
A critical study of methods of measuring the attainment of pupils in practical work in the biological sciences with special reference to the situation pertaining to Indian schools.
(1980) Moodley, Tharanialan Kistnasamy.; Behr, Abraham Leslie.
No abstract available.
Design analysis of the Grade 9 technology curriculum in South Africa.
(2002) Chapman, Gavin Ashley.; Malcolm, Clifford Keith.
During the years of apartheid (pre 1994) there were two main streams that one could follow while studying at school viz. academic or technical. The majority of South African learners followed the more traditional academic stream allowing some to enter careers as doctors, lawyers, policemen/woman, school teachers and the like, while the remainder ended up jobless. Those pupils who followed the technical stream were considered by some of the more academically inclined persons, to be the 'duller' type of pupil, who could learn a trade and end up as a blue-collar worker. As the cost of technical education has always been much higher than the purely academic courses, the number of schools offering technical subject courses in South Africa has always been in the minority. The entire scene changed after the banning of apartheid (post 1994) and the introduction of the notion of globalisation. Rapid developments suddenly appeared world-wide especially with the introduction of new technologies, mainly in informatics. Suddenly the world seemed to be a much smaller place as one could e-mail, fax, or use a cell phone anywhere in the world at the touch of a button. In order for South Africa to become part of the new world order, and to think about global markets, certain essential changes had to be made firstly to the local environment. A depressed economy needed rejuvenation. There was a growing awareness that serious change was needed in the way children think and learn at school and to start aligning ideas with international trends. To do this, the Department of Education in Pretoria (DoE), decided to radically transform the education sector by introducing a new system of education known as outcomes-based education (OBE). The new OBE system brought with it mixed reactions from the South African public and from the teachers within the system. Many teachers did not want to accept that education could be done in a different way than they had been used to, in the past twenty to forty years. Younger teachers on the other hand did embrace change but are still trying to get the right balance within the prescribed parameters laid down in national education policy documents. To try and achieve such balance, the minister of education called for an independent review committee to re-work the general education and training phase curricula in order for them to be made more 'user-friendly' as many complaints had been received about the policy documents being overly complicated and unmanageable in the normal classroom situation. This process was concluded in May 2001 and Technology education remained as one of the eight new learning areas within the general education and training phase (GET) of South African schooling. The first draft of the Technology education curriculum was handed out for public comment in October 1997 and was used as the basis for a pilot study at selected schools in 1998. This information was used as the basis for analyzing the design of the Technology curriculum at grade 9 level. Grade 9 was selected as it is the final exit from general education and training (GET) into further education and training (FET), and because it was the starting point for the pilot project in 1998. Valuable data was available at the pilot project school sites to be used in this study. Not all the provinces were able to initiate a pilot project due to a number of reasons but those that did viz. Kwazulu/Natal, Gauteng, and the Western Cape were visited individually to collect data. This study therefore 'unpacks' the Technology curriculum into component parts using an analysis tool developed from a theoretical framework. This unpacking of the parts allows one the opportunity to critically check whether or not certain important aspects of the design were omitted either intentionally or unintentionally by the design team (NTT). Chapter one orientates the reader and sets the scene from where I, as researcher, locate myself and what the prevailing conditions are like at South African schools. The study problem is highlighted as are the obstacles that have tended to have an impact on the final curriculum design. Chapter two provides an overview of the related theory associated with the field of curriculum study. Technology education is discussed as broadly as possible within the framework of the new OBE education system for South African schools. Chapter three discusses the methodologies applied to ensure reliability and validity of the findings. The design analysis tool is presented with an explanation of each of the eight components. Chapter four relates an interesting story about the findings. A description of the educational sites is presented together with descriptions of the educators at the six pilot schools, as well as some background of the national technology design team (NTT). All recorded evidence was gathered during personal visits to the schools and individual meetings with the design team members. Chapter five provides a discussion of the data to analyse the Technology curriculum. In this way the reader is directed to the problem areas that were identified and supported the purpose of this curriculum study. Chapter six firstly answers the three critical questions posed in Chapter one. An alternative model for curriculum design and development is presented. This theoretical model is intended to reduce the weaknesses of the present curriculum design if applied to any similar initiative in the future. This will allow educators greater freedom to do what they do best - to teach from a curriculum policy that they clearly understand and are trained to deliver. In this way South African schools and all learners will be rewarded by being well prepared for a variety of challenging careers in the global world that we live in.
Evaluation of educational computer programmes as a change agent in science classrooms.
(2004) Muwanga-Zake, Johnnie Wycliffe Frank.; Amory, Alan M.
This evaluation started with preliminary research into the situations and problems in science classrooms and computer laboratories. The preliminary research identified teacher-centred lessons, learner and teacher conceptualisations, large numbers of learners per classroom, assessment, and a lack of interest in biology as some of the major problems in South African classrooms. The current research (because it is continuing) uses two Educational Computer Programmes (ECPs); a Computer-Aided Assessment (CAA) programme which is designed to alleviate problems in assessment, and Zadarh (a constructivist adventure game) designed to solve problems in biology classrooms, to further investigate some of the identified problems and find out the learners' and teachers' views on the utility of these two ECPs. The use of these two ECPs had not previously been investigated appropriately, especially in disadvantaged communities where teachers had little knowledge of the use and of evaluating ECPs. Therefore, a major concern for this study is that previous ECP evaluations excluded teachers and were not comprehensive enough especially for deploying ECPs in disadvantaged communities. A review of the methods that had hitherto been used, indicated that quantitative, mostly, behavioural and cognitive, pre-test post-test methods were prominently used, despite the shift in instructional design to constructional design, which embrace qualitative aspects of learning. Also, instructional design has evolved from behavioural models to include constructivist microworlds, which were unfairly evaluated by excluding qualitative benefits. Thus, this study seeks a more comprehensive evaluation strategy, in which teachers play the role of co-evaluators and which captures the qualitative and quantitative changes that software programs impart upon teachers' classroom practices, with sensitivity to the multiple disciplines in a program, as well as to the value systems of teachers. Comprehensive evaluation processes were facilitated during which 26 teachers in 23 schools in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal and Mpumalanga Provinces embarked upon the evaluation of the two ECPs. Evaluations were based upon a developmental, constructivist and interpretative approaches, by which teachers took ownership of these evaluations. Comprehensive evaluations revealed benefits from CAA and Zadarh, as well as benefits from direct teacher participations in the evaluations. CAA (Question Mark in this case) instantly provided diagnostic data. However, it was evident that the quality of diagnosis and remediation depended upon the quality of the test items, and the learning as well as the teaching strategies. Factors that could militate against the use and full utilisation of CAA in the schools where the study was done included the cost of software for CAA, teachers' capacity to set diagnostic test items particularly in a multiple-choice format, teachers' ability to interpret data produced by CAA, and teachers' skills in remedying their classroom problems as well as learners' problems. This study found that by playing Zadarh learners were able to construct knowledge through discovery and were attracted to the enjoyable aspects of this educational tool. Learners remembered most of those moments in the game during which they were both stuck and trying to solve problems on their way through Zadarh. Therefore, Zadarh can provide useful learning experiences with fun, and can improve motivation towards learning. Debilitating factors against the use of Zadarh and CAA include school curricula, which do not accommodate innovations, inflexible timetables, and classroom approaches that are teacher-centred. It was clear that the success of using computers in education would depend upon the ability of teachers to evaluate the ECPs, and to integrate ECPs into school curricula. drive these interactions played an important role in the successful integration of ECPs into classroom. One way of achieving such success is to include teachers as evaluators and co-designers of ECPs. Evaluations of ECPs therefore should: i) allow the teachers and learners, through social dialog, to identify how software could solve problems; ii) establish the compatibility of the software with the school curriculum; iii) ascertain the capacity of school computers to execute the software; and iv) provide support to the teachers in the use the software. Evaluations should benefit teachers and learners. The study concluded that a post-modern, developmental, and constructivist evaluation process might be one of the ways of enhancing training teachers in the use of the ECPs, in the concepts that the software deal with, and in evaluation. In that way, a socially contracted evaluation is comprehensive and can serve as a change agent through which teachers reflect and act upon improving their classroom practices.
An exploration of general education and training teachers' democratisation of the science teaching and learning space.
(2016) Jafta, Thomas Daniel.; Alant, Busisiwe Precious.; Vithal, Renuka.
Abstract available in PDF file.
An exploration of the Akans’ (Ghana) and Zulus’ (South Africa) culturally-specific environmental ethics: implications for culturally-specific senior high school biology/life sciences[s] curriculum development and teaching.
(2018) Opoku, Maxwell.; James, Angela Antoinette.
Indigenous and local communities are repositories of the world’s genetic resources and biodiversity is interwoven with the well-being of indigenous people who have utilized it throughout millennia. This constant interaction by indigenous people with biological components of the environment has brought about various innovative ways of knowing and practices which include both science and indigenous knowledge. Many indigenous practices have been found to foster and enrich biodiversity at the local level, as well as help sustain salubrious ecosystems. This study explored the Akans of Ghana and the Zulus of South Africa Culturally-Specific Environmental Ethics (CSEE), how these CSEE could be taught in senior high schools’ biology/Life Sciencess curriculum, and the implications (prospects and challenges) for such teaching. The main purpose of the study was to explore the participants’ (indigenous knowledge holders of the Akan and Zulu cultural groups’) understandings, perceptions, practices and communication regarding their cultural groups’ peculiar environmental ethics, referred to as CSEE in this study. The study sought the views of both the indigenous knowledge-holders of the respective cultures and their senior high school biology/Life Sciences teachers. The research employed a multi-site ethnographic, naturalistic research style situated within the interpretivist paradigm to explore the phenomena under study. In-depth conversational interviews were used to collect qualitative data from the purposively selected participants using the snowball technique. The data generation process involved the production of a narrative analysis for each participant. The study found that there are diverse understandings, perceptions, practices and modes of communication among the Akan and Zulu cultural groups used to help value and care for their natural resources, as well as utilizing them sustainably. The understandings, perceptions, practices and communication for their CSEE are interwoven together and inform one another. A model for how to teach CSEE and other indigenous knowledge related topics in senior high schools’ science classrooms in Ghana and South Africa was developed from the research findings. The study found that in-spite of the many prospects for teaching CSEE in senior high schools, its effective teaching and resilience might be threatened by political, religious, socio-cultural and economic issues; and that the demand for proof and experimentation for many of the CSEE perceptions and practices, coupled with various forms of stigmatization are key challenges anticipated.
An exploration of the interface between schools and industry in respect of the development of skills, knowledge, attitudes and values (SKAV) in the context of biotechnology.
(2010) Singh-Pillay, Asheena.; Alant, Busisiwe Precious.
This study traces how the National Curriculum Statement-Further Education and Training (NCS-FET) Life Sciences Policy is constructed and translated as it circulates across the Department of Education (DoE), schools and industry nodes. Actor Network Theory (ANT) (Latour, 2005) guides the theoretical framework and methodology of this study. ANT is a useful tool for showing the negotiations that characterise patterns of curriculum change in terms of how policy gets constructed, how practice gets performed, the skills, knowledge, attitudes and values (SKAV) constituted in practice, and whether there is an interface in terms of policy construction and SKAV constitution. From an ANT perspective curriculum policy change is a matter of practice co-performed by sociality and materiality, these being interwoven and entangled in practice. The trajectory of the NCS-FET Life Sciences Policy is traced during the practice of mediation of policy, implementation of policy and mediation of workplace learning. The topography of this study is underpinned by the transformatory agenda attached to curricula policy reform in South Africa. Agency has been granted by the democratically elected government to structures such as the DoE, schools and industry to promote human resource development and overcome the skills shortage via the NCS-FET Life Sciences Policy (DoE, 2003) and the National Biotechnology Strategy Policy (DST, 2001). There are divergences between these two documents as to the type of biotechnology that can be used as leverage for human resources development. The controversy lies in the notion of wanting to broaden access to biotechnology by having it included in the NCS-FET Life Sciences Policy, while wanting to promote third-generation biotechnology. Furthermore, contradictions are illuminated in the constitution of the NCS-FET Life Sciences Policy: it espouses constructivist principles and has a social transformative agenda, but its construction is guided by behaviourist and cognitivist principles. iv Employing the analytical tools offered by ANT (Latour, 1993, 2005; Callon, Law & Rip, 1986), the network tracing activity reveals that policy construction and SKAV development involve more than the action of a single human actor. This means that humans are not entirely in control of practice (Sorenson, 2007). Practice is performed by a series of shifting relations between elements of “sociality” and “materiality” (Mulchay, 2007). The network tracing activity elucidates that curriculum policy is an emergent effect of the interface, a dynamic point that arises from translations in the network. While there is an interface in respect of policy construction and SKAV constitution across the nodes of the study, the emergent effect of curriculum reform has pointed to the slippage between what was intended (via the policy as stated in the Government Gazette) and what was actually experienced in practice.
Exploring grade 12 learners’ understandings of, and problem-solving approaches to work-energy-power in physical sciences in high schools=Ukhuphenya abafundi bebanga 12 Ukuqonda kanye nezindlela zokuxazulula izinkinga ekusebenzeni kwamandla kagesi esifundweni sePhysical Sciences ezikoleni zamabanga Aphezulu eLimpopo.
(2021) Maharaj, Jayanthi Siva Kumaree.; Govender, Nadaraj.
Learners in high schools are performing poorly on the topic Work Energy Power as is evident in the National Senior Certificate Examinations (NSC) since 2008. The purpose of this study was to explore Grade 12 learners’ understandings of, and problem-solving approaches to Work-Energy-Power in Physical Sciences in high schools. The combination of Phenomenography and Variation Theory (VT) have been found to be best suited as an approach with which to tackle the research questions in this study as it enabled the researcher to probe into learners’ understandings and problem-solving approaches through their (the learners’) eyes which was the purpose of this study. This research employed a mixed methods approach as it used both quantitative and qualitative methods underpinned by pragmatism and interpretivism. The mixed methods approach was heavily weighted on the qualitative aspect with the quantitative aspect focusing primarily on descriptive statistics that was used to inform the qualitative aspects. The sample comprised of 100 National Senior Certificate Physical Sciences Paper One examination scripts and eight Grade 12 Physical Sciences learners. This sample was selected from six schools in one province in South Africa. The sampling method involved convenience sampling and typical case sampling, which is a type of purposive sampling, at different stages of the sampling process. A semi-structured interview schedule, Think Aloud Questionnaire (TAQ) and the NSC examination scripts were used to collect raw data. The TAQ (Appendix 10) was the instrument that was used to gain insights into the “thinking” of learners using the Think Aloud Method. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected via document analysis, thematic analysis and Think Aloud, all of which were underpinned by phenomenography and VT. The use of several data collection instruments and methods assisted with ensuring trustworthiness by triangulation. It was found that learners display seven alternative conceptions (ACs) about work, four ACs about energy and three ACs about power. Seven problem-solving approaches (PSAs) among Grade 12 Physical Sciences learners were identified, and these were missed the point state (MPS), limited (L), plug-and-chug-trial (PACT), layman’s approach (LAY), by elimination (BE), not shown (NS) and linked and integrated state (LIS). All the PSAs had problem-solving difficulties (PSDs) embedded in them except for the LIS approach. It was also found that awareness, simultaneity, discernment, reason, logic and clarity are important conditions for learners to fully understand scientific phenomena and successfully solve problems in physics. The last three conditions in the previous sentence, namely reason, logic and clarity, are being proposed in this study as additions to the current discourse on learning proposed by VT. The four patterns of variation namely contrast, generalisation, separation and fusion have been employed in this study as a possible explanation for the prevalence of alternative conceptions and problem-solving difficulties among Grade 12 Physical Sciences learners. IQOQA Abafundi ezikoleni zamabanga aphezulu abenzi kahle esihlokweni sokuSebenza kwaMandla kaGesi njengoba kubonakala emiphumelweni yabo kazwelonke yesitifiketi sikamatikuletsheni, i-National Senior Certificate Examinations (NSC) kusukela ngo-2008. Inhloso yalolu cwaningo kwakunguphenya ukuqonda kwaBafundi beBanga 12 ngeZindlela zoKuxazulula iziNkinga esifundweni sePhysical Science ezikoleni zamabanga aphezulu. Ukuhlanganisa iNjulalwazi yoShintsho kanye neyoHlalanto, i-Variation Theory (VT) sekutholakale ukuthi yikhona okungcono nokulungele indlela yokumelana nemibuzo yocwaningo kulolu cwaningo njengoba kuvumela umcwaningi ukuhlokoloza ukuqonda kwabafundi kanye nezindlela zokuxazulula izinkinga ngokwamehlo okubona kwabafundi. Lolu cwaningo lusebenzise izindlela zocwaningongxube njengoba kusetshenziswa zombili izindlela, eyocwaningozinombolo kanye neyekhwalithethivu, ezesekelwe izinhlelomqondo zenjulalwazi yokungenzeka kanye neyomhumusho. Indlela yocwaningongxube ibukwe kakhulu ngasohlangothini lwekhwalithethivu, bese kuthi ingxenye yocwaningozinombolo yona yagxila kakhulu ekuchazeni izinombolo. Isampula ibandakanye amaphepha ayi-100 okuhlola i-Physical Sciences iPhepha Lokuqala lokuhlola umatikuletsheni kanye nabafundi abayisishiyagalombili beBanga 12 be-Physical Sciences. Uhlaka lwezingxoxo esizakuhleleka, izinhlamibuzo zokucabanga ngokukhuluma, i-Think Aloud Questionnaire (TAQ) kanye namaphepha okuhlola e-NSC kusetshenzisiwe ukuqoqa imininingo. I-TAQ ibe ithuluzi elisetshenzisiwe ukuthola ukuzika ekucabangeni kwabafundi besebenzisa indlela yokuCabanga beKhuluma. Yomibili imininingo yocwaningozinombolo kanye neyekhwalithethivu kwaqoqwa ngokuhlaziya amadokhumenti, ukuhlaziya kwezindikimba kanye nokuCabanga ngokuKhuluma. Kutholakale ukuthi abafundi bakhombisa okunye ukuqonda okuyisikhombisa okwehlukile, i- alternative conceptions (ACs) mayelana nomsebenzi, ama-AC amane mayelana namandla kagesi kanye nama-AC amathathu amandla. Izindlela eziyisikhombisa zokuxazulula inkinga, ama-problem solving approaches (PSAs) phakathi kwabafundi beBanga 12 be-Physical Sciences atholakala futhi lokhu kwaba amagebe ezimo ezingatholakalanga, ama-missed the point state (MPS), okungaphelele, oku-limited (L), ama-plug-and-chug-trial (PACT), indlela kaLayman, i-layman’s approach (LAY), ngokususa, okusho ukuthi, by elimination (BE), okungaveli, okusho ukuthi- not shown (NS) kanye nesimo esixhumene kanye nesiyinhlanganisela, okusho ukuthi, linked and integrated state (LIS). Wonke ama-PSA ayenezinkinga zokuxazulula izinkinga, ama-problem solving difficulties (PSDs) ayeyamaniswe nawo ngaphandle kwendlela ye-LIS. Kwatholakala futhi ukuthi ukuqwashiseka, ukwenzeka kanye kanye, ukwahlulela okucacile, isizathu, umqondo kanye nokucaciseleka kuyizimo ezibalulekile kubafundi ukuze baqonde ngokugcwele isimo esinobusayensi kanye nokuxazulula izinkinga ngempumelelo esifundweni sePhysics. Izimo ezintathu zokugcina emushweni owandulela lo, okuyisizathu, isimo sokuqonda kanye nokucaciseka, kuyaphakanyiswa kulolu cwaningo njengezengezo kucwaningonto oluhlaziywayo ekufundeni okuphakanyiswe i-VT.
Exploring higher education engagement in computer programming within a blended learning environment : an action research approach
(2014) Jugoo, Vikash Ramanand.; Mudaly, Vimolan.
Many novice programmers in higher education find computer programming particularly difficult due to its problem solving nature. High dropout rates have been observed both internationally and locally, but in South Africa, the circumstances of students coming from disadvantaged schools where they struggle in subjects like Mathematics and Science, especially compounds their challenges in computer programming when they enrol at a tertiary institute. In this study, I explore the engagement of computer programming at a higher education institution using an innovative approach of incorporating tools in the form of online learning and support structures to supplement the existing face-to-face and practical lessons thereby creating a blended learning environment (BLE). This study, which is a qualitative one, used an interpretivist paradigm to explore the engagement of sixty, first year students in an introductory computer-programming course at a selected university in South Africa, using an action research approach within the context of a BLE. Action research refers to an evaluation of one’s own practice with a view to improving one’s effectiveness, in this case, analysing my own efficacy as a teacher, and the learning that occurred by my students (McNiff, 2013; Whitehead, 1989). This study used two lenses: The first lens was my own as a lecturer/researcher who developed a variety of support structures in the form of notes, videos, animations, and blogging, to support student engagement in computer programming, and the second lens was the students’ engagement with these tools. The study explored this dual engagement and asked two critical questions: 1) How does engagement of computer programming take place within a BL context using an action research approach, and, 2) Why does engagement of computer programming take place within a BL context using an action research approach, in the way it does? A dual form of engagement occurred creating a dynamic BLE. In the study, students were exposed to one theory classroom lesson, and three practical lessons. As the lecturer, I received feedback from the students which informed my attempts to improve the environment. Observations, a personal diary, electronic questionnaires, and focus group meetings were used to gather feedback on how students engaged in the BLE. The action research methodology was based on planning, acting, observing and reflecting. The analysis of the reflections was used in the re-planning phase of the next cycle and a total of three cycles were used. Although there were three main action research cycles, each tool was transformed resulting in smaller cycles emanating within the main action research cycle. Activity Theory was used as a theoretical framework to describe and analyse the actions and engagement that transpired within the BLE. The results from this study highlight positive student engagement in learning through the use of examples and visual tools although the use of language was found to be a barrier under certain circumstance. Support and planning were also identified as important factors for both student and lecture engagement. Other aspects concerning feedback and reflection were established as important during the dual engagement employed resulting in the creation of a dynamic action research model of engagement.
Exploring how Science teachers engage in curriculum innovating in environment and sustainability education.
(2017) Ismail, Raeesa.; Mudaly, Ronicka.
Life Sciences and Natural Sciences teachers are expected to adapt and to implement curriculum changes that are designed by the Department of Basic Education. The new Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) for Life Sciences and Natural Sciences stipulates that teachers are expected to integrate environment and sustainability content knowledge in their science teaching. In order for this to materialise, a specialised multi-pronged approach is necessary. It is argued that teachers work in diverse contexts and need to be innovative in order to teach science that is relevant to the lives of learners. I argue that effective professional development incorporating innovation can enable teachers to successfully teach environment and sustainability education. This study was located within a critical paradigm which was underpinned by a qualitative approach. This study involved ten practicing Life Sciences/Natural Sciences teachers who were purposively selected to form the research sample. These participants were part of the Science and Mathematics Education Honours programme and studied a module which required them to engage with the idea and practice of curriculum innovating, as part of the programme. The study was conducted at a teacher training institution in Kwa-Zulu Natal. This qualitative case study sought to explore the experiences and challenges of participants as they engaged in curriculum innovating in environment and sustainability education. The factors that enabled or constrained participants’ efforts to engage in curriculum innovating were also examined. This study also focused on the role of professional development in capacity building for the purpose of curriculum innovating. Drawing on the theoretical constructs of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), Rogan’s Zone of Feasible Innovation (ZFI) and Vygotsky’s Engagement Theory the experiences and challenges of participants were analysed. Multiple data generation strategies were employed, namely: individual interviews, reflective journals, photo narratives and document analysis. Content analysis was used to analyse the data sets that emerged from the data generation strategies. The use of coding was employed to develop categories and patterns within the data sets. The findings included challenges and experiences of curriculum innovating in environment and sustainability education. A key finding was that participants expressed a need for the inclusion of innovating in more of the modules of the Honours programme. Findings from this study also revealed that the individual school context, iii resources and support from Heads of Department (HODs) were factors that enabled or constrained participants in their efforts to engage in curriculum innovating. The study provides insights into how a professional development module can provide teachers with strategies for critically appraising their context, thinking deeply about the type of support they need and how this can be leveraged, planning lessons in order to prepare for curriculum innovating, engaging more knowledgeable others to critique their lesson plans, implementing new strategies and reflecting on their experiences. The participants reported feeling renewed, refreshed, re-invigorated and intrinsically motivated to experiment with new ideas in order to engage in curriculum innovating. Recommendations from this study will be significant to curriculum designers, higher education department officials involved in teacher professional development, teacher education institutions and school teachers.
Exploring science educators’ reproduction and subversion of gender stereotyping in a College of Education in Nigeria.
(2021) Allu, Daniel Asilika.; Govender, Nadaraj.; James, Angela Antoinette.
The cultural production and reproduction of discriminatory gender practices in education and in society has been a global and local concern, thus attracting attention in current debates. Therefore, knowledge theorization aims at questioning and interrogating the socio-historical and patriarchal gender practices in the 21st century. A global transformation of gender may be one of the vital paths to empowering woman and the marginalized in education. In this study, gender equity, which is a process of attaining equality, is obstructed by socio-cultural relations of power, linked to discrimination, domination and entrenched stereotyping in society and is particularly now a focus too in science and science education. Science has been considered a male domain; a liberal feminist analysis views the space of women in science and science education as emanating from a long history of oppression of females in a patriarchal society. Therefore, orientations related to patriarchy, sexuality and culture currently dictate classroom engagements in science education, which impacts on student’s intellectual and career progress. However, an exposure to the impact of gender stereotype and inequality in science education is a possibility towards the intellectual, political, and economic transformation of females. This study explores six Nigerian science educators’ reproduction and subversion of gender stereotyping in physical and life sciences classes and is located within the critical interpretive paradigm. The research methodology comprised qualitative methods using questionnaire, interviews, classroom observations, reflective journals, and collective reflections. A qualitative case study research design was used for the study. Then, I used purposive and convenience sampling techniques to select six experienced science educators with heightened gender awareness in a college situated in North Central Nigeria where the study was conducted. The narrative method employed captures the selection and experiences of science educators and allowed for a nuanced understanding of educators’ views about gender stereotype reproduction and subversion. The data were analyzed for themes using gender lens of Critical Theory (CT), Critical Feminist Reproduction Theory (CFRT) and Critical Consciousness Theory (CCT) regarding cultural production and reproduction and gender transformation. The findings reveal that the construct ‘gender’ is indeed social construction, repeated acts linked to identity construction of male and female science educators. In this study, educators in physical and life sciences classes are shown to implicitly and/or explicitly reproduce gender stereotypes, but sometimes to subvert discrimination, consciously and unconsciously. Furthermore, educators, especially the male pre-service teachers, collude to stereotype female pre-service teachers. Also, female pre-service teachers are equally complicit in their own oppression. It appears the science educators, male and female pre-service teachers are not explicitly aware of their complicit gender stereotyping roles in science education during teaching and learning engagements. It was observed that female pre-service teachers are often overtly deterred from participating in the science education space. The unconscious and conscious actions of stereotyping by educators towards their female pre-service teachers are likely to reinforce multiple oppressions in their charges that will impact their future teaching and gendered roles in class. A pedagogic transformative gender model of enabling a contradictory, transformative and political college space for science educators and pre-service teachers to negotiate power differentials for a new social gender order is then proposed for collective action.
Exploring university-community engagement by pre-service Science teachers through the study of a Biology module.
(2019) Adebayo, Oluwakemi Ayodeji.; Mudaly, Ronicka.
Abstract available in PDF.
Exploring Zimbabwean students' approaches to investigations in advanced level Chemistry.
(2017) Chirikure, Tamirirofa.; Hobden, Paul Anthony.; Hobden, Sally Diane.
Abstract available in PDF file.
How teachers construct teaching-learning sequences in chemistry education in the further education and training phase.
(2013) Sibanda, Doras.; Hobden, Paul Anthony.
The purpose of this study was to understand how teachers design and implement teaching-learning sequences. A teaching-learning sequence can be described as a well-coordinated step by step series of teaching and learning activities designed to improve chemistry knowledge. This study investigated how physical science teachers plan teaching-learning sequences for chemical bonding in the Further Education and Training Phase (Grade 10 to 12). In South Africa, learners in grades 10 to 12, study Physical Science which is a combination of physics and chemistry topics. The main goal of the study was to understand the different patterns of teaching-learning sequences used by physical science teachers to teach chemical bonding and establish the reasons for using such sequences. A convenience sample of 227 practising physical science teachers completed a survey questionnaire, and 11 participants were selected for semi-structured interviews. This mixed method study also included an analysis of policy documents and a popular textbook. Qualitative and quantitative data were analysed separately and outcomes were compared, combined, and discussed. In this thesis, I present an argument about how teachers design and implement teaching-learning sequences for chemical bonding. I propose a teaching-learning sequence for teaching chemical bonding in the FET Phase. Three aspects emerged on sequencing chemistry topics or concepts. Firstly, teachers suggested a variety of different sequences for teaching both the topics in general chemistry and for the concepts in the specific topic of chemical bonding. There were some similarities among the sequences. In general the sequences suggested did not match that provided in the curriculum documents. Secondly, teachers indicated that they used policy documents to establish the prescribed general chemistry content to be taught but their teaching of the topic of chemical bonding was usually based on previous teaching sequences and they make minor changes every year. Thirdly, they gave various reasons why they used different teaching-learning sequences. For example, sequencing to facilitate learning requires a logical order of topics and recognition of prior knowledge. They indicated that chemical bonding was particularly problematic and teachers’ knowledge was considered a significant factor to the design and success of a teaching sequence.
Indigenous knowledge and infectious diseases: rethinking the teacher education Biology curriculum.
(2022) Trinos, Kutenda.; Mudaly, Ronicka.
In most African countries, the ontological and epistemological standard that shapes university curricula is a pre-programmed Euro-Western educational model. This is true regardless of the fact that most African countries gained their independence many decades ago. African countries pride themselves on political independence rather than epistemological and ontological autonomy. The legacy of socio-political histories has resulted in indigenous knowledge of Africa to continue to be despised. This coloniality underpins the intellectual colonialism which is evident in the marginalisation of indigenous knowledge systems and their community sages in formal education currently. This has been normalised and accepted as the default setting because the colonised have learned to live with an alien curriculum. Consequently, this contributed to the dearth of African indigenous scholarship and the erosion of the indigenous knowledge base as globalisation, modernity, urbanisation, and technological advancement come to the fore. This study selectively explored part of the university curriculum by examining content knowledge and pedagogical approaches in four Biology modules for pre-service teachers, relative to a specific field, namely, infectious diseases, at Midlands State University in Zimbabwe. The study also sought to identify knowledge of infectious diseases and the practises of Karanga healers and to suggest how these could be integrated into the Biology curriculum for pre-service teachers. The study was motivated by the lack of contextualisation in science education which is perpetuated by privileging a predominantly Euro-Western university curriculum. In order to peer through the decolonial lens that promotes indigenisation of science modules, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten Karanga healers to understand indigenous knowledge of infectious diseases. Exploration of main themes revealed that disease management is seen in terms of causes of infections, diagnosis, prevention and treatment, and traditional health education to promote a disease-free community. The knowledge shared by the Karanga healers illuminated the holistic perspective of indigenous Africans on health, from both the physical and spiritual perspectives. The study also examined the nature of four health-related modules for Biology pre-service teachers and found that the Euro-Western worldview dominated over the African-Indigenous worldview. Therefore, the content and pedagogy that shaped and continue to shape these modules are predominantly Euro-Western. A comparison of the two knowledge systems reveals points of dissonance and concurrence. Synthesis of research data revealed gaps, connections, and opportunities through which indigenous knowledge can be integrated into Biology modules. Using an emancipatory approach situated within the critical paradigm, the study developed practical transformational approaches rooted in promoting a poly-epistemic university curriculum. The study proposed an integrative curriculum model informed by the need to give students the opportunity to reflect on their formal learning experiences against their lived experiences. In this way work towards an inclusive curriculum and inclusive pedagogy could be achieved.
Integrating Indigenous Knowledge (IK) artefacts and IK strategies in teaching mechanics: insights from community elders, physics teachers, and learners in Zimbabwe.
(2019) Mudzamiri, Edson.; Govender, Nadaraj.
The study is an exploration of how physics teachers can integrate indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) through using indigenous artefacts when teaching Advanced Level concepts in mechanics. It adds to the growing body of research on decolonizing indigenous curricula. The researcher was motivated by the negative effects of colonization in physics education, lack of contextualization when teaching Advanced Level physics, both of which make the subject difficult for learners resulting in low pass rates, high dropout rates, and loss of interest in the subject. The study also seeks to empower local communities of elders, teachers, and learners to participate in their education. The study was conducted in Masvingo District, a rural area in Masvingo province in Zimbabwe. It identified and explored a variety of indigenous artefacts that can be integrated in the teaching of physics. The artefacts are thus cognitively valuable in providing culturally sensitive scaffolding or meditational tools that facilitate deeper understanding of mechanics concepts. Theoretical frameworks of Vygotsky‟s sociocultural theory grounded in an indigenous research paradigm and humanity/Unhu/Ubuntu were used in this study. A transformative participatory Research (TPR) design was employed. Qualitative data were generated from a purposefully selected sample comprising 18 teachers, 15 learners from each of the three high schools and 22 elders from the community. The following research instruments were used in the study: observations, questionnaires, individual interviews, and focus group discussions. The findings revealed that the twenty indigenous artefacts identified in this study could be used in physics for conceptual teaching. The findings pointed to a culturally aligned, decolonizing, and contextualized and community acknowledged pedagogical science-IKS model which allows enrichment and understanding of physics concepts through IK artefacts, without challenging the fundamentals of traditional physics principles. The study implies that physics concepts can be understood through the indigenous knowledge systems of teachers, learners and the community together with the associated IK artefacts. The researcher recommended that IKS and associated IK artefacts should be integrated in all the components of the teaching processes and the school infrastructure should also promote the integration of western science with IKS.
The intersection between ICT and climate smart agriculture in adapting to the impacts of climate change on food production by uMsinga’s smallholder farmers: implications for climate change education.
(2020) Bakare, Olusegun Ojo.; Alant, Busisiwe Precious.
This study drew on community based participatory action research (CBPAR) and living theory (LT) to explore the intersection between information and communication technology (ICT) and climate smart agriculture (CSA) in enhancing the ability of smallholder farmers (SHFs) to adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change in uMsinga, an impoverished rural area in KwaZulu-Natal. As action research, it included a preliminary and main phase. At the preliminary phase, the study aimed to identify SHFs’ existing agricultural practices in relation to climate change adaptation, as well as their perceptions regarding the possible integration of ICT and agricultural practices. In the main phase, the study aimed to assess the existing ICT literacy and the required ICT literacy if SHFs are to integrate smartphones with their agricultural practices. It explored the kind of functionalities that SHFs wished to see in a possible weather app. In order to address these research questions, a sequential transformative mixed method approach guided by community based participatory action research (CBPAR) and living theory (LT) approach was employed. In the study, 35 uMsinga SHFs were engaged through community forum meetings. Two frameworks were employed to make sense of the findings in the study, namely: the theory of planned irrigators’ behavior (TPIB) as well as unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). The theories were used to explore the nature of relationship which exist in the intersection between ICT and CSA. The findings, from the preliminary phase, show that the uMsinga SHFs practise seven CSA practices. The findings further revealed eight unintended challenges resulting from the SHFs’ choice of CSA practices. These challenges affirmed that the deployment of ICT alone is insufficient to solve the threats posed by climate change for food production by SHFs. As such, the findings further show that an overwhelming majority of the SHFs has a positive regard for the integration of ICT with CSA practices. However, two unintended problems appeared to be limiting the realisation of their intentions: inadequate ICT literacy skills and the absence of agro-weather application that is appropriate and suitable for this rural indigenous community. The CBPAR intervention thus focused on improving the SHFs ICT literacy skills and their ability to use an existing “Demo” weather app through their smartphones, to enhance their CSA practices. The findings, arising from this main phase of the study, highlight the “importance of context” in helping SHFs to mitigate the threats posed by climate change to food production, an issue that is completely ignored in curriculum policies and policies aimed at integrated national adaptation responses to climate change impact and vulnerability. The contributions to knowledge as well as the implications of findings are discussed within the context of the criticality of interfacing between ICT and SHFs CSA practices.
Introduction of inquiry-based science teaching in Rwandan lower secondary schools : teachers' attitudes and perceptions.
(2012) Mugabo, Rugema Leon.; Hobden, Paul Anthony.
This study describes, discusses and analyses the Rwandan lower secondary school teachers’ responses to the introduction of inquiry as a teaching approach in the science curriculum as one of the changes that the curriculum in Rwanda has undergone through in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide. The study investigates the science teachers’ understanding of inquiry-based science teaching, their attitudes towards the introduction of inquiry into the science curriculum, the activities they are engaged in with regard to inquiry-based science teaching and learning, the factors influencing their current teaching practices and their perceptions about what may be done for a better implementation of inquiry-based science teaching. Guided by a pragmatic research approach, I believed that collecting diverse types of data would provide a deeper understanding of the research problem and therefore adopted a two phases’ sequential explanatory mixed methods design. During the first phase, data were collected by means of a survey questionnaire administered to a purposeful sample of 200 science teachers at lower secondary school in Rwanda. Findings from the survey informed the second phase consisting of data collection by means of semi-structured one-to-one interviews with 15 purposefully selected teachers from the sample used in the first phase then supplemented by a contextual observation in their schools. The data from the questionnaire were subject to a descriptive statistical analysis while data from interviews were subject to analysis involving transcribing and reading interview transcripts, coding and categorizing information, identifying patterns, and interpreting. The data analysis produced five main assertions providing answers to the research questions. Participant teachers displayed varying understanding of what inquiry-based science teaching is, associating it with a number of its characteristics such as a learner centred teaching approach mostly based on experiments and practical work. There were a few teachers who did not have accepted understandings of inquiry-teaching. Furthermore, teachers had a positive attitude towards the introduction of inquiry and favoured the change even though they indicated a number of factors preventing them from adequately implementing the new teaching approach. As for their practices, traditional classroom activities were more frequently used than inquiry-based activities and when they made use of inquiry, they followed a specific order of activities that led to a more structured type of inquiry. The study further identified a number of factors influencing both positively and negatively the implementation of inquiry. The positive aspect was that they find teaching through inquiry more enjoyable while the shortage of time, the lack of teaching resources and the lack of confidence associated with inadequate training, influenced negatively the way they implemented inquiry-based teaching. Teachers highlighted a number of interventions they felt would make the implementation of inquiry based teaching more effective. The improvement of resources provision to schools and the implementation of adequate professional development programmes were the most highlighted. Despite the several impediments to the implementation of effective use of inquiry, teachers were optimistic towards the future of science teaching and learning in Rwanda. It is envisaged these findings will be valuable to a wide range of audiences including science teachers, curriculum developers, science teacher educators as they may inform them about the implementation of the new curricula that require teachers to focus on inquiry given the controversy surrounding this issue in science education.
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.

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