This study was conducted in order to understand Grade 10 Life Science teachers’ perceptions and experiences of teaching human reproduction topics in the Ohangwena political region in the northern part of Namibia. It also explored how the culture of the majority of the inhabitants of Ohangwena region who are Oshiwambo speaking impacts the teaching of human reproduction topics. The study was prompted by the fact that the Grade 10 Life Science syllabus requires learners to learn details of human reproduction although in Oshiwambo culture such things are not discussed openly. And this section has proven to be one of the poorly answered sections in the Grade 10 national examinations. A total of thirty five (35) Grade 10 Life Science teachers participated in this study. It is a qualitative case study underpinned by an interpretive paradigm. The unit of analysis for this study was teachers’ perceptions and experiences of teaching the topic of human reproduction. Data were generated through document analysis, questionnaires and tape recorded semi-structured interviews. Such data were analysed inductively by sorting them into categories and then into emerging themes. Categories included teachers’ views and experiences of being taught and teaching human reproduction, how culture influenced the manner in which teaching and learning of human reproduction takes place as stated in the socio-cultural theory, and how teachers of different gender perceived and experienced the teaching of human reproduction according to the feminist standpoint theory. The emerging themes were colour coded and then developed into analytical statements. Data triangulation, member checking, and follow up interviews ensured data validity and trustworthiness. This study revealed that the cultural belief of the Owambo people that prohibits adults to talk to children about things related to sex because it encourages them to practice sex is still strong among individuals in the community including teachers themselves. As a result, teachers are not comfortable with teaching human reproduction topics. From the findings, it is recommended that teachers should be empowered to teach Life Science, specifically human reproduction topics, with confidence. Furthermore, parents should be made aware of the importance of including human reproduction topics in the school curriculum so that they can motivate their children to study it with an open mind.

The teaching of abstract concepts requires higher cognitive thinking skills and thus presents a challenge for most subjects in the curriculum, in particular, science subjects. Teachers often complain that they struggle to develop higher cognitive skills in learners in such topics. As a result, learners fail to understand science concepts and then complain that science is boring and hence lose interest in the subject. The main reason for this study was to investigate how Grade 7 Natural Science teachers mediate the learning of abstract topics, in particular, atoms and molecules which are regarded as the building blocks in chemistry. This study further sought to develop a teaching unit of work on atoms, molecules and the Periodic Table in partnership with the participating teachers, in order to help improve teaching and learning of the topic. The study is located within an interpretive paradigm. Within this paradigm, a qualitative case study approach was adopted whereby two Grade 7 Natural Science teachers in the Khomas Region were the research participants. This approach enabled me to seek for answers beyond the obvious classroom experiences by using document analysis, semi-structured interviews and classroom observation (which were video-taped and transcribed). The theoretical frameworks underpinning this study focused on mediation of learning and social constructivism as expounded by Vygotsky, in conjunction with Shulman’s pedagogical content knowledge. Hence, emphasis was placed on the teaching strategies used by teachers, such as elicitation of prior knowledge during the lessons, language used, interaction of learners and ways how teachers deal with the challenges faced by them in the mediation of learning. An inductive analysis to discover patterns and themes was applied during the data analysis process. The themes were further turned into analytical statements to interpret the data. The validation process was achieved by using a variety of data gathering techniques. I watched the videotaped lessons with the observed teachers and I made use of member checking in the form of stimulated recall interviews and transcripts of the interviews. Thus, a summary of discussions were given back to the respondents to verify their responses and check for any misinterpretations. Different chapters of my study were given to colleagues to read through as a means of the validation process. Herein lies the importance of a critical friend in qualitative research. The findings of the study revealed that concepts of high cognitive demand should not be oversimplified when introduced to learners, as learners might find it difficult to define and conceptualise concepts as they do not have proper insights into the concepts. The findings further illuminated that teachers should develop a strong subject content knowledge as well as pedagogical content knowledge to have the best strategies in place to mediate learning of this topic. The study concludes, with Phase 2, that the exposure of and cooperation between teachers plays an indispensable role in their professional development. Essentially, this enables teachers to make use of different teaching styles as they scaffold learners in the process of making sense of, in particular, abstract science concepts. Finally, this study recommends that teachers need to engage in on-going professional development opportunities and be equipped with suitable learning support and other necessary physical resources, as a way of motivation and to be in a position to deal with all the many challenges they have to face during the mediation of learning.

This study was carried out to investigate how Grade 10 Life Science teachers in three schools in the Omusati region of Namibia are including Environmental Learning (EL) in terms of the curriculum policy. A qualitative approach was used to generate data through document analysis, interviews and classroom observations to investigate the application of the policy of including environmental learning in classroom curriculum practice. The research was primarily directed towards examining constraints and enabling factors in the context of the three schools that participated in the study. The study revealed that teaching strategies for the inclusion of environmental learning were not widely evident, suggesting disparities between the policy of enabling environmental education through the inclusion of environmental learning across the curriculum. It was notable that teacher knowledge and interest in environmental education influence how they include environmental learning and that assessment practices narrow the scope of environmental learning in ways that do not include critical thinking and problem solving skills. The study concludes that despite diverse constraints inhibiting inclusion, the evidence suggests that the inclusion of environmental learning in Namibia’s Life Science curriculum can enable environmental education. The above main findings are used to make recommendations toward strengthening environmental content knowledge of teachers and to improve assessment practices. It was also noted that some of the environmental learning constraints could be transformed into enablers with more teacher support and by making a better link between environmental learning theories and practices. This will involve a redirection of the curriculum documents as well as the provision of other learning support materials to support environmental learning. The study has enabled me to conclude that what is happening should be encouraged so that it continues and is strengthened although the implementation of environmental learning is not as clear as the policy had mapped out.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this dissertation I report on an action research study in relation to the democratisation of science education in a Grade 10 life sciences classroom at a local high school through the application of educational technology, more specifically social network media such as Facebook. I argue that action research for social justice with the support of educational technology can contribute towards cultivating critical teaching and learning in the science classroom, thus contributing to the democratisation of science education in schools. In the main, this study shows that educational technology can contribute to the democratisation of science education in classrooms in relation to teaching contentious issues in the current life sciences school curriculum on three levels: firstly, learners and educators can experience enhanced levels of participation, collaboration and deliberation through Facebook; secondly, learners can construct personal learning contexts as a testament to the sense of autonomy they have (and can acquire) in learning about life sciences, particularly as they endeavour to nurture their critical and problem-solving skills, construct and apply life sciences knowledge, and integrate understandings of life sciences into the context of societal change; and thirdly, learners and educators can cultivate equal partnerships in the sense that equality refers to their insistence to „rupture‟ and „disrupt‟ pedagogical activities in the life sciences classroom. Finally, this study also reveals that critical teaching and learning in the life sciences classroom cannot be oblivious to poststructuralist thought on learning to think and act rhizomatically as opposed to hierarchically and linearly, and that exercising one‟s individual autonomy through a claim to intellectual equality can simply be pedagogical ingredients that can further enhance democratic science education in schools. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie proefskrif doen ek verslag oor ‟n aksienavorsingstudie in verband met die demokratisering van wetenskaponderwys in ‟n Graad 10 lewenswetenskappe- klaskamer in ‟n plaaslike skool deur die toepassing van onderwystegnologie, meer spesifiek sosiale netwerkmedia soos Facebook. Ek argumenteer dat aksienavorsing vir sosiale geregtigheid met die ondersteuning van onderwystegnologie kan bydra tot die kultivering van kritiese onderrig en leer in die wetenskapklaskamer, wat dus bydra tot die demokratisering van wetenskaponderwys in skole. Hierdie studie bewys hoofsaaklik dat onderwystegnologie op drie vlakke kan bydra tot die demokratisering van wetenskaponderwys in klaskamers met verwysing na omstrede vraagstukke in die huidige lewenswetenskappe-skoolkurrikulum: eerstens kan leerders en opvoeders hoë vlakke van deelname, samewerking en beraadslaging deur Facebook ervaar; tweedens kan leerders persoonlike leerkontekste konstrueer as bevestiging van hulle sin van outonomiteit wat hulle bekom (en kan aanleer) deur leer oor die lewenswetenskappe, veral soos hulle poog om kritiese en probleemoplossingsvaardighede uit te bou, wetenskapskennis te konstrueer en toe te pas, en betekenisse van lewenswetenskappe in die konteks van sosiale verandering kan integreer; en derdens kan leerders en opvoeders gelyke verhoudings kweek in soverre gelykheid verwys na hulle aandrang daarop om pedagogiese aktiwiteite in die lewenswetenskappe-klaskamer te „verbreek‟ en te „ontwrig‟. Ten slotte wys hierdie studie dat kritiese onderrig en leer in die lewenswetenskappe-klaskamer nie onbewus kan wees van poststrukturalistiese denke oor die aanleer van risomatiese eerder as hiërargiese en liniêre denke en optrede nie, en dat die uitleef van individuele outonomie deur aanspraak te maak op intellektuele gelykheid die pedagogiese inspuiting kan wees wat benodig word om demokratiese wetenskaponderwys verder in skole te bevorder.

Biological nursing science, also known as Bioscience, is a difficult subject or module in nurse training and education worldwide. In the four-year comprehensive nursing diploma programme, Biological Nursing Science (BNS) is one of the core subjects taught in the first year. One of the major bioscience concepts integrated in the undergraduate nursing curriculum is Anatomy and Physiology (A&P). It is essential for students to pass A&P before enrolling for GNS because the two subjects provide details of the normal structures of the body and how they function, which is the foundation of GNS. The failure of students in BNS (Anatomy and Physiology) enrolled for the Diploma in Nursing (General, Psychiatry and Community) and Midwifery is of great concern to the nurse educators and campus principals at the KwaZulu-Natal College of Nursing. The results for the BNS module between 2014 and 2017 indicated that students had problems with the course. Accordingly, the researcher wished to determine the factors that contributed to student failure in BNS (Anatomy and Physiology) in the KwaZulu-Natal College of Nursing. The aim of the study was to identify factors that contributed to the BNS failure rate and make recommendations to improve the pass rate in BNS. The researcher used Jeffreys’ (2013) NURS model as the conceptual framework to examine the influence of student profile characteristics, academic factors, environmental factors and psychological outcomes on Anatomy and Physiology performance. A quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive research design was selected to describe, explain, and predict factors contributing to students’ failure in BNS. Data was collected from 114 respondents by means of a Likert scale-based self-administered structured questionnaire.The study found that shorter breaks between lectures, which caused exhaustion; the one-day study time between examinations; two hours for the subject examination, and educators not involving students in lessons or providing after-class sessions were among the factors contributing to the high failure rate. It is recommended that the curriculum allow sufficient notional hours for teaching; learner support programmes be introduced to assist students who need help; examination timetables be adjusted to allow adequate study and preparation time, and educators involve students in active learning. Recommendations are also made for further research. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

1. This pilot study is a survey of practices of natural sciences educators at Cape College of Education to establish if they reflect the conceptual development, development of skills, change of attitudes and values that are the pillars of the Outcomes Based Education (OBE). Their approaches of lecturing have been assessed to determine if they incorporate investigative approaches based on social constructivism, the theory underpinning Curriculum 2005. The status of science education in the college has been analyzed to establish whether the curriculum can adapt itself to the specifications of the new curriculum. It has been concluded that the educators at Cape College of Education need to be empowered about strategies that will help them function along the principles embracing Curriculum 2005 specifications. The educators have shown not to be ready to practice social constructivism and the assessment strategies incorporated in their programmes do not embrace a variety of approaches that will enable their learners to develop conceptually, skill wise and enable them to develop change in attitudes and values. Investigative approaches to practical work appear to be lacking in the college teaching/learning and this also indicates that Curriculum 2005 will take time to be properly implemented at Cape College of Education. 2. This study is based on the practices of science educators in the squatter-camp school in Khayelitsha, a densely populated area for blacks near Cape Town. Teachers at Vuselela primary school were interviewed about their teaching assessment strategies to establish whether they incorporate a learner centred approach, which is the necessity for the Outcomes Based Education approach. Also some of the lessons they taught were observed in order to find out whether they validate what transpired from the interviews through a process of triangulation. It has become evident that the teachers are to some extent aware of the changes the education system is going through in South Africa. It also became clear from the study that the teachers are still lacking expertise as to how to practice along the lines of Curriculum 2005, the South African version of Outcomes Based Education (OBE). They also showed that they are keen to learn and practice OBE even though more opportunities need to be created for their epistemological empowerment as well as empowerment on the content of science.

In the context of yet another curriculum revision in South Africa, this study investigates how teachers can be supported to meet the environmental discourse requirements as outlined in the revised curriculum in the Life Sciences. The study takes place in the context of a National Case Study which has resulted in a development of a national network, curriculum framework and resources for teacher education, with specific focus on the integration of environment and sustainability in the South African teacher education system. The study intends to provide insights into what constitutes adequate professional support and assistance to teachers that enables them to understand and work with the environment and sustainability content knowledge requirements of the Life Sciences Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS). The study seeks to inform future curriculum implementation decisions and teacher education programmes. The study is designed as a qualitative case study inquiry that has used open-ended, individual and focus group interviews, direct field observation and document analysis to generate data. The study revealed that: * Teachers developed confidence from an in-depth analysis of the CAPS curriculum. * Teachers have content gaps in environment and sustainability knowledge and these can be addressed through professional development that emphasises rich subject knowledge. * Teachers are not familiar with teaching methods that can be used to teach environmental and sustainability content knowledge. * Teachers struggle to see the relationship between teaching and assessing. * Teachers do not have enough and adequate resources for teaching and learning. * Training given to teachers should be interactive to enable them to recontextualise training received in their work places. * Teacher training should go beyond content knowledge that teachers have to teach, but should also consider how teachers can teach and assess that knowledge. * It is important to have a strong framing for selection and sequencing of content knowledge and a relatively weak framing for pacing and hierarchical rules in teacher training workshops. * Professional development has the potential to lead to whole school development. The study recommends that: ** Recontextualisation should be grounded on interpreting the policy requirements ** Teacher pre- and in-service training should focus on developing teachers’ understanding of the foundational knowledge in the Life Sciences ** The links between Life Sciences pedagogy and environmental pedagogy should be made explicit. ** Good quality resources should be provided for teachers and they should be supported to use these appropriately. ** Teachers’ academic literacy needs to be developed. Further recommendations: * Further studies should be conducted that would look at how teachers can be supported to work with environment and sustainability content knowledge within other subjects or other content areas of Life Sciences. This could provide some insights in terms of looking at the patterns, similarities or differences between different cases. It would be valuable to trace the teachers who participated in this pilot to observe how they recontextualise the training in their classroom practices. There is no point in attending a course or training if it will not impact one’s practice. Some insights into classroom practices were gained through reflective interviews from the teachers who had taught the biodiversity content, but this was not observed in practice.

This study examines learning interactions around indigenous ways of knowing associated with fermented grain foods (the making of umqombothi) and the concept of alcoholic fermentation in the Grade 11 Life Sciences curriculum. As an environmental education study it also investigates the cultural significances of the fermented grain food and how learners might make better lifestyle choices. The inclusion of indigenous ways of knowing in the Life Sciences curriculum (FET band) created spaces and opportunities for the use of both knowledge's in sociocultural context and the structured propositions of the learning area in order to construct knowledge. This stimulated learners' understanding of fermentation and also led to a valuing of social context as well as the cultural capital embedded in the indigenous ways of knowing. The study suggests that parental involvement contributed to this valuing of intergenerational ways of knowing. Learners also deliberated how colonial interpretations of Nguni culture and the religious beliefs of Christians had served to marginalise and foster a widening urban rejection of isiXhosa cultural practices related to fermented foods. In their learning and discussion, learners developed new insights and respect for isiXhosa fermentation practices (ukudidiyela) that bring out the food value and nutrition in the grain. The data illustrates that lesson activity that drew on relevant Learning Outcomes and Assessment Standards to integrate Indigenous Knowledge practices in a Life Sciences learning programme, served to enhance learner understanding of alcoholic fermentation. They also document a revaluing of cultural heritage and learners bringing up the problem of alcohol abuse in the community. Curriculum work with Indigenous Knowledge thus not only assisted learners to grasp the science but to use this alongside a valued cultural knowledge capital to deliberate and act on a local concern.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Quality, Durban University of Technology, 2017. / The emergence of a highly competitive and integrated international economy, rapid technological innovation, and a growing knowledge base will continue to have a profound impact on the lives of communities. In recent years there has been an international movement towards educational reform, particularly in science education, to meet the need for a sustainable environment, economy, and society. Science education is a key element in developing scientific literacy among today’s and tomorrow’s youth. Recent decades have seen an exponential growth in scientific applications, and one would expect an accompanied increase in science interests in the classroom, as well as an increased understanding of basic science ideas and ways of thinking will follow. However, research has shown that this is not the case. In this study, the researcher, through the research methodology, took an in-depth look at whether the curriculum reform in the Life Science curriculum was forthcoming to lifelong learning. The key questions guiding this study are as follows: (a) What are the perceptions and expectations of grade 12 learners regarding the quality of the Life Sciences curriculum in respect of lifelong learning; (b) What are the perceptions and expectations of grade 12 learners regarding the their Life Sciences educators; (c) What are the perceptions of the grade 12 Life Sciences educators of the relevance of the grade 12 Life Sciences curriculum with a view to lifelong learning; (d) How does the grade 12 Life Sciences curriculum impact on lifelong learning of learners. This study falls within the realm of mixed methods study. Mixed methods encompass both a quantitative and a qualitative study. The study was conducted in the district of Pinetown because in 2013 this district produced the best results in Kwa-Zulu Natal in the National Senior Certificate Life Sciences examination. This study used simple random sampling to obtain the learner participants. The researcher conducted the study in 16 schools and 25 learners from each school were randomly selected. The educator sample comprised 75 grade 12 Life Sciences educators. The SERVQUAL questionnaire was administered to the 400 learners that were randomly selected while; the educator questionnaire was administered to the sample of 75 educators. The findings of the research revealed that educators experienced many challenges which hindered the successful implementation of the Life Sciences curriculum effectively. The quality of the Life Sciences curriculum itself did not that hinge on lifelong learning. It did not have very much relevance to the lives of the learners and as such the learners were learning about things that were abstract to them. Another finding was that educators found it challenging to relate the grade 12 Life Sciences curriculum to the everyday experiences of the learners because time was a limiting factor. The exam driven nature of Life Sciences had resulted in rote memorisation of scientific facts by the students without any or very little attention being paid to analysis and application of knowledge. The inability to evaluate the process of curriculum implementation by curriculum developers could have serious consequences for the learners and communities at large. For any qualitative change to occur in Life Sciences education, the curriculum must undergo a paradigm shift. To encourage schools and teachers to implement this paradigm shift, fundamentally there needs to be an overarching reform of teacher empowerment. In essence, what is needed from the national educational policy makers is a shift towards more evolutionary policy planning which aims to improve the fit between the intention of the curriculum and the conditions on the ground, to blend top-down policy initiative and bottom-up participation and to promote continuous interaction between all policy actors. / D

The purpose of this study was to develop a Life Sciences programme, integrating Environmental Education, on environmental endocrine disruptors, for the Further Education and Training Phase of the Outcomes Based Educational System. This programme aims at giving learners the necessary knowledge and skills to limit their exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs). The programme was evaluated by means of a quantitative study. Group-administered questionnaires were used to gather information before and after the programme had commenced. Lickert scales were used to establish the learners' knowledge, attitudes and values in connection with EDCs and the environment before and after the learners had followed the programme on EDCs. The results of the study indicated that the programme proved to be successful in increasing the knowledge of the target group in connection with EDCs. This study will contribute to the process of integrating Environmental Education in the Life Sciences curriculum. / Educational Studies / M.Ed.(Environmental Education)