The research is based on fieldwork in the Johannesburg East District where fifteen teachers from different schools participated. The teachers were from a variety of backgrounds in teaching the subject. Each of the teachers voluntarily completed an open-ended questionnaire that was based on their own interpretation of the setting of formal assessment tests or examinations. Document analysis was performed on the preliminary theory examinations that were set by the teachers using an adapted form of Krathwohl‟s two-dimensional taxonomy which was made specific for CAT. The teachers were requested to supply an example of a taxonomy which they themselves had used when analyzing the preliminary theory examination according to cognitive levels. The research findings were derived from the responses to the questionnaires that indicated the teachers‟ opinions about the setting of formal assessments as well as from formal test papers the teachers provided. The vast majority of the participant teachers used examinations set by others, either those purchased from publishers or publically accessible past papers downloaded from the internet with minimal change. It appears that the teachers did not use any taxonomy of cognitive levels even when they designed their own question papers. The cognitive level addressed was primarily memorisation and recall. The teachers were more concerned about the format and style of their examination papers than the cognitive levels the papers addressed. Additionally the overwhelming majority did not believe that training in assessment design would be of value to them (as experienced teachers), although some suggested that such training may be useful for beginning teachers. This suggests that further research on the teachers‟ experiences in using taxonomies when setting formal assessments, as well as potential in-service training interventions that address their knowledge of cognitive levels and appropriate assessments is needed. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

The Information Technology (IT) as subject taught in South African secondary schools is considered to be a very perplexing subject. The IT as a subject has four learning outcomes which are E-Communication (weight 10%), Social and Ethical Issues (weight 10%), Hardware and Systems Software (weight 20%) and Programming and Software Development (weight 60%). The Programming and Software Development enjoys the highest weight as outcome of IT and it is believed to be the main cause of the difficulty of IT. The number of Grade 9 learners willing to offer IT as a subject in Grade 10 is decreasing and the number of learners pursuing IT until Grade 12 is declining in every school in South Africa annually. The aim of this research is to investigate methods that enhance teaching and learning Information Technology at a selected high school focusing on Grade12 learners. Although this work investigated many teaching and learning methods, it has come to be known that the hybrid system or method is the best to adopt and apply in teaching and learning of IT in high schools especially in the relevant target high school. Thirty (30) participants were sampled. Three (3) data collection instruments, which were questionnaires, interviews and observations were used. Results that were obtained from the use of these data collection instruments were recorded and analysed. Results from these instruments were compared and conclusions drawn. A major finding was that the hybrid system that combines both teacher-centered and learner-centered teaching approaches was able to enhance the teaching and learning of IT. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)