A comparison of science teachers' and engineering students' rankings of science and technology related global problems

dc.contributor.advisorRochford, Kevinen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorNdodana, Cynthia Bulelwaen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2016-03-04T16:49:52Z
dc.date.available2016-03-04T16:49:52Z
dc.date.issued1996en_ZA
dc.descriptionBibliography: pages 73-82.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractUsing 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.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationNdodana, C. B. (1996). <i>A comparison of science teachers' and engineering students' rankings of science and technology related global problems</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Education. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17501en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationNdodana, Cynthia Bulelwa. <i>"A comparison of science teachers' and engineering students' rankings of science and technology related global problems."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Education, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17501en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationNdodana, C. 1996. A comparison of science teachers' and engineering students' rankings of science and technology related global problems. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Ndodana, Cynthia Bulelwa AB - 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. DA - 1996 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 1996 T1 - A comparison of science teachers' and engineering students' rankings of science and technology related global problems TI - A comparison of science teachers' and engineering students' rankings of science and technology related global problems UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17501 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/17501
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationNdodana CB. A comparison of science teachers' and engineering students' rankings of science and technology related global problems. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Education, 1996 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17501en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentSchool of Educationen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherScience Educationen_ZA
dc.subject.otherScience - Study and teaching - Social aspectsen_ZA
dc.subject.otherTechnology - Study and teaching - Social aspectsen_ZA
dc.subject.otherScience teachers - South Africa - Attitudesen_ZA
dc.subject.otherEngineering students - South Africa - Attitudesen_ZA
dc.titleA comparison of science teachers' and engineering students' rankings of science and technology related global problemsen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMEden_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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