1,720,972 research outputs found
Grade 12 teachers' experiences in using interactive whiteboards when teaching Life Sciences
Full text linkAbstract: Interactive whiteboards (IWBs) have taken Gauteng township schools by storm, and teachers are left with no choice but to adapt to the new ways of teaching and learning. This change came with both opportunities and challenges for the grade 12 Life Sciences teachers. These opportunities include embracing the IWBs and taking full advantage of its affordances. Not much training has been provided to teachers at both provincial and district levels on how to utilise the new technology of IWBs. To this end, this research study was founded on whether the teachers were utilising the affordances accorded by IWBs to enhance the teaching and learning of Life Sciences. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge and skills of the grade 12 Life Sciences teachers when utilising IWBs for teaching and learning purposes with the aim to design a professional IWB training and development programme. It was envisaged that the results emanating from such an assessment would lead to development and designing of a professional intervention and development programme considering that the researcher was the Life Sciences Subject Facilitator. To achieve the purpose, the following research questions were set: 1. What are grade 12 Life Sciences teachers’ experiences when teaching using interactive whiteboards? 2. How do teachers utilise the interactive whiteboards when teaching Life Sciences to grade 12 learners? The study followed a generic qualitative approach. The sample consisted of four grade 12 Life Sciences teachers purposively selected from four different Ekurhuleni township schools. The participants were selected based on the performance of their schools in grade 12 Life Sciences examinations in the past three years (i.e., 2016 to 2018). All the schools where the selected teachers ply their trade have consistently achieved a pass rate of at least 80% during the aforementioned period. Data collection involved an analysis of two lesson plans, observation of two lessons and a single virtual interview for each of the teachers. Analysis of the data using content analysis allowed the data to be classified under specific categories and themes. Data generated from the interviews was used to answer the following first research question was: What are grade 12 Life Sciences teachers’ experiences when teaching using interactive whiteboards? Findings from the interviews suggest that teachers are aware of the advantages of using the IWBs to teach Life Sciences. In addition, the teachers acknowledged that the IWBs simplify their planning and preparation of lessons. Some of the affordances that accrue from a streamlined and simplified lesson planning and preparation process ranged from time saving emanating from once-off preparation and storing lessons for future use, and capturing the vi learners’ attention, to simulation of experimental investigations. The teachers acknowledged that they were not using the IWB to its maximum capacity because of challenges such as technical problems, connectivity issues and insufficient training. Data collected through lesson observations was used to address the second research question, namely: How do teachers utilise the interactive whiteboards when teaching Life Sciences to grade 12 learners? It is evident from the findings of this research that teachers have embraced the versatility and multimodality of IWBs and were, therefore, using it: to project PowerPoint presentations and images; to play videos; and, for assessment purposes. The research findings also indicate that learners were not actively involved in the teaching and learning process because they were not even afforded an opportunity to interact with the IWB. The whole class teaching strategy, a pedagogical strategy that is more focussed on the teacher than learner, appeared to be prominent in all lessons. Recommendations that materialised from the findings were intensified professional development programmes that are subject specific so that pedagogical practices are addressed. It is recommended that the Gauteng Department of Education should review the elements that underpin the sixth pillar of ICT in Education, one of the ten pillar programmes for transformation, modernisation, and re-industrialisation of education in the Gauteng province. The suggested review should be targeted at improving Internet connectivity, ICT training and development of the teachers, and technical ICT support to ensure full utilisation of IWBs by the schools.M.Ed. (Science and Technology Education
Exploring the extent to which science teachers create constructivist learning environments in their science classrooms
Full text linkAbstract: The study investigated the extent to which life sciences and physical sciences teachers in the Further Education and Training phase create constructivist learning environments in their classrooms. Constructivist learning environments have been found to foster the creation critical thinkers. The study employed social constructivism as a theoretical framework. The learning environment was viewed from this paradigmic approach. This research adopted an explanatory mixed method research design, involving 50 teachers. Purposive sampling was used to select Grade 10, 11 and 12 teachers from 15 schools in Johannesburg. Quantitative data were collected using the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES), originally developed by Taylor and Fraser (1991) and revised by Johnson and McClure (2004). The CLES has been validated in various studies, and also its reliability has been tested. The teachers’ perceptions were measured on a Likert scale and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed manually using constant comparative method. The first research sub-question was: how do science teachers perceive learning environments in their classrooms? In answering this, the findings revealed positive perceptions in personal relevance, learner negotiation and critical voice constructs. The two other constructs shared control and scientific uncertainty revealed that the teachers still hold traditional perceptions about learning environments. The findings indicated that teachers still believed that planning and designing of lessons were their responsibilities and that learners have no role to play.M.Ed. (Science Education
Life Sciences teachers’ views on teaching socio-scientific issues in genetics using an inquiry approach
Full text linkAbstract: This study sought to determine teachers’ views about scientific inquiry in teaching genetics, while addressing socio-scientific issues. Over the years there has been a profound interest in the teaching of science in various societies. Many have concentrated on the learner presentation, perception and the teaching of socio-scientific issues to develop citizenship. Much interest around the topic of genetics has arisen and more interest is being directed at the teacher’s views in addressing socioscientific issues, as this has a benefit of developing critical metacognitive reasoning among learners, thus developing learners’ attitudes and interest in science and bringing meaning to the science knowledge in the classrooms. The study was guided by two research questions: 1. What are the teachers’ views about scientific inquiry in teaching genetics, while addressing socio-scientific issues? and 2. How do the views of teachers in township schools compare with those of the teachers in suburban schools? An exploratory mixed method research design was used for the study. The design was suitable for this study because determining teachers’ views requires that they provide these views followed by the possible explanation of why they hold those views, hence the use of various strategies. From the Johannesburg population of high school Life Sciences teachers, a group of 44 teachers was randomly selected, 21 from township and 23 from suburban schools where Grade 12 results for 2017 were poor. Data collection involved the administration of an adapted version of the Views of Scientific Inquiry (VOSI) instrument to the 44 teachers and then interviewing six teachers whose responses (based on the analysis of data from the VOSI questionnaire) were considered informed, partially informed and naïve views...M.Ed. (Science and Technology Education
Teachers’ views and pedagogical practices when teaching the topic evolution to grade 12 learners
Full text linkAbstract: Life Sciences curriculum in 2008. The world over, evolution has proved to be a contentious topic to teach to high school learners despite its value in acting as ‘a blending concept’ in Biology and ‘the disease tracking foundation’ in pharmacology and medicine. In the South African Life Sciences curriculum, evolution accounts for 44% of grade 12 content in terms of mark allocation in examinations. Hence teachers are obligated to address the topic adequately as there are accountability issues at the end of the year. Unfortunately previous research showed that South African teachers question the theory of evolution and are conflicted to teach it. Teacher’s personal views on a topic or subject matter heavily influence or determine how the topic is treated in the classroom. Previous researchers alluded to the existence of a relationship between teachers’ acceptance of evolution and the emphasis and level of how they teach it. Accordingly, 15 teachers were interviewed each once to explore their views on the teaching of the topic evolution to Grade 12 high schools learners and the pedagogical practices they employ when teaching the topic. Qualitative analysis of the teachers’ responses showed teachers’ mixed views about the content of the topic of evolution, the value of that knowledge to learners and society in general and how best it can be taught in the science classroom. Teachers attested to the use of higher order questions, debates, argumentation and group discussions as strategies that allow learners to share their opinions based on their diverse cultural and religious background. The study also showed that sometimes teachers failed to reconcile their beliefs and those of the learners and their science classroom practices..
Pre-service teachers’ conceptualisation of the integration and progression of life sciences concepts from grade 10 to 12
Full text linkAbstract: When scientific concepts are learned as discrete science concepts learners fail to know how the concepts are related to each other. Learner conceptual understanding is enhanced when teachers develop a sense of continuity and coherency in learners as they teach one topic to another. After realising that pre-service teachers compartmentalise concepts and fail to show relationships between concepts as evidenced from their failure to teach the concepts accordingly, the researcher tasked 115 pre-service Life Sciences teachers to conceptualise and articulate the integration and progression of Life Sciences concepts from Grade 10-12 in groups of six. The study investigated how pre-service teachers articulated the way they conceptualised this integration and progression. Thematic analysis of the responses, from the 10 groups who selected the topic Cells, showed that pre-service teachers could articulate the integration and progression of concepts from Grade 10 - 12 to a certain extent. It was evident that they needed to acquire a deeper understanding of Life Sciences concepts in order to explicitly interconnect them. The study informs teacher professional development programmes of strategies that engage teachers in activities that stimulate them to identify areas for development
Exploring the role of contextual knowledge in the pedagogical content knowledge of grade 9 natural sciences teachers : a case study of township teachers in South Africa
Full text linkPh.D.Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore teachers’ knowledge and understanding of their learners’ socio-cultural practices, experiences and beliefs (contextual knowledge, or CK) and how they use the knowledge to provide situationally appropriate learning experiences for their learners. Specifically, highlighting the role of CK in pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), the study unpacked the interplay of four knowledge domains, which are subject-matter knowledge (SMK), pedagogical knowledge (PK), teachers’ orientations to science teaching and CK as they are transformed into PCK. The overarching research question was: How does CK influence the PCK of selected Grade 9 Natural Sciences teachers at township schools in South Africa? The study employed social constructivism as a theoretical framework as CK is an important factor in the contemporary teaching perspective of social constructivism. The study adopted a qualitative case study approach and involved three Natural Sciences (NS) teachers from three different township schools as participants. Data sources included interviews done before lessons, lesson observations, interviews done after the lessons and analysis of documents. Data analysis involved a constant comparative method which allowed themes and patterns to emerge from the codes derived from the data. In answering the first research sub-question: what do Grade 9 NS teachers know about learners’ socio-cultural practices and beliefs in relation to teaching topics in Natural Sciences?, the findings revealed that teachers were aware of the learners’ poor socioeconomic backgrounds which they used as a resource in problem-based learning of NS. This teaching and learning strategy engaged learners in deep rather than surface learning as it enhanced learning experiences. Teachers were also knowledgeable about learners’ socio-cultural practices, experiences and beliefs which they used to harmonise the conflict between learners’ worldviews and scientific knowledge..
Affordances and limitations of integrating learners’ socio-cultural backgrounds in science teaching
Full text linkAbstract: The study involved three Grade 9 Natural Sciences teachers reflecting on their classroom practice and on the phenomenological importance of integrating learners’ socio-cultural backgrounds into science teaching and learning. In this qualitative case study each teacher was interviewed five times using a semi-structured interview schedule to determine their willingness, challenges and benefits obtained from their experiences as they incorporated learners’ socio-cultural practices, experiences and beliefs when teaching some Natural Sciences topics. Additional information was obtained through analysis of documents related to teaching such as curriculum documents, lesson plans and teachers’ reflective journals. This was meant to answer the research question: What are the teachers’ views on affordances and limitations of the integration of learners’ socio-cultural backgrounds into science teaching? Findings from the study illuminate aspects of the role of learners’ socio-cultural practices, experiences and beliefs in science teaching and learning; processes by which individual teachers can improve the quality of their practice; and support mechanisms that teachers need to make science more relevant and meaningful to learners. Central to these findings is the contribution to the debate on the relevance and meaningfulness of science education, particularly with a focus on making it a reality in South African science classrooms. For the three teachers, reflection improved their knowledge, awareness and control of themselves and their classroom practice when teaching socio-culturally diverse learners that are typical of South African science classroom
Classroom interaction patterns in Grade 11 Life Sciences English-second language learners' classes
Full text linkAbstract: Classroom interactions are crucial in shaping the teaching and learning process in the classrooms. Classroom interaction can be influenced by various factors such as language of teaching and learning, and the teachers’ choice of teaching method. Teaching Life Sciences to English-second-language learners can be a challenge when learners do not have a rich vocabulary of the language of teaching and learning, as it affects the types of classroom interaction patterns which occur in such classes. Life sciences township school teachers face great challenges of learners being unable to express themselves in English during the teaching and learning of life sciences. The study was underpinned by socio-cultural theory and socio-constructivism perspectives since the main focus was on determining classroom interaction patterns in life sciences classes where there are second language English speakers. The study took place in Kanana, a township characterised by culturally and linguistically diverse people. The sample included two life sciences Grade 11 teachers from two different high schools. Data was collected through lesson observations to determine the nature of classroom interaction patterns in Grade 11 life sciences classrooms with English-second-language learners, and through structured interviews to determine how teachers assisted learners in enhancing meaningful interaction in Grade 11 life sciences classrooms with English-secondlanguage learners. Each teacher was observed teaching two lessons in different Grade 11 classes, and then interviewed. Video recordings of the lessons were analysed by determining the four communicative approaches as espoused by Mortimer and Scott (2003), which are Interactive/Authoritative, Non-interactive/Authoritative, Interactive/Dialogic, and Noninteractive/Dialogic. Interview data was analysed using Saldana’s (2009) manual coding...M.Ed. (Science Education
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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