In the current knowledge era, learners, as the future of our world, require both knowledge and skills and a moral sense and values. The world is beset with diverse and evolving challenges fundamentally related to Life Sciences, which require certain skills and virtues that are not emphasised by current educational practice in schools. My quest to discover the ultimate consequences of learners’ Life Science learning within the context of the existing prescribed Life Sciences Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) was prompted by my personal experience as a high school learner and my desire to see learners have rewarding and relevant educational experiences. Although the CAPS of the South African Department of Basic Education aims at providing a link between Life Sciences in the classroom and its everyday application in learners’ lives, in practice it does not seem to achieve its purpose of equipping Life Science learners to be independent problem solvers of life challenges, as stated in its aims. This qualitative case study explored learners’ perceptions of Life Sciences as an essential factor for everyday life and scientific human challenge. The perceptions of 12 purposively selected learners from Grades 8–12 were explored by using semi-structured interviews, open-ended questionnaires, non-participant and quasi-participant observations, elicited materials, and field observation as data collecting instruments. The transcripts of the semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires were analysed using constant comparative analysis while data from the other instruments were used in corroborating or refuting the data from the semi-structured and open-ended questionnaire. The findings indicate that learners perceive their life science learning as only for academic progress with just a few indicating a desire to pursue a science-based university degree. Furthermore, learners did not see Life Sciences as useful for application in their day-today life. However, with the learning of human anatomy, the participants assumed, somehow, that it would be necessary to understand how their body works, but not to the extent of applying the knowledge in their daily lives and decision making. In this regard the Life Sciences curriculum fails to prepare learners to acquire the attributes required to successfully function in the 21st century. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Humanities Education / PhD / Unrestricted

Submitted by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2011-05-20T17:36:55Z No. of bitstreams: 1 1417927.pdf: 9628667 bytes, checksum: 925f63b12813bd7f05b356c5e4c26d4e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha(marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2011-05-20T17:37:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 1417927.pdf: 9628667 bytes, checksum: 925f63b12813bd7f05b356c5e4c26d4e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha(marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2011-05-20T17:38:22Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 1417927.pdf: 9628667 bytes, checksum: 925f63b12813bd7f05b356c5e4c26d4e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2011-05-20T17:39:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 1417927.pdf: 9628667 bytes, checksum: 925f63b12813bd7f05b356c5e4c26d4e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / This study describes some characteristics of the Knowledge Era and how it impacts society and business organizations. In the Knowledge Era, information and knowledge are the real riches, the intangibles prevail over the tangibles. In this scenario, the workers, the owners of the knowledge, become the most valuable assets in the organizations, and this requires a new strategy for people management, that is, the human capital must be managed in such a way as to become part of the competitive advantages of the organizations. At this moment, the Human Resources function faces some challenges that represent the need for change in the way people are managed, such as acting in a strategic way, facing criticaI issues in the present scenario, for example, the need for retention of talents. Considering the criticaI issue of the retention of talents, a case study was developed using descriptive research in a Brazilian oil and gas company, in order to identify the leveI of influence of people management practices on to the intention to continue as an employee of the company. The results show that the practices elected as relevant for the intention of continuing as an employee of the company are aligned with the knowledge workers' characteristics, which emphasize team work and participation in challenging activities with real significance for the organization. / Este estudo descreve as características da Era do Conhecimento e como estas impactam a sociedade e as organizações empresariais. Na Era do Conhecimento, o que representa a riqueza é a informação e o conhecimento, o intangível prevalece sobre o tangível. Neste cenário, os trabalhadores, detentores do conhecimento, assumem a posição de ativo mais valioso dentro das organizações, exigindo uma nova forma de gestão de pessoas. O capital humano precisa ser gerido de forma que integre as vantagens competitivas de uma organização. Neste momento, a função de Recursos Humanos se depara com desafios que representam necessidade de mudanças na gestão de pessoas, tais como, atuar estrategicamente, fazendo face a questões críticas no atual cenário, como a retenção de talentos. Considerando a questão crítica de retenção de talentos, foi desenvolvido estudo de caso com pesquisa descritiva em uma empresa brasileira do setor de óleo e gás, com o objetivo de identificar o grau de influência de fatores de gestão de pessoas para a intenção de permanência como empregado na empresa. Os resultados revelam que os fatores apontados como influentes para a intenção de permanência como empregado na empresa estão alinhados com as características do trabalhador do conhecimento, que priorizam o trabalho em equipe e a atuação em atividades desafiadoras e que tenham real significado para a organização.