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The classroom implementation of indigenous knowledge in the science curriculum by science teachers in the Western Cape province, South AfricaJacobs, Keith Ronald January 2015 (has links)
Includes bibliographical references / The South African policy document of the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) for Natural Science (Department of Education, 2002), the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) for Life Science (Department of Education, 2003), and the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) for Natural Science and Life Science (Department of Education, 2011) recognises and affirms the critical role of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in science education. These policy documents expect the science teachers to integrate indigenous knowledge in their lessons. This study strove to establish how selected high school science teachers in the Western Cape Province responded to the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in their teaching. The present study employed a multi-method approach, involving different research methods used in parallel or sequence but are not integrated until inferences are made (Johnson, Onwuegbuzie & Turner, 2007). This study took place in two main sequential data collection phases, namely, the quantitative data collection phase ((QUAN) and the qualitative data collection phase (qual). This contemporary approach was employed in order to provide credible and trustworthy answers to the following research questions, namely, 1) To what extent are the science teachers in the Western Cape Province integrating scientific and indigenous knowledge, as required by the Department of Education? If not, what are their reasons for this? 2) What are the teachers' views about and understanding of the nature of science and indigenous knowledge as well as their views on how the two worldviews can be integrated in the classroom? 3) How effective was the treatment in enhancing the teachers' ability to integrate science and indigenous knowledge in the classroom? 4) To what extent can the model of Snively and Corsiglia (2001) be useful for measuring change as the teachers implement the integration of indigenous knowledge in the science classroom? For the QUAN phase, the researcher adapted a questionnaire and a new questionnaire, the Nature of Indigenous Knowledge Questionnaire (NOIKQ), was developed. The purpose of this questionnaire was to obtain a detailed description of high schools science teachers' understanding of scientific and indigenous knowledge, as well as the problems the teachers encounter in their implementation of Learning Outcome 3 of Life Sciences and Natural Science. After the pilot study of the questionnaire and subsequent modifications to it, data were collected. Convenience sampling and purposeful sampling characterised the samples of respondents and schools. This sampling strategy ensured a total sample of 370 high school science teachers in 80 public schools, represented by urban and township schools in the Western Cape Province. The results of the QUAN phase indicated that the teachers did not receive training on how to integrate science and indigenous knowledge, and that they did not have sufficient knowledge of indigenous knowledge to teach this aspect confidently to their learners. An inquiry was embarked on in order to train the science teachers in how to integrate indigenous knowledge in the science classrooms. A workshop was chosen as an intervention to improve the teaching skills of the teachers and to develop new methods of teaching. A quasi-experimental design was chosen to establish how effective the intervention was. In this quasi-experimental design, one group of five teachers was assigned to the intervention, whilst the other group of six teachers received no intervention at all. This intervention was based on the model of Snively and Corsiglia (2001) for integrating IK in the science curriculum. These teachers had participated in the survey and were selected for their particular interest in the research study. Classroom observations and three teacher and six learner interviews were used for collecting qualitative data to establish the effectiveness of the intervention. A finding from this study is that the worldviews that the teachers bring into the classroom have implications for approaches they take to include IKS in their lessons. The results of the qualitative phase indicated that, given the teachers background (i.e., cultural, political and social), teachers interpreted and implemented IKS in different ways in the curriculum. The teachers who attended the workshop and were trained to integrate indigenous knowledge in the science curriculum were more confident than those teachers who were not trained to integrate IK in the science curriculum. This increased confidence resulted from the workshop which enhanced the teachers' IK content knowledge and made them less dependent on the learners for examples of IKS. The study offers important implications and recommendations to teachers and policy- makers regarding the implementation of the integration of IKS in the science curriculum, as well as fruitful avenues for further research.
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A Systemic Approach to InnovationFischer, Manfred M. 02 1900 (has links) (PDF)
The objective of this paper is to increase our ability to understand the systems of innovation
approach as a flexible and useful conceptual framework for innovation analysis. It presents an
effort to develop some missing links and to decrease the conceptual noise often present in the
discussions on national innovation systems. The paper specifies elements and relations that seem to
be essential to the conceptual core of the framework and argues that there is no a priori reason to
emphasise the national over the subnational [regional] scale as an appropriate mode for analysis,
irrespective of time and place. Localised input-output relations between the actors of the system,
knowledge spillovers and their untraded interdependencies lie at the centre of the arguments.
The paper is organised as follows. It introduces the reader, first, to some basic elements and
concepts that are central to understanding the approach. The characteristics of the innovation
process are examined: its nature, sources and some of the factors shaping its development.
Particular emphasis is laid on the role of knowledge creation and dissemination based on the
fundamental distinction between codified and tacit forms. These concepts recur throughout the
paper and particularly in discussions on the nature and specifications of the systems approach. The
paper concludes by summarising some of the major findings of the discussion and pointing to some
directions for future research activities. (author's abstract) / Series: Discussion Papers of the Institute for Economic Geography and GIScience
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A framework for qualitative model-based reasoning about mechanismsLavangnananda, Kittichai January 1995 (has links)
No description available.
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Capturing cultural glossaries: Case-study IMadiba, M, Mphahlele, L 03 September 2003 (has links)
Abstract
This article is a presentation of a brief cultural glossary of Northern Sotho cooking terms. The glossary is mainly composed of names for utensils and ingredients, and action words for the processes involved in the preparation of cultural dishes. It also contains names of dishes tied to some idiomatic expressions in a way eliciting cultural experiences that can lead to an under-standing of indigenous knowledge systems. The article seeks to explore ways of capturing cultural glossaries to feed into the national dictionary corpora by using a case-study approach to investigate the processes that led to the generation of this specific school-based project. A number of issues that surfaced in this project, can possibly serve as models for the collection of authentic glossaries that can support dictionary making in African languages.
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Systems of Innovation: A Novel Conceptual Framework for Innovation AnalysisFischer, Manfred M. 06 1900 (has links) (PDF)
The objective of this paper is to increase our ability to understand the systems of innovation
approach as a flexible and useful conceptual framework for innovation analysis. It presents an
effort to develop some missing links and to decrease the conceptual noise often present in the
discussions on national innovation systems. The paper specifies elements and relations that seem to
be essential to the conceptual core of the framework and argues that there is no a priori reason to
emphasise the national over the subnational [regional] scale as an appropriate mode for analysis,
irrespective of time and place. Localised input-output relations between the actors of the system,
knowledge spillovers and their untraded interdependencies lie at the centre of the arguments.
The paper is organised as follows. It introduces the reader, first, to some basic elements and
concepts that are central to understanding the approach. The characteristics of the innovation
process are examined: its nature, sources and some of the factors shaping its development.
Particular emphasis is laid on the role of knowledge creation and dissemination based on the
fundamental distinction between codified and tacit forms. These concepts recur throughout the
paper and particularly in discussions on the nature and specifications of the systems approach. The
paper concludes by summarising some of the major findings of the discussion and pointing to some
directions for future research activities. (author's abstract) / Series: Discussion Papers of the Institute for Economic Geography and GIScience
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Innovation, Knowledge Creation and Systems of InnovationFischer, Manfred M. January 2000 (has links) (PDF)
The main objective of this paper is to provide greater understanding of the systems
of innovation approach as a flexible and useful conceptual framework for spatial innovation
analysis. It presents an effort to develop some missing links and to decrease the conceptual
noise often present in the discussions on national innovation systems. The paper specifies
elements and relations that seem to be essential to the conceptual core of the framework and
argues that there is no a priori reason to emphasize the national over the subnational
(regional) scale as an appropriate mode for analysis, irrespective of time and place. Localised
input-output relations between the actors of the system, knowledge spillovers and their
untraded interdependencies lie at the centre of the argument.
The paper is organized as follows. It introduces the reader, first, to some basic elements
and concepts that are central to understanding the approach. The characteristics of the
innovation process are examined: its nature, sources and some of the factors shaping its
development. Particular emphasis is laid on the role of knowledge creation and dissemination
based on the fundamental distinction between codified and tacit forms. These concepts recur
throughout the paper and particularly in discussions on the nature and specifications of the
systems approach. The paper concludes by summarizing some of the major findings of the
discussion and pointing to some directions for future research activities. (author's abstract) / Series: Discussion Papers of the Institute for Economic Geography and GIScience
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Using precedents to identify top management fraud : the study of a case-based learning and reasoning modelCuret, Olivier Louis January 1996 (has links)
This thesis discusses how best to design, implement and evaluate a Case-Based Learning and Reasoning (CB-LR) model to assist accountants in identifying Top Management Fraud (TMF). There is no structured knowledge about TMF in the fonn of rules, only cases encountered by experienced auditors. The changing economic, financial and social environment has produced more fraud which at the same time has become increasingly complex to identify and isolate. Previous research shows that fraud has evaded auditors, and highlights a need for new computer-based learning and reasoning paradigms in this domain. Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) has been considered as an approach to building knowledge systems which involves reasoning about the current situation on the basis of pinpointing and resuscitating past instances. As with artificial intelligence in general, there is no standard readymade CBR method suitable for any domain or application: the challenge in CBR is to come up with methods that are suitable for problem-solving and learning in particular subject domains and for particular application environments. INCASE, a Top Management Fraud diagnostic application, has been designed with a specific methodology derived from Schank and Riesbeck's principles. INCASE works on the basis of the interviewees' concerns so that it can act as a 'stimulus agent' for decision support. The intention is for auditors to use it proactively in a conversational mode, focusing on learning and reasoning about the problem domain~ hence the use of the CB-LR model. Although evaluation methods relevant to traditional rule-based expert systems have been discussed in the literature, their emphasis on system issues was found to be inappropriate for this CB-LR application. Since there is no agreed and established method for evaluating a casebased tool, 'a new approach is discussed including verification (where the focus is on response accuracy of infonnation retrieval) and validation (where user judgement and satisfaction are key issues). One important component in the evaluation was an in-house questionnaire based on total quality management ideas. Findings from the evaluation of the TMF diagnostic system suggest that case-based learning and reasoning has a valuable part to play in assisting auditing profession in the detection of fraud
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Cultural Knowledge Systems: Synthesizing our knowledge of knowledge using grounded theoryBaker, Katreena January 2011 (has links)
Many applied academics, within and outside anthropology, have called for the incorporation of cultural knowledge in public policy and decision-making, and for the “bridging” of knowledge systems in knowledge coproduction. Yet critiques of the academic treatment of cultural knowledge have indicated that research has focused on the content not the epistemologies of cultural knowledge systems. To what extent does the social science literature characterize knowledge systems as systems? Does the literature on cultural knowledge systems provide us with tools for translating cultural knowledge? Conclusions derived from this thesis research (a grounded theory approach to an academic literature sample) indicate that substantial work has been done to characterize cultural knowledge epistemologies. However, language used to describe knowledge systems is inconsistent, and analyses of social structures are patchily developed. In an effort to synthesize the literature, I have compiled the best practices and methods used by academics in hopes of influencing future cultural knowledge systems research.
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Cultural Knowledge Systems: Synthesizing our knowledge of knowledge using grounded theoryBaker, Katreena January 2011 (has links)
Many applied academics, within and outside anthropology, have called for the incorporation of cultural knowledge in public policy and decision-making, and for the “bridging” of knowledge systems in knowledge coproduction. Yet critiques of the academic treatment of cultural knowledge have indicated that research has focused on the content not the epistemologies of cultural knowledge systems. To what extent does the social science literature characterize knowledge systems as systems? Does the literature on cultural knowledge systems provide us with tools for translating cultural knowledge? Conclusions derived from this thesis research (a grounded theory approach to an academic literature sample) indicate that substantial work has been done to characterize cultural knowledge epistemologies. However, language used to describe knowledge systems is inconsistent, and analyses of social structures are patchily developed. In an effort to synthesize the literature, I have compiled the best practices and methods used by academics in hopes of influencing future cultural knowledge systems research.
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The integration of indigenous knowledge systems into the main stream senior phase Natural Science Curriculum at Uthungulu district schoolsMkhwanazi, Mhlonipheni Evans January 2014 (has links)
A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Education in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in the Department of Maths, Science and Technology Education at the University Of Zululand, South Africa, 2014 / There has recently been a renewed interest emanating from the Department of Basic Education in the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in the mainstream science curriculum. The aims and principles of the new curriculum statement seek to realign themselves with those of the Constitution of the Republic, which highlight inclusivity, valuing indigenous knowledge and the environment, and social justice for all. In an attempt to address some of the glaring fundamental oversights in the curriculum statement. To this end, the Department of Basic Education has identified indigenous knowledge that can be integrated into the science curriculum and be taught at school. The challenge that baffles many interested and affected parties in education is the absence of clear guidelines as to what aspect of IK can be integrated into the science classroom, as there was never any curriculum training for teachers in this regard. This study was conducted within the community of Emacekane in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, to explore the feasibility of integrating indigenous knowledge within the science curriculum. The following objectives were established to answer the research questions. The first was to determine whether or not IK can be integrated within the science subjects as taught in Empangeni schools. The second was to explore whether or not effective partnerships exist between schools and the surrounding indigenous communities in the development and authentication of IK for the purposes of integration within the school curriculum. The third was to examine the contribution of socio-cultural practices towards the preservation of indigenous knowledge. The results of this study reveal that the Department of Basic Education should invest more resources and underscore the importance of extending thinking about IK-science integration beyond aspects that suit science content, to considering more fruitful and comprehensive methods of teaching and learning science, as well as their relevance to community needs.
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