L’objectif de ce travail est d’analyser et d’expliquer, en adoptant un angle de socio-histoire des sciences combinant échelles et méthodes, la transition qui s’opère au sortir de la Seconde Guerre mondiale : les scientifiques, considérés et se considérant encore dans leur immense majorité comme des savants à la fin des années 1940, changent de métier et deviennent des chercheurs. Partant du déplacement majeur de la place de la science dans les représentations provoqué par Hiroshima, l’analyse porte, dans un premier temps, sur l’entrée, ou le retour, de la question scientifique dans l’arène politique, avec la prise de conscience par un certain nombre d’acteurs, en particulier physiciens et chimistes, que «la République a besoin de savants». Le deuxième temps de l’étude porte sur la vie des facultés et des laboratoires : le recul du modèle du savant s’y fait à un rythme plus difficile, peut-être plus inéluctable, ce que montrent le témoignage d’un officier de la Fondation Rockefeller, l’étude de la réglementation et de ses applications, mais aussi la prosopographie et la social network analysis. Un troisième temps se concentre, à l’échelle locale, sur la technologie sociale de formation des scientifiques, qui connait une forte recomposition et une indéniable internationalisation, cristallisant la transformation du métier de scientifique. Enfin, ce renouvellement du travail scientifique se traduit jusque dans les normes de la science, ce que montre l’étude fine de l’écologie doctorale destinée à certifier une formation à la recherche, au travers en particulier du corpus des rapports de thèses de doctorat. / Adopting an approach grounded in the socio-history of sciences perspective, the aim of this thesis is to analyse and explain the transformation that occurred in France after the Second World War : the scientists, regarded in their vast majority as scholars during the 1940’s, undertook what can be described as a major change of profession and craft and became researchers. Starting with the shift in the cultural representations of science caused by Hiroshima, the analysis focuses first on the entrance, or re-entrance, of the scientific question in the political arena, with the growing awareness of a number of actors, notably physicists and chemists, that « the Republic does need scientists ». The second part of the study addresses the universities’ and laboratories’ life : here the decline of the scholar’s model is slower, but more ineluctable, as is shown through the diary of an officer of the Rockefeller Foundation, through the analysis of Academia’s rules and regulations, and through prosopography and socialnetwork analysis. The third part focuses on the local scale and the social technology framing the production of scientists, as it undertook a major recomposition and internationalization, crystallizing the transformation of the profession and craft of the physical scientists. Through the study of the doctoral ecology designed to certify research training, the last part addresses the inscription of this new scientist’s craft in the very norms that structured science – and access to research and university careers.

Magister Educationis - MEd (Mathematics and Science Education) / The purpose of this study was to explore, demonstrate and apply cooperative learning when explicitly exposing Nature of Science (NoS) to physical science secondary students aiming at advancing scientific literacy. Secondary school physical science teachers with less than five years' physical science teaching experience participated in the workshop which demonstrated the understanding of NoS and how it can be used to uncover the students' likely misconceptions through classroom interactions and Pedagogic Content Knowledge (PCK). It was found that the knowledge of both components of PCK depended on one another and was interlinked with the understanding of NoS. The findings showed that the majority of the teachers who attended the workshop did not explicitly teach NoS and had problems with how it can be taught. Teachers rely on the telling method and hope to achieve concept mastery and scientific literacy. Driel et al. (1998) argued that good understanding of content knowledge is a prerequisite to the development of PCK. Teachers do not possess adequate PCK as they gave incorrect scientific answers. Though students enjoyed working in cooperative groups to advance scientific literacy, their teachers were less likely to uncover pupils' likely misconceptions. This was shown by the way they explained variations to student's scientific perceptions. Acknowledging the limitations posed by the number of participant and continuity of the administered treatment, the collected data were used to deduce that: teaching NoS explicitly and skillful application of cooperative learning can lead to improved scientific literacy and the need for skills to design classroom instructions with intent to explicitly expose NoS to the senior secondary students.

Magister Educationis - MEd (Mathematics and Science Education) / The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the teaching of electric circuits in Grade 10 Physical Sciences using a conceptual change approach would enhance learners' understanding of the concept. The conceptual change approach is a process whereby concepts and relationships between concepts change over the course of an individual's lifetime. The process whereby conceptual change occurs is of central interest in helping to understand the process of learning, and is also important when considering the design of instruction. The study was conducted at a secondary school in a small town in the Karoo. Purposive sampling was used to select the sample of a Physical Science Grade 10 class. A mixed method approach was used to observe the effectiveness of the conceptual change approach - four conditions must exist before a conceptual change is likely to occur: (1) assess learners' dissatisfaction with their existing concepts; (2) the new concept must become intelligible; (3) the new concept must appear plausible; and (4) the new concept must be fruitful. All learners' total scores for the pre-test and post-test were calculated and recorded and total scores were statistically analyzed. This study could provide means to improve science teaching and learning. The learners were assisted to discover what was not clear to them, they were encouraged towards deeper understanding and to use their own knowledge to make sense of new concepts. The conceptual change approach could be used effectively by the teachers as it will assist to remove misconceptions learners have prior to the learning of new science concepts.

Magister Educationis - Med / This is a reflective study of the factors that influenced the performance of learners in Physical Sciences National Senior Certificate examinations in four secondary schools in a district in Eastern Cape. The study considered factors that influenced the matric results for a period of five years in a district in the Eastern Cape (from 2010 to 2015) National Senior Certificate results. The study was conducted to identify the indicators that could positively influence physical sciences results after many years of underperformance in the subject. This study was underpinned by the theory of reflective practice. As part of an intervention strategy, learners completed an intensive programme of teaching during school hours, extra classes, practical work and assessment. The four school principals were purposively selected for interviews. Four Physical Sciences educators from the four senior secondary schools and 12 post-grade 12 learners from each senior secondary school were all interviewed. Post-grade 12 learners were randomly selected for interviews. The researcher used a reflective journal as a method of examining the reflections by the respondents. Teachers reflected on their teachings to improve their practices that make science learning more meaningful to both learners and teachers The findings indicate that extra classes provided sufficient time to complete the syllabus, to conduct experiments and to administer practical tests. Regular assessment in theory and practical work showed the improvement in attainment of good physical sciences results in all the four participating schools. Instructional supervision from the managers also assisted in developing teacher skills. It was recommended that the DoE should use experts in teacher training and professional development activities. School management systems should play an active role in teacher support and the supervision of instructional work.

The study is an evaluation of the ‘Science Teacher Development Project’, which was undertaken in a rural area of the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. The intervention of almost four years was an outreach programme located at eMpuluzi, a distance of 375 km from the University of Pretoria. The project was funded by a grant of the Belgian Council of Flemish Universities. Funding was administered by the South African Science Education Network (SASEN) which was located at the University of the Western Cape. The Centre for Science Education of the University of Pretoria designed, managed and implemented the intervention. A ‘Further Diploma in Education’ (FDE) from the University of Pretoria was the intended outcome for individual participating teachers and 26 of 28 teachers succeeded and obtained the diploma. The project was particularly unique through being funded and implemented by a partnership of universities, rather than through state initiatives or aid, and as such must be seen as a small project with high impact within its limited scope. This thesis presents an evaluation of the project in terms of its impacts, achievements and failures, using qualitative paradigms. The evaluation process by the participant observer was an ongoing programme and included a post-completion summative evaluation for which the last interview was conducted two years after completion of the project. The evaluation proceeded in two phases. The first was a traditional analysis based on proxies derived from the research question, namely self reported change in educator attitude and change in school and classroom practices of educators. The second investigation which was begun when a successful conclusion to the intervention was already evident established the degree to which expectations of stakeholders were met, and factors that contributed to the success. For this a novel adaptation of Checkland’s Soft Systems Analysis with six stages was used. This ensured that the nature of the project was modelled and assessed holistically. The model led to the identification of several perspectives for analysis. These included the competence criteria of the Department of Education known collectively as ‘the seven roles of educators’, and whether the project was a ‘learning organisation’. A major factor which contributed to the successes of the project was the sense of ownership that developed amongst the participants. This work presents a new approach to the in-depth evaluation of single interventions, particularly where these are presented over a long period and the roles of participants at all levels may change or develop over time. The Soft Systems Analysis approach has the distinct advantage of not imposing an assumption of structure onto the analysis of the project. The potentially generalisable success factors which were identified (most importantly the sense of ownership developed by the participating teachers which exceeded the concept of partnership envisaged in the Jomtien (1990) declaration), the novel adaptation of Soft Systems Methodology, and the value of strongly academically focussed INSET are significant contributions to the body of knowledge of those planning, implementing and evaluating teacher development projects amid considerable complexity. These all lead to further research. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Physics / unrestricted

Thesis (M. A. (Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / Poor performance, by English Language Learners (ELLs), in Science examinations remains a thorny issue in countries where English is not the home language. Research around the world and the Department of Basic Education in South Africa have long recommended the integration of Language Literacy skills in the teaching of Physical Sciences in order to solve this issue. Despite that, learners’ poor performance in Physical Sciences examinations has been found to be positively related to low language literacy skills. The questions are: Do Physical Sciences teachers integrate language literacy skills in teaching the subject?; If yes, to what extent is the integration of language literacy skills practiced in Physical Sciences classroom? In an attempt to answer the above questions, a quantitative survey was carried out in Riba Cross District of Sekhukhune Region of Limpopo Province in South Africa. 211 learners and five teachers from selected nine schools took part in the study and questionnaires were used to collect data. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 was used. The results indicate that Language Literacy skills are integrated into the teaching of Physical Sciences in Riba Cross District, despite concerns raised by the teachers. The areas of concern include letting learners to argue using evidences and writing reports. Furthermore, schools with large classes have challenges in integrating Language Literacy Skills in the teaching of Physical Sciences. Therefore, further studies are recommended which should integrate both qualitative and quantitative approaches in school contexts.

This is a four year longitudinal study into learner experiences of transition from the General Education and Training band to the Further Education and Training band in science. The study focused on Natural Science in the GET band and Physical Science in the FET band and used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The learners who participated in the study were a unique cohort. They were in grade 1 when Curriculum 2005 was introduced in 1997. They were also the last group of learners in 2005 that completed their compulsory schooling (grade 9) under the outcomes based C2005 in which content was not prescribed. The curriculum was revised and content was re-introduced in 2006 when they started grade 10 (FET) with teachers who were mostly not trained in Outcomes Based Education. In 2008 they were the first matriculants from the new curriculum. Their progress and experiences from the GET band to the FET band should have therefore generated a lot of interest from both the political and educational perspectives. This study is exploring their particular situation. There is a gap between curriculum 2005 and the National Curriculum Statement. Learners in this study who were doing grade 9 Natural Science in 2005 under c2005 were greatly disadvantaged by the curriculum that did not prepare them adequately for grade 10 Physical Science. Initially, there was an increase shown in interest in science from grade 9 to grade 10 but this interest declined as learners progressed to grade 12. During their progress from the GET phase to the FET phase their transition was characterized by a decline in interest in Physical Science caused by lack of practical work, loss of the closer student-teacher relationships and disappointment when their expectations of teaching strategies were not met. They themselves described the transition as difficult. However, the achievement in the examination of those who were post positivist-oriented was better than the achievement of those who were empiricist-aligned. When faced with problems of conceptual understanding, they resorted to guess work and rote application of concepts and algorithms. Although these findings were derived from a study of learners in only one school from a poor township in South Africa, they are consistent with other reports in the literature. Copyright / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

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The purpose of the research was to investigate the effectiveness of using multimedia as a means of teaching physical science to learners. The underlying theoretical assumption was that a multimedia presentation would help to reduce the cognitive load experienced by learners when they learn physical science content, compared to a traditional mode of presentation, and that this reduction may have a positive effect on the ease with which they master the content. Physical science learners in Grade 11 viewed a presentation consisting of multimedia screens and screens depicting the learning content in a traditional layout – in order to compare the level of knowledge gained as well as the cognitive load experienced for the multimedia and traditional instructions. Pre- and post-test questionnaires were used to determine the knowledge gained, while cognitive load was measured using a dual-task methodology. A multivariate analysis of variance was used to analyse the data. The results did not reveal a statistically significant increase in knowledge gained via the multimedia approach when compared to the traditional mode of instruction, but when focussing the analysis on learners with a lower-knowledge base in physical science though, statistically significant results were found. However, no significant results were found to support the hypothesis that multimedia would help to reduce learners’ cognitive load. It was concluded that the multimedia design principles are more effective in increasing knowledge for physical science learners of low-knowledge than traditional instructional designs. / Psychology / M.Sc. (Psychology)

The aim of the study was to compare the effects of the use of interactive computer simulations for cognitive load change of grade 11 learners in the acquisition of knowledge and a science process skill in geometrical optics. Both the use of computer simulations and traditional teaching was teacher centred. The study was done in a rural area in South Africa, in the Limpopo Province in the district of Vhembe. The theoretical framework was based on the information processing model. Within the non-equivalent quasi experimental design a switching replications design study was used whereby 105 learners in four schools took part. This study found that in terms of the acquisition of knowledge, female learners gained more by the use of simulations than their male counterparts. No significant effect was found in the acquisition of the skill when computer simulations were used. Initial reduction of cognitive load was found when simulations were used and with time this increased. Experienced educators reduced the cognitive load through use of their knowledge and expertise and their role needs to be highlighted. Further studies are suggested to study the effect of a learner centred approach on decreasing the cognitive load and its effect on the acquisition of knowledge and skills. / Mathematics, Science and Technology Education / D. Phil. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education with specialisation in Physics Education)