Browsing by Subject "Science Education"

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    The classroom transferability of a university-based inset programme of workshops in practical work for senior high school Biology educators
    (2006) Joubert, Nicola; Rochford, Kevin; Abratt, Valerie Rose
    Professional criteria for assessing (a) the success and transferability of the programme and (b) the quality of the research evidence gathered from the Biology teachers and their learners in Cape Town, were adopted from a combination of the theoretical frameworks for INSET evaluation recommended by several authors, including the American National Science Standards (1996), Tamir (1997) and Oyasi & Oyasi (2000). The post-workshop data indicated that educators enjoyed the practical activities, and were active in implementing a number of them with their classes in subsequent years. It further revealed that their confidence in engaging in practicalwork improved significantly. To verify or corroborate these findings, ten educators observed at from the 1999 course were interviewed from 2002 to 2005. One educator was observed at two different schools, with different socio-economic backgrounds. The interviews were transcribed and five of the educators were observed while they dealt with the practical activities learnt during this series of workshops. The visual data from the classroom observations, and the interviewswere further processed and compared to the quantitative statistical data. It was It was found that, of the eight schools, four well-resourced schools implemented the programme successfully. This was in terms of the number of practical activities from the course that had been transferred to the classroom. Three of the under-resourced schools, with larger classes, also implemented the course successfully. This was due to the skills and motivation which the educators gained whilst participating in this series of workshops. In two of the schools the high rate of vandalism and the heavy workload of the educators was excessive to the point that they could not implement the programme successfully.
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    A comparison of science teachers' and engineering students' rankings of science and technology related global problems
    (1996) Ndodana, Cynthia Bulelwa; Rochford, Kevin
    Using 262 acknowledged science educators from 41 countries, Bybee developed a scale for measuring the ranked priorities of scientists, and others, with respect to twelve major global problems related to science and technology in 1984. In 1993 this scale was re-administered to samples of 76 Cape Town science educators, 55 Transkei science educators and 129 chemical engineering undergraduates at the University of Cape Town. High correlations ranging from r = 0.68 to r = 0.90 were obtained among the four samples' mean ranked priorities on the scale as a whole, over the ten year period. Among the top six global problems in 1984, five still received consistently high overall prioritisation in 1993, namely: population growth; world hunger and food resources; human health and disease; air quality and atmosphere; and water resources. The mean ranking of war technology as a priority declined by seven places over the ten year period. Educators surveyed in follow-up studies in 1993 made numerous recommendations for teaching these global problems. These included the use of the science-technology-society (STS) approach in science education; the introduction of a core school curriculum on environmental education; the encouragement of student participation in projects which help to reduce or eliminate such global problems; and the re-allocation of money spent on nuclear arms towards the satisfaction of human basic needs such as food, housing, health and water services. In a follow-up survey of twenty lecturers in engineering at the University of Cape Town in 1993 and 1994 important goals and issues singled out by individuals included the provision of mass housing and infrastructure; sanitation; urbanisation; job creation; the abuse of high technology in communications; technological illiteracy among decision makers; abuse and reduction of oceanic resources; photochemical smog; the prediction and possible control of droughts and floods; demands on the human race of the information explosion; electromagnetic wave hazards and pollution; resource depletion education and the dissemination of knowledge; the emergence and separation of C.P. Snow's "Two cultures"; and the myth of the peace dividend. Several of these issues were then subsequently included in 1995 in an updated, modified and extended form of the Bybee Scale. Currently a reliable and validated 15-item Scale -emerging from the findings of this dissertation - is being employed by other research workers in various parts of the new South Africa. During 1995 its chief use has been offering relevant input into, and providing empirical justification for, fundamental aspects of the policy of the current Reconstruction and Development Programme, as set out in the 1995 White Paper of the Government of National Unity.
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    Demographic profile and perceived in-service education and training needs of rural and township physical science teachers in the Limpopo province.
    (2004) Mabye, Daniel Tlabo; Laugksch, Rudi
    The Limpopo Province is characterised by poor Physical Science matric results and poorly qualified teachers. There are many reasons which contribute to the poor Physical Science matric results such as for example, lack of equipment and poverty in this largely rural area. Effective INSET programmes however, can be a possible solution to improving teachers' qualifications and competencies. The success of INSET programmes basically depends on obtaining and utilzing information on demographic profiles and perceived INSET needs of Physical Science teachers. Unfortunately, there is a lack of information on the demographic profile and perceived INSET needs of Physical Science teachers in the Limpopo Province. This study aims at collecting and analysing data, which will provide information on the demographic profile and perceived INSET needs of Physical Science teachers in the Limpopo Province. It is anticipated that the availability and utilisation of this information will hopefully contribute to the improvement of Physical Science education in the Limpopo Province. The objectives of the study are reflected in the following rese:R[ch questions: a) What is the demographic profile of Physical Science teachers in the Limpopo Province? b) What are the perceived INSET needs of Physical Science teachers in the Limpopo Province? c) What are the possible associations between the demographic profile and perceived INSET needs of Physical Science teachers in the Limpopo Province? Two methods were used to elicit the demographic profile and perceived needs of Physical Science teachers, namely the survey method using a pencil-and-paper instrument-the Science Teachers Inventory of Needs-Northern Province (STIN-NP}-which was specially adapted and validated for this purpose, and focus group interviews with Physical Science teachers. 'The STIN-NP was developed from the Science Teachers Inventory of Needs (STIN3) of Baird, Prather, Finson and Oliver (1994). The STIN-3 was adapted and validated for use in the Limpopo Province context by inviting 47 important stakeholders in Physical Science education at provincial and national level to suggest modifying, omitting or adding items to STIN-NP and to provide a rationale for their suggestions. Items in the instrument were thereafter modified for clarity and ambiguity by an English Second Language expert. STINNP was thereafter piloted on tlrree samples of Physical Science teachers from urban, township and rural schools (n=29) in the Limpopo Province. iv The final version of the STIN-NP consists of 98 items arranged in six sections. Information on the reliability of STIN-NP was determined by calculating the items' alpha coefficient and the instrument's Guttman split-half reliability coefficient after the instrument had been administered. The alpha coefficient reliability for use of with Physical Science teachers was 0 .95, and the adjusted Guttman split-half reliability was O .83. A total of 1629 questionnaires were distributed to Physical Science teachers in the Limpopo Province via District Office's Curriculum Advisers and school principals. Completed questionnaires were collected from teachers via the same way. Focus group interview questions were structured to cross-validate the information obtained through the questionnaires and also to help acquire possible additional information on the teachers' INSET needs. The total number of Physical Science teachers who responded to the invitation for the interviews were 35 (18 male teachers and 17 female teaches) in six groups. The six groups were from urban, rural, and the township areas as it was assumed that INSET needs were largely influenced by school context. Interviews were recorded and later transcribed into a more formal and written style in order to facilitate analysis of what was said by the interviewees, as recommended by Kvale (1996: 170). The quantitative results of this study are based on the responses of 352 Physical Science teachers (grades 10-12) in the Limpopo Province--a 22% response rate. Only eight responses were received from teachers at urban schools, but these responses were ignored as this sample is too small to enable the researcher to draw conclusions about urban teachers with confidence. The effective sample used in the analysis is thus 344, comprising 300 rural and 44 township teaches. Professionally, teachers need help with improving their teaching skills, followed by improving content knowledge, classroom organisation and assessing learners' work. The above ranking is the same for both rural and township teachers. The above ranking also suggests that INSET providers should focus on improving teaching skills and content knowledge of teachers first, and only later on for example, assessment. Physical Science teachers finther indicated that they need help with carrying out laboratory practicals. These teachers' limited academic knowledge and the lack of textbooks suggest that INSET providers should aim at empowering these teachers to improvise equipment and learning and teaching materials. The fact that most teachers have limited academic knowledge suggests that a suitable INSET model for them, will be Dunn's traditional model which will assist them to gain additional qualification (Nduna, 1999). V Most of the Physical Science teachers failed to attend the workshops due to lack of information (Table 4. 5 page 36). INSET providers should issue a year programme in time to reach all Physical Science teachers. Physical Science, Mathematics and Biology workshops should not take place simultaneously, so that learners are not left unattended, and some teachers also teach all three subjects. The Department of Education in the Limpopo Province is urged to provide workshops based on practical sessions in Physical Science and how to improvise equipment. This will help to restore learners' interest and understanding of science. Establishing and staffing resourcecentres in various districts will help many schools without equipment. INSET programmes for Physical Science should be guided by teachers' professional needs in order to be more appropriate, sustainable and effective. Workshops should be conducted at a convenient time and venue for teachers. It is anticipated that the established perceived needs of Physical Science teachers in the Limpopo Province as described and stated above will provide an important, valid and reliable basis for designing effective, and sustainable programmes for Physical Science in the Limpopo Province. It is also hoped that such programmes will significantly facilitate attempts to improve Physical Science education in the Limpopo Province. KEYWORDS: In-service education and training, (INSET), Interviews, Science Teachers, Needs Assessment, Limpopo (Northern) Province, Rural Areas, Surveys, Teacher Characteristics, Test Construction.
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    Describing and understanding the enacted curriculum of selected Grade 10 Life Science teachers in the Western Cape, South Africa
    (2017) Petersen, Andrew John; Laugksch, Rudiger C; Clark, Jonathan
    This study was conducted in a school in the Western Cape, South Africa situated in a community where learners came from difficult social backgrounds. Previous research has alluded to the challenges faced by teachers equipped with inadequate skills and a lack of effective modelling or mentoring to implement a formal curriculum that is outcomes-based and learner centred. The focus of the study was to uncover the enacted curriculum (and the underlying reasons for the enactment) of four Grade 10 Life Sciences Teachers. This multiple case study is based on data collection strategies that included video and audio-transcripts of the lessons as well as the use of additional relevant documents such as, for example, notes from lesson observations, and learner notebooks. These data were coded using NUDIST and then further analysed using the Pedagogic Content Knowledge (PCK) evidence-reporting table (PCK ERT). Interviews were conducted before the teaching events to allow for content representations (CoRes) to be developed. Overall the teachers lacked planning and the habit of reflection in and of practice. Hence video-stimulated interviews conducted after the teaching events allowed for Pedagogical and Professional experience Repertoires (PaP-eRs) to be developed in order to describe (from a teachers' perspective) what teachers did and why they did what they did. Teachers had varying backgrounds and experience and displayed very individualised and different enactments of the curriculum but they all used a consistent didactic approach in their teaching. The absence of teacher efficacy and the lack of integration of the PCK components limited the transformation of the content in any meaningful way and hence resulted in weak PCK. The relevance of PCK ERT as a descriptive framework for PCK in the context of this research is questioned on epistemic grounds. Factors identified that constrained the enacted practices of teachers included teachers' belief, orientation, poor Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK), school context and their perceptions of learners.
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    The implementation of Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) in Grade 8 Natural Science classrooms in the Western Cape
    (2009) Critien, Candice; Laugksch, Rudiger C
    The present study aimed to monitor the extent to which educators implement an outcomes-based environment in Grade 8 Natural Science classrooms in the Western Cape. The results from the current study in the Western Cape were compared to those collected in a matching study done by Aldridge, Laugksch, Seopa and Fraser (2006) in the Limpopo Province. The comparison is essential as it provides a general impression of the extent to which educators implement an outcomes-based learning environment in South Africa. This study is a replication study of research conducted by Aldridge, et al. (2006), and makes use ofa mixed-methods research approach. The nature of the study lent itself to large scale collection of quantitative data. Quantitative data were collected in the form of questionnaires. The questionnaires used, were developed by Aldridge, et al. (2006) and called the Outcomes-Based Learning Environment Questionnaire (OBLEQ). The OBLEQ was adapted for use in the Western Cape by translating the already existing questionnaire into Afrikaans and isiXhosa.
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    Learner performance in integrated science process skills and attitudes in hands-on practical work versus virtual practical work
    (2017) Ndoro, Mugove Chawapiwa; Hattingh, Annemarie
    This research study was conducted in an urban high school in Western Cape province of South Africa. The research study investigated the effect of virtual practical work on learner performance in science process skills and attitude, working with a non-random sample group of grade 10 physical sciences learners. In this experimental design research, the treatment group of 22 learners was taught the concept of 'phase change in matter' through virtual practical work. On the other hand, the control group was taught the same concept through hands-on practical. A pre- and post-test instrument of 30 multiple choice items on integrated science process skills was used to measure learners' performance. The test scores were statistically analysed using Quickcalcs, to compare the overall learner performance in the two groups, and also to compare learner performance in different categories of science process skills. A 12-item questionnaire was designed to test the learner s' attitude towards virtual and hands-on practical. The statistical t test analysis on the average scores indicated insignificant difference between the performance of the two groups, with a p value greater than 0,05. When learners' performance in different process skills categories were compared, t test scores revealed significant differences in some categories and non-significant differences in some categories. The questionnaire results indicated that the learners' attitude was biased towards hands-on practical work. The significance of this research study is that virtual practical can be used to develop some science process skills.
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    Rankings of science and technology related global problems : a comparison of gender differences among school pupils in the Northern and Western Cape Provinces
    (1996) Letsoalo, Maredi Bernard; Rochford, Kevin
    In 1984 Bybee used 262 science educators from 41 countries to develop an instrument for measuring their ranked priorities of science and technology related global problems. In 1995 the original Bybee scale was updated and clarified, and a new 15-item-version, the Le Grange Global Priorities Instrument (LGPI), was piloted, refined and validated. The new Le Grange Global Priorities Instrument (LGPI) was administered to 421 North Sotho, 433 urban Xhosa and 348 suburban Coloured high school pupils in the Northern Province and Western Cape Province respectively. The study is an enlargement of the work of Bybee and Mau (1986); Bybee and Najafi (1986); Ndodana, Rochford and Fraser (1994); and Le Grange, Rochford and Sass (1995) and it is to date the first one of its kind to be extended to school pupils. Data was collected during a seven month period from January to July 1995 as part of the normal class schedule, with the help of science teachers and school principals. The data gathered were analysed with the Statgraphics package available in the standard computer. More than 96 percent of the data gathered were used for this analysis.
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    A study of life sciences projects in science talent quest competitions in the Western Cape, South Africa, with special reference to scientific skills and knowledge
    (2011) Molefe, Musetsi Leonard; Laugksch, Rudiger C
    In 2003, the South African Department of Education released its National Curriculum Statement for Schools, Grades 10–12 (General), for Life Sciences. The curriculum emphasises that scientific skills are best developed within the context of an expanding framework of knowledge. ESKOM Expos for Young Scientists (i.e., science talent quest competitions) provide such a context. The present study focuses on educational outcomes of selected 2007 Expo participants, namely, scientific skills (that is, process skills, scientific inquiry, problem solving and critical thinking skills) and Life Sciences knowledge, as well as on the opportunities the Expos provided for the students to develop such educational outcomes.
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    Swazi college students' mastery of English logical connectives in science
    (1991) Cumming, Janet Marian; Rochford, Kevin
    Based on the educational theorists Gardner (1977(a)), Ehindero (1980), Mawasha ( 197 6-1984) and Ogunniyi ( 1985) and extending earlier findings by McNaught (1980) in Zimbabwe, my investigation sought to answer the following questions: 1. How do the item facilities of a group of African (Swazi) college science students, on two parallel tests of logical connectives, based on Gardner's work, each consisting of the same 34 logical connectives, but different in presentation format compare? 2. Are there significant correlations between the item facilities obtained by the Swazi first year science students on the tests of logical connectives and their scores obtained in Matriculation English and Biology and college English communication and General science? 3. Is there evidence of learning of logical connectives without direct instructional intervention over a period of six months when exposed to English first language speaking lecturers? 4. In what ways are the works of Gardner and McNaught expanded, confirmed, or enriched by further investigation in a totally different culture? Diagnostic and pre-test - post-test methods were used to gather data on the comprehension of the 34 logical connectives, and on academic achievement scores, of 65 Swazi teachers-in-training in KaNgwane, a subtropical, rural-agricultural region in Southern Africa. The data were collected by means of modified Gap Filling and Sentence Completion items, derived from Gardner's pioneering work, by adapting and refining certain items to be more relevant and meaningful in the local South African context. The data was processed by means of comparing Gardner's form N pupils' item facilities with the Swazi students' item facilities on each logical connective. The differences were analysed by means of Chi square tests, Spearman's Test, McNemars' Test and a correlation matrix. The chief findings -were that Swazi students' item facilities compared favourably with those obtained by Gardner's form N pupils on the 34 logical connectives· overall. The Swazi students found 7 easier than the Australian pupils, 16 equally as difficult and 15 more difficult than the Australian pupils, but this was dependent on the format. The thesis concludes by making recommendations to teachers, textbook writers, publishers and educational authorities on issues in science education with regard to English second language, particularly in terms of teacher training.