In South Africa, Physical Sciences educators play a crucial role in contributing to equal life chances for Physical Sciences learners. This is because they have the opportunity to employ functional language features for increasing access to scientific literacy - a goal of the Physical Sciences National Curriculum Statement. However, no studies were found in the literature which explicitly explored this aspect of a Physical Sciences educator's pedagogical content knowledge in the South African context. This study employs the sociocultural view of science as a language and the complementary theoretical framework of systemic functional linguistics to explore the nature of the utterances of three Pietermaritzburg Physical Sciences educators during Physical Sciences lessons. The focus is on the functional language features of nominalisation, lexical density, functional recasting, and lexical cohesion in terms of repetition and cohesive harmony index. Using a multi-case study methodology, pragmatic paradigm and mixed-methods approach, this study provides a sophisticated description of the utterances of Physical Sciences educators in language contexts characterised by varying proportions of English Second Language to total number of learners. The results reveal that lexical cohesion, measured by the cohesive harmony index and proportion of repeated content words relative to total words, increased with an increasing proportion of English Second Language to total number of learners. Nominalisation and lexical density did not decrease with an increasing proportion of English Second Language to total number of learners. The functional recasting results provide insight into numerous types of functional recasting available to Physical Sciences educators. In addition, a model is proposed regarding how the outcomes to which the functional recasting types contribute, impact on movement towards the everyday or scientific registers of English. Furthermore, each individual Physical Sciences educator had a „signature‟ talk, unrelated to the language context in which they taught. This study has significant implications for the development of pedagogical content knowledge in pre-service and in-service education and training of Physical Sciences educators. Training programmes need to place a greater emphasis on the functional use of language in order to empower Physical Sciences educators to adequately apprentice their learners into the use of the register of scientific English. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

The study provides a closer look at Physical Science teachers in the rural secondary schools (of the Bafokeng area). It puts focus on the different teaching methods that they use in order to overcome the realities of teaching in an under-resourced environment. This includes different aspects that affect the teaching and learning process, both directly and indirectly. In view of the above, the study displays the necessity and roles that different stakeholders have to play. For instance, the contribution of NGOs/ companies towards the development of teachers and school learning areas. The need for parental involvement in their children's learning process has also been highlighted. In the midst of having problems with resources, and learners from disadvantaged backgrounds, this study enlightens that" by going an extra mile, teachers can make a difference in the (disadvantaged) teaching environment, as well as to the lives of learners. Teachers in this study do not use any unknown special methods to deal with their situation. They do what they feel has to be done in order to continue with what is expected of them. The study has not managed to link any direct negative impact between class size and learning, since the school which had most learners in Physical Science, seemed to have being doing well under similar conditions as others. Also highlighted, is the importance of the relationship amongst Physical Science teachers themselves. Since most of the schools in this study did not have enough materials for teaching Physical Science/Chemistry, building relations with other teachers from different schools seemed worthwhile. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

Thesis (M.Ed. (Science Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / This study investigated Grade 11 learners’ misconceptions about force. An exploratory design was used with six schools. A purposive sample of 190 learners studying Physical Sciences was tested for common misconceptions using the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). Furthermore, the prevalence of the misconceptions was also determined. Focus group discussions were used to determine the origin of learners’ misconceptions. Descriptive analysis of the FCI revealed extensive misconceptions about Newtonian physics amongst Grade 11 learners with a prevalence range of 70% to 90%. The researcher surmised that the origins of these prevalent misconceptions are inherent of the sources of misconceptions that learners encounter in the formal physics classrooms: teachers and textbooks. Textbooks used by learners do not take into account possible misconceptions that learners might have. Thus, it might be difficult for teachers to identify possible misconceptions-prone topics based on their own background. The researcher recommends interactive teaching strategies.

Thesis (D. Phil. (Humanities)) -- Central University of Technology, Free State, 2013 / The purpose of this study was to assess the science teaching efficacy of the Physical Science teachers in the secondary schools of the Free State province of the Republic of South Africa. Quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to gather data for this study. It was aimed at determining the effect of the demographic factors and the teachers’ level of preparedness regarding content knowledge and assessment skills on science teaching efficacy. The sample consisted of 190 Physical Science teachers. Two instruments were used to collect data: (1) A self-constructed questionnaire with the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument for in-service teachers (STEBI-A) modified for this study, and (2) Semi-structured interviews. Teachers’ biographical data and level of preparedness to teach Science were assessed against the two sub-scales of Personal Science Teaching Efficacy (PSTE) and Science Teaching Outcome Expectancy (STOE). Analysis of data was by basic statistics, descriptive statistics and inferential statistics using SPSS 20.0. Qualitative data were transcribed and categorised into emerging themes. Analysis of the self-efficacy survey indicated highly positive self-efficacy beliefs expressed by most of the practising secondary school teachers in regards to Science teaching. Teachers believe in their own teaching abilities (Personal Science Teaching Efficacy beliefs) and they believe learners’ learning can be influenced by effective teaching (Science Teaching Outcome Expectancy beliefs). In addition, analyses of data on the respondents’ level of preparedness to teach Science indicated a high level of self-rated Science knowledge, with higher confidence levels in Physics than in Chemistry among in-service secondary teachers. MANOVA analysis indicated that teachers’ gender, teaching experience, professional and academic qualifications, Chemistry and Physics content knowledge, frequency of practical work, and confidence in conducting experiments played a significant role in the collective dependent variables, while the grades teachers taught, their age and learner assessments did not. Analysis further indicated that secondary school teachers with a B.Sc (Ed) degree had significantly stronger STOE than teachers with any other professional qualifications. vi There was a significant difference between males and females in the STOE sub-scale scores (F=6.139; p=0.014) with males scoring higher than females; but no significant difference between males and females in the PSTE sub-scale scores (F=5.925; p=0.667). Moreover, teachers with at most five years and at least 16 years of teaching experience had significantly higher PSTE scores than teachers with different years of teaching experience. Furthermore, analyses of the level of preparedness in conducting practical work indicated that respondents were more confident to conduct Physics experiments than Chemistry experiments. In-service secondary Science teachers believed that assessment is an important and integral aspect of teaching and learning, hence they utilised a variety of assessment modes in their classroom. It is recommended that further study should include a test in content knowledge, so that teachers can be assessed to confirm their confidence in content knowledge, rather than allowing them to rate themselves without an actual test. Moreover, qualitative studies may be conducted to support teachers’ self-report measures, such as classroom observations, in order to gain in-depth data about teachers’ efficacy beliefs. If more research is conducted on the self-efficacy beliefs of in-service Science teachers at secondary school level, the curriculum of teacher training programmes could be developed and structured further, there could be more understanding on what pre-service teachers face - this will help to understand how to motivate teachers to teach Science.

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research study investigated the use of a practical activities-based approach to Physical Sciences teaching using TRAC equipment to address learner conceptual difficulties in Electricity and Magnetism (E&M). TRAC uses practical activities based on the school curriculum to complement the theory through the utilisation of data logging equipment linked to a computer. The participants in this study were a group of black Grade 11 learners (n=47) from a township school in the province of the Western Cape, South Africa. Their ages range from 16 to 21, with isiXhosa the home language of most of them. A mixed methods approach was utilized to gather the research data. Quantitative data was collected, using pre- and post-testing of learners to determine their conceptual difficulties in E&M, as well as to measure the effect of the practical activities-based approach in addressing learner conceptual difficulties in E&M. Null hypotheses were formulated for the six concepts and t-tests were used to find any statistically significant difference between the pre- and post-test. Qualitative data was obtained from the learner transcripts, as well as from the questionnaires and observation schedules. The results indicated significant improvements in learner understanding of the concepts in five out of the six tests as well as reducing commonly held misconceptions in E&M. It is recommended that careful scaffolding should be done during a practical activity in order for learners to make the connection between the domains of observables and ideas. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsingstudie het die gebruik van ‘n praktiese aktiwiteitsgebaseerde benadering tot Fisiese Wetenskappe onderrig met behulp van TRAC apparaat ondersoek. Die doel was om leerders se konseptuele haakplekke in Elektrisiteit en Magnitisme (E&M) aan te spreek. TRAC maak gebruik van ‘data logging’ apparaat om die teorie deur middel van praktiese aktiwiteite wat op die skoolkurriulum gebaseer is, te komplementeer. Die deelnemers in die studie was ‘n groep swart Graad-11 leerders (n=47) uit ‘n swart woongebied in die Westelike Provinsie, Suid Afrika. Hulle ouderdomme strek van 16 tot 21 met isiXhosa as die huistaal vir die meerderheid van hulle. ‘n Gemengde metode benadering was gebruik om die navorsingsdata te versamel. Kwantitatiewe data was deur ‘n voor- en natoets van die leerders versamel om hulle konseptuele haakplekke in E&M te bepaal. Die effek van die praktiese aktiwiteitsgebaseerde benadering om die leerders se konseptuele haakplekke in E&M aan te spreek was ook gemeet. Nul hipotese was vir die ses konsepte geformuleer en t-toetse was gebruik om statisties-beduidende verskille tussen die voor- en natoets te bepaal. Kwalitatiewe data was van die leerders se oorgeskryfde onderhoude sowel as vraelyste en observasieskedules verkry. Die resultate toon ‘n beduidende verbetering in leerders se begrip van die konsepte in vyf van die ses toetse sowel as ‘n afname in algemene wanbegrippe in E&M. Dit word aanbeveel dat versigtige opbouing gedurende die praktiese aktiwiteit gedoen moet word sodat die leerders ‘n verband tussen die domein van waarneembares en idees kan maak.

School physical science is a prerequisite for science courses at institutions of higher education. Science graduates are an important link in a nation's scientific and technological development which often shapes a country's economic development. The purpose of this study was to investigate psychological and social factors influencing physical science achievement and attitude of black secondary school students in South Africa. The first part of the literature study which was concerned with physical science education in South Africa revealed that few black students chose to study science after standard seven, that failure rates were high and that science education was generally in a state of crisis. The second part of the literature study identified psychological and social factors related to science achievement and attitude. These were home environment variables, teacher and school related variables, personal variables (self-concept, motivation, gender, ethnicity) and students' abilities. The third part was the construction of a Structural Equation Model (SEM) specifying the relationships among the psychological and social factors and their effects on physical science achievement and attitude. The theoretical SEM fit the data reasonably well. The best fitting model, however, was a revised model in which several paths were constrained. The latter accounted for a substantial variance in attitude towards physical science (70.3%) and a meagre 17.7% in physical science achievement. The variables ability, home environment and self-concept had the greatest total effects on physical science achievement. Self-concept, home environment and motivation made the greatest total contributions to physical science attitude. Teacher characteristics and school environment had non-significant effects on physical science achievement and attitude. Multiple-group structural equation modelling analyses found no significant difference in the structural parameters of boys and girls. Theoretical and educational implications of the findings were discussed and specific recommendations for improving educational practice in general and physical science achievement and attitude in particular, were made. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

This study investigated learners’ and educators’ perceptions of cell-phone use in the learning of Physical Sciences. The theory underpinning the study was the adoption model based on the theory of reasoned action (TRA) and the theory of technology acceptance (TAM). A mixed-method approach was applied. The instruments used to collect data were questionnaires, focus groups and interview schedules. The strategies used to analyse data were thematic analysis, cluster analysis and factor analysis. Data were coded and organized into descriptive themes, and differences between variables were noted. A mixed-gender sample of science learners aged 15 to 22 years and educators participated in the study. Both the qualitative and the quantitative data revealed that the learners and the educators had predominantly positive perceptions of the use of cell phones in the learning of Physical Sciences. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

School physical science is a prerequisite for science courses at institutions of higher education. Science graduates are an important link in a nation's scientific and technological development which often shapes a country's economic development. The purpose of this study was to investigate psychological and social factors influencing physical science achievement and attitude of black secondary school students in South Africa. The first part of the literature study which was concerned with physical science education in South Africa revealed that few black students chose to study science after standard seven, that failure rates were high and that science education was generally in a state of crisis. The second part of the literature study identified psychological and social factors related to science achievement and attitude. These were home environment variables, teacher and school related variables, personal variables (self-concept, motivation, gender, ethnicity) and students' abilities. The third part was the construction of a Structural Equation Model (SEM) specifying the relationships among the psychological and social factors and their effects on physical science achievement and attitude. The theoretical SEM fit the data reasonably well. The best fitting model, however, was a revised model in which several paths were constrained. The latter accounted for a substantial variance in attitude towards physical science (70.3%) and a meagre 17.7% in physical science achievement. The variables ability, home environment and self-concept had the greatest total effects on physical science achievement. Self-concept, home environment and motivation made the greatest total contributions to physical science attitude. Teacher characteristics and school environment had non-significant effects on physical science achievement and attitude. Multiple-group structural equation modelling analyses found no significant difference in the structural parameters of boys and girls. Theoretical and educational implications of the findings were discussed and specific recommendations for improving educational practice in general and physical science achievement and attitude in particular, were made. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)