1,720,967 research outputs found
An investigation into how grade 9 Physical Science learners make meaning of the topic on acids and bases through exploring their prior everyday knowledge and experiiences : a case study
Full text linkThis study was conducted at the school where I teach which is a semi-rural secondary school
(Grade 8-12) situated in Omuthiya Town in Oshikoto region, Namibia. The new curriculum
that has been implemented in Namibia, has posed challenges in how best to put the
curriculum into practice at this school. It was this challenge that triggered my interest in doing a research study with the aim of improving my practice. Essentially, the study sought to gain insight into whether integrating learners’ prior everyday knowledge and experiences of acids and bases in conjunction with practical activities using easily accessible materials enabled or constrained meaning-making of this topic.
This study is located within an interpretive paradigm. Within this paradigm, a qualitative case study approach was adopted with my Grade 9 class. Data were gathered using document
analysis, videotaped lessons and observations by a critical friend, stimulated recall discussions while watching the videotaped lessons as well as focus group interviews with the learners. An inductive analysis to discover patterns and themes was applied during the data analysis process. The themes were further turned into analytical statements. Data sets were also analysed in relation to the research questions posed by this study.
The validation process was achieved by using a variety of data gathering techniques. I
watched the videotaped lessons with a teacher who observed the lessons and transcripts of the
interviews and a summary of discussions were given back to the respondents to verify their
responses and check for any misinterpretations, a process known as member checking. I also translated what the learners said in Oshiwambo, their home language, into English.
The findings from the study revealed that the use of learners’ prior everyday knowledge and
experiences of acids and bases facilitated meaningful learning during teaching and learning.
Furthermore, linking learning to learners’ everyday experiences enabled them to learn scientific concepts in a relaxed and non-threatening environment. However, linking learners’ prior knowledge and experiences to conventional science (textbook science) proved to be a challenge. My recommendations are that teachers need support in their endeavors to
incorporate learners’ real life experiences into their teaching and learning repertoires.
Another aspect of my study that deserves further research is the role that language plays in implementing the curriculum
The assessment of English reading comprehension and its predictive power on inductive reasoning
Full text linkAn investigation into how grade 9 Physical Science learners make meaning of the topic on acids and bases through exploring their prior everyday knowledge and experiiences: a case study
Full text linkThis study was conducted at the school where I teach which is a semi-rural secondary school (Grade 8-12) situated in Omuthiya Town in Oshikoto region, Namibia. The new curriculum that has been implemented in Namibia, has posed challenges in how best to put the curriculum into practice at this school. It was this challenge that triggered my interest in doing a research study with the aim of improving my practice. Essentially, the study sought to gain insight into whether integrating learners’ prior everyday knowledge and experiences of acids and bases in conjunction with practical activities using easily accessible materials enabled or constrained meaning-making of this topic. This study is located within an interpretive paradigm. Within this paradigm, a qualitative case study approach was adopted with my Grade 9 class. Data were gathered using document analysis, videotaped lessons and observations by a critical friend, stimulated recall discussions while watching the videotaped lessons as well as focus group interviews with the learners. An inductive analysis to discover patterns and themes was applied during the data analysis process. The themes were further turned into analytical statements. Data sets were also analysed in relation to the research questions posed by this study. The validation process was achieved by using a variety of data gathering techniques. I watched the videotaped lessons with a teacher who observed the lessons and transcripts of the interviews and a summary of discussions were given back to the respondents to verify their responses and check for any misinterpretations, a process known as member checking. I also translated what the learners said in Oshiwambo, their home language, into English. The findings from the study revealed that the use of learners’ prior everyday knowledge and experiences of acids and bases facilitated meaningful learning during teaching and learning. Furthermore, linking learning to learners’ everyday experiences enabled them to learn scientific concepts in a relaxed and non-threatening environment. However, linking learners’ prior knowledge and experiences to conventional science (textbook science) proved to be a challenge. My recommendations are that teachers need support in their endeavors to incorporate learners’ real life experiences into their teaching and learning repertoires. Another aspect of my study that deserves further research is the role that language plays in implementing the curriculum
The possibility of an online assessment of scientific reasoning, inductive reasoning and motivation to learn science : a pilot study in Namibia
Full text linkThe assessment of scientific reasoning, inductive reasoning and scientific inquiry using paper and pencil in Namibia
Full text linkOnline Assessment of Scientific Reasoning Skills and Motivation to Learn Science among Grade 5 and 7 Students in Northern Namibia
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Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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