The primary aim of this study is to attempt to examine the role to be played by Environmental Education (E.E.) in the secondary school Geography syllabus in a future South Africa. At the present time and since the commencement of this study new interim syllabi have been formulated for Standard 2-7. Interim syllabi for Standards 8 - 10 have not been formulated and a decision has been made by the National Department of Education to continue using the existing syllabi until the year 2001 when the existing matriculation examination will fall away. It is the intention of the educational authorities to have all interim syllabi operational in the country's schools by 1996 at the latest with the first unified provincial education department examinations for Standard 10 to be written at the end of 1996. The process of formulating completely new curricula and syllabi for all subjects and standards has already begun. This process will be a lengthy one and could take up to 5 years or more to complete. This study should be seen as a contribution to the deliberations which must inevitably occur before completely new curricula and syllabi are formulated. The qualitative nature of most of the study as well as the empirical study described in Chapter Eight allow for ideas and suggestions on the incorporation of E.E. in the new syllabus as well as pointers to be made on what should constitute the new syllabus. The ideas and suggestions forwarded have been based on a fairly extensive review of current literature in the field as well as on the author's eighteen years of teaching and lecturing experience and membership of various educational committees involved in syllabus formulation. Besides a review of current literature in the fields of Geographical Education, E.E., Development Education, Sustainability, Education for Sustainable living and Syllabus Formulation, chapters in this study will deal.with the current position of E.E. in South Africa as well as in the education system, the position of E.E. in the current secondary school Geography syllabi in South Africa, the position of E.E. in the current secondary school Geography Syllabi in a selected number of other countries, including a fairly detailed examination of the position in selected African countries. A background scenario is then provided to the formulation of a new secondary school Geography syllabus in South Africa before a series of recommendations are forwarded on what should constitute a new syllabus. Empirical studies on the incorporation of E.E. into the Geography syllabus are examined to provide support for the contention of this study that much scope remains for the inclusion of more E.E. into a new syllabus. Such inclusion would of necessity include elements of the concepts of development education and sustainability. Every attempt needs to be made to transform existing syllabi into something more relevant and meaningful to the pupils of today. Of necessity a process of 'Africanising' of the syllabus would be required as part of the process of syllabus renewal so as to cater more appropriately for the needs of the majority of pupils who will be studying the subject. In addition every attempt must be made to achieve a phase three status for the new Syllabus as advocated by Graves (1981). This study is presented as a contribution to education and more specifically to Geography teaching in South Africa. Every effort is made to provide a case for the study of Geography in the new curriculum which will emerge and to have E.E. as a central focus in the study of the subject. The Government's proposal to introduce an outcomes/competencies based curriculum and to shift emphasis away from the subject-based curriculum presently in existence will obviously have ramifications for Geography as a subject as we know it at present. It is the contention of this study, however, that a place will have to be found, in some form, for the study of what we now label Geography in the present syllabus. The intention of this study was never to actually formulate a new syllabus as such as this of necessity needs a lengthy process of dialogue and consultation between all interested stake-holders and role players. It is hoped, however, that some of the ideas contained in this study will be considered in the deliberations which take place. Finally, the dramatic political changes which have occurred in South Africa in recent years have inevitably produced changes in the educational sphere. These changes may have appeared to be a bit slow at first but have definitely recently picked up in intensity. This study has been conducted during this period of change, beginning with the start of the study in January 1992 through to the start of the original writing up of the study in January - April 1995. The changing scenarios have definitely not made it easy for the author but every attempt has been made to represent the position as accurately as possible as it was as at the end of April, 1995. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1997.

Textbooks play an integral role in every teaching and learning process and they are the most essential tools used to transmit knowledge, skills and values to the learners. The purpose of this study was to examine if there is any change in knowledge representation and cognitive demands in the old curriculum and new curriculum grade 12 Geography textbooks. The study was informed by Bernstein’s concept of knowledge structures. The data were chapters from four grade 12 Geography textbooks. It employs a quantitative document analysis and an adapted analytical tool from Green and Naidoo (2008) was used to analyse data. The findings show that all the four texts contain more formal knowledge and more geographical images and definitions rather than everyday knowledge. The study also shows a noticeable change in the new curriculum textbooks regarding the number of tasks and questions used as a form of assessment. The new texts have a number of tasks and more questions in each task given but they show a minimal change in terms of cognitive levels, since across all the sampled textbooks most questions require understanding of factual knowledge. There are only few questions that engage learners in the other higher cognitive levels of reasoning other than understanding. In the old curriculum texts there is more geographic content and subject specific images whereas in the new curriculum texts there is less content and more space is taken by assessment tasks and images. The study concludes that in terms of content knowledge there is no substantial change in the new textbooks. There is little integration in terms of knowledge within the subject, between geography and other subjects, and between subject knowledge and everyday knowledge. There is some change in the kinds of knowledge assessed in the tasks. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

The primary aim of this study is to attempt to evaluate by means of a case-study, the appropriateness of fieldwork as a way of teaching the new ecology section of the high school geography syllabus viz. 'Ecosystems, Environmental Balance and Conservation'. The study shows the value and importance of fieldwork to develop in pupils an awareness of environmental issues and conservation principles. Evidence collected during the course of the case-study is used to evaluate the nature of fieldwork. The case-study which comprises this thesis concerns the ecological and environmental fieldwork undertaken by a randomly selected sample of 24 standard ten higher-grade pupils studying geography at Glenwood High School in Durban during August 1987. The case-study site was the Pigeon Valley natural area in Glenwood, Durban. The fieldwork undertaken used a field-research approach recommended for use by senior high school pupils. Various conclusions and recommendations arising out of ecological fieldwork and the case-study evaluation, are presented. These include: 1) Fieldwork is a particularly appropriate method to use to teach this new section of the syllabus, as shown by pupil enjoyment and pupil success in completing the fieldwork tasks set them in the exercise. 2) Two fieldwork methods should be used - a traditional fieldwork approach for junior high school classes and a field research approach (with a built-in problem/issue based component) for senior high school classes. 3) Fieldwork is important not only as a substitute for systematic teaching of the section but also for revision purposes. 4) Case-study evaluation and the use of triangulation are appropriate for the purposes of this study. This study is presented as a contribution to geography teaching, in South Africa, particularly the area of fieldwork, but the qualitative nature of the study and the very nature of case-study research, however, prevent totally conclusive results from being obtained. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1988.

D.Ed. (Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. (Subject Didactics) / It is a well known fact that half the people of the world are completely illiterate and only about a third are functionally literate. Chapman and Czerniewska (1978:65) support this statement by saying the United states of America needs to be looked at. It is one of the world's most developed countries and yet more than two per cent of persons older than fourteen have not yet attained functional literacy. This factor illustrates the tremendous education work that still lies ahead of the school and other institutions of learning. South Africa, like many other countries of the world, suffers the same consequences in experiencing educational turmoil, "extending from the classroom to the work-place. One of the major reasons singled out was the implementation of the Bantu Education Act of 1953 (Act 47/1953). The ideology thereof being not to educate a Bantu on the same level as a white man. As a result there was no relationship in curriculum content pertaining to classroom and work-place. In view of this, Black education has become a centre of concern for most race groups in this country because of educational, social and economical repercussions. This factor is well demonstrated in the report of the main commission of the Human Sciences Research Council on the investigation into education (1981 :108). It has shown the need to provide an educational system which will enable all members of the different population groups to acquire the skills of basic literacy. This will pose a long term problem for the State, as far as its economy is concerned.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Language Studies / Master / Master of Arts

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education