1,721,009 research outputs found
Progressive Pedagogy for Extended Reality: Shaping and Facilitating the Fourth Industrial Revolution
No full textPedagogical practices of physical sciences teachers when using simulations in enacting a 5E Instructional Model for Inquiry
Full text linkAbstract: In South Africa, Specific Aim 2 of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) relates to the implementation of inquiry-based learning. It requires learners to explore objects, situations and events in their immediate environment, to collect data and record information, and to accurately draw conclusions (Department of Basic Education, 2011). However, a number of challenges have been identified in implementing an inquiry-based practice. Some of the challenges that are cited in South Africa include lack of teaching time, inadequacy of resources, large classes, and security issues (Dudu & Vhurumuku, 2012; Ramnarain, 2016). Therefore, to provide an alternative to traditional laboratory experimentation that has been constrained due to the aforementioned factors, this study is on the use of Physics Education Technology simulations in inquiry-based science teaching and learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate the pedagogical practices of Physical Sciences teachers when using simulations in enacting a 5E (engage, explore, explain, elaborate and evaluate) instructional model for inquiry. A Design-Based Research methodology was employed in this study to explicate design principles in the use of simulations by teachers when implementing the 5E instructional model for inquiry, and also to identify the pedagogical affordances and limitations of using simulations when teaching 5E inquiry. Data was collected by means of interviews, lesson observations and lesson plans. The data from the interviews and lesson observation was transcribed and coded according to Saldaña (2009) coding. Codes were assigned to various statements on the transcripts. Thereafter codes that shared similar features were grouped together to develop categories, then different themes emerged from the various categories and assertions were made. The research findings show that teachers have a clear understanding of the benefits of using simulations in their teaching. Design principles on pedagogical practices in the teacher use of simulations when enacting a 5E instructional model for inquiry were also derived.M.Ed. (Science Education
The understanding of the nature of science among physical sciences teachers from the Badplaas circuit of the Mpumalanga Province
Full text linkAbstract: This interpretivist qualitative study investigated the teachers’ understanding of the nature of science (NOS). The participants comprised 12 Physical Sciences teachers from the Badplaas Circuit in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. The participants were selected from 8 secondary schools by using convenience sampling and purposive sampling. Data was obtained by using the Views of the Nature of Science (VNOS) Questionnaire (Form C) developed by Abd-El-Khalick, Lederman, Bell and Schwartz (2002), which consist of 10 open-ended questions. The interview data was obtained by using semi-structured questions adapted from Abd-El-Khalick (1998). All the teachers included in the sample were engaged in teaching Physical Sciences at secondary level. Participants’ responses, based on questionnaire and interview data, was coded as either naïve, transitional (-), transitional (+) or informed. The following tenets of the nature of science were coded for: scientific knowledge is tentative; empirical; theory-laden; partly the product of human inference; imaginative and creative; socially and culturally embedded; that there is a distinction between observation and inference; that there is no universal recipe-like method for doing science; and that there is a distinction between scientific theories and laws. The analysis of the data revealed that all the participants held naïve to transitional understandings of the nature of science. Recommendations for future research were raised.M.Ed
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..
The empowerment evaluation of a grade 9 natural sciences teacher in shifting towards an inquiry-based pedagogy
Full text linkAbstract: In South Africa, the introduction of inquiry-based instruction has met with a lot of challenges, such as the poor training of teachers in the face of accelerated curriculum reform. Teacher training has been plagued with traditional “one-shot” approaches to professional development that are inadequate and do not provide teachers with opportunities for immediate and direct application of what they have learnt (Zakaria & Daud, 2009). I worked with a Grade 9 Natural Science teacher with the goal of improving the quantity and quality of inquiry-based instruction implemented in the classroom, by employing empowerment evaluation approach to teacher development. The professional development experience was informed by the 4Ex2 instruction model, which combines key components of inquiry instruction (Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend) with formative assessment and reflective practice integrated into each of the inquiry components. By employing the Electronic Quality of Inquiry Protocol (EQUIP) a classroom observation tool, I conducted six classroom observations, assessing the teacher on 19 indicators associated with inquiry spreading over four constructs: Instruction, Curriculum, Discourse and Assessment. The current study investigated conceptions the teacher held with regard to inquiry-based teaching and learning, and attempted to shift the Natural Sciences teacher’s instructional approach towards inquiry instruction, by employing the concept of empowerment evaluation. The data was collected using interviews and lesson observations with one teacher from a rural school setting. Findings from this study show that the teacher held positive views of the inquiry-based approach, but felt that its classroom practice suffered negatively from a number of challenges, primarily lack of teacher confidence due to poor training. The findings also reveal that through empowerment evaluation, teacher practices in the classroom can shift towards an inquiry-based approach.M.Ed
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
A Pilot Study on the Mentoring of PGCE Physical Sciences Students at a Teaching School
No full textAbstractThis paper reports on research on the mentoring experiences of three PGCE Physical Sciences students at a teaching school affiliated to a teacher education institution in South Africa. The research was underpinned by a conceptual framework developed by Edith Lai (2010) that addresses the relational, developmental and contextual dimensions of mentoring. The study employed a qualitative case study design, and entailed the collection of data from interviews, lesson plans, mentor reports, and mentor-mentee discussions. The findings reveal that all students perceived their mentoring to be supportive in planning lessons that reflected a shift in their pedagogical orientation towards a more learner-centred direct interactive approach. It was also evident that the students were developing a critical friendship with their mentor teacher in a space of trust and emotional support. However, contextually it became evident that the students did experience a challenge in transiting the cultural divide between the school they attended as learners and the teaching school. Against these findings, guidelines are offered to enhance the mentoring experiences of students at teaching schools
The readability of a high stakes Physics examination paper
No full textEnglish: This article reports on the readability of a Physics examination paper written by grade-12 students. A sample of 500 scripts was analysed for readability problems associated with linguistic features synonymous with scientific writing. The study revealed that where a question displayed a linguistic feature of scientific writing, this contributed to students doing an incorrect calculation, focusing on the wrong aspect of the question, repeating a segment of a question, and misinterpreting a word or a phrase. In view of these findings, the article argues that greater attention needs to be paid to the language of science in the classroom.Afrikaans: Hierdie artikel doen verslag oor ’n deurslaggewende Fisika-eksamenvraestel wat deur graad 12-leerders geskryf is. ’n Steekproef van 500 leerders se antwoordskrifte is vir leesbaarheidsprobleme wat met die geïdentifiseerde linguistiese eienskappe gepaardgaan, ontleed. Die studie het getoon dat waar ’n vraag ’n linguistiese eienskap van wetenskaplike skryfwerk vertoon het, dit daartoe bygedra het dat leerders ’n verkeerde berekening doen deur op die verkeerde aspek van die vraag te fokus, ’n segment van ’n vraag herhaal en ’n woord of frase verkeerd interpreteer. In die lig van hierdie bevindings betoog die artikel dat meer aandag aan wetenskapstaal in die klaskamer geskenk moet word.Publisher's versio
Exploring the use of a cartoon as a learner scaffold in the planning of scientific investigations
No full textDespite curriculum imperatives, in South Africa and worldwide, for learners to have more autonomy in
investigations, they remain largely teacher controlled with learners having only limited opportunities in
planning. This design-based study explored how a cartoon can be employed in a Grade 9 Natural Sciences
class in prompting learners to plan investigations. This innovation followed a continuous cycle of design,
enactment, analysis and redesign, synonymous with design-based research. Data were collected through
classroom observations of the cartoon being used in practice by a Grade 9 teacher, and interviews with
her. The effectiveness of this innovation was established by assessing learner plans using an adapted
rubric. The findings indicate that a cartoon having an extended dialogue between characters on a science
concept, accompanied by a prompt sheet, is an effective support mechanism in planning investigations.
Using this support mechanism, learners were able to write a plan which included stating the problem,
formulating the hypothesis, identifying variables, apparatus and a step-by-step procedure for conducting
the investigation as well as describing how the collected data would be analysed to address the stated
hypothesis. The findings also reveal that such a support mechanism, apart from shifting learners towards
more autonomy, does invite learners to engage in the scientific discourse, wh ich often serves as a barrier
to science learning.Publisher's versio
Questioning the validity of inquiry assessment in a high stakes Physical Sciences examination
No full textThe South African science curriculum advocates an inquiry-based approach to
practical work. Inquiry is a complex and multifaceted activity involving both cognitive
and physical activity; thus, paper-and-pencil items do not provide the authentic
context for this assessment. This study investigates the construct validity of inquiryrelated
questions in three national Grade 12 Physical Sciences examinations. Clarity
about what is being assessed and how well a test samples a construct are critical
to validity. The analysis that was guided by Stobart’s conceptualisation of construct
validity revealed that, to a large extent, inquiry-related questions exhibited threats to
validity. The identified threats were categorised as contested validity, unclear validity
and construct irrelevance. The findings of this study suggest that greater attention
needs to be paid to the formulation of inquiry-related questions in written tests and
examinations.Publisher's versio
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