Although the merits of practical work in physics are often questioned, it remains part of physics curricula world-wide. In distance education the incorporation of practical work into the curriculum is considerably complicated by the unique logistics of the setting and the high cost involved. The research reported in this thesis emanated from the need to improve the practical work module for first year physics at the University of South Africa, one of the largest distance education universities in the world. Specifically, the home-based component which, up to the commencement of the research had been entirely text-based, needed to be addressed. To this end it was necessary to identify a valid and attainable set of objectives and to determine the characteristics, abilities and needs of the students in the target group. A survey polling the viewpoints of South African physics lecturers and students about the objectives of practical work was conducted and an extensive student profile comprising a biographic, cognitive and affective component was compiled. Biographically, the target group is unique in the sense that it consists mainly of adult learners, a large percentage of whom study in a second language. The cognitive component of the profile covered aptitude, proficiency in English, mathematics and the integrated science process skills and level of cognitive development, all of which were investigated for possible influence on performance in practical work. On an affective level, students displayed a very positive attitude towards practical work, seated mainly in their need for concrete exploration of the theory. A practical work module structured around an experiential learning cycle adapted to the distance education environment was subsequently designed. The study material developed for the module comprised an interactive study guide on data processing and experimental procedure, a home experiment kit with accompanying workbook and a laboratory manual. From the pilot study forming part of the development process, it was found that students performed significantly better in an assignment based on home-experimentation than in any of the pen- and paper assignments preceding it. Based on the results of the pilot study, a full home experiment kit was designed, evaluated, refined and implemented. / Physics / D.Phil. (Physics)

Practical work is regarded as an essential part of learning; hence most tertiary institutions have included a practical component in their physics courses. There is a concern about the effectiveness of the practical work in most universities. The present study is a case study that assessed the contributions of simulations on Foundation Physics students’ practical work. In assessing the contribution of simulations, two tests, Determining and Interpreting Resistive Electric Circuits Concepts Test (DIRECT) and the Test of Integrated Science Process Skills (TISP) were used. A class test, observations and worksheets from students’ practical work were analyzed and interviews with a selected group were conducted. There were 20 Foundation Physics students participating from the University of Limpopo. Results indicated that the simulations contributed positively on students’ understanding of electric circuits. However the study revealed that the students who did simulations do not differ from those who did not do the simulations with regards to the development of process skills. / Institute of Science and Technology Education / M.Sc. (Physics Education)

I vår vetenskapliga essä har vi gestaltat två berättelser inspirerade från verkliga händelser. Elenors berättelse har sin grund från en arbetsplats och Aylas berättelse från en praktikplats under sin lärarutbildning.  Vi kommer att dra paralleller i form av skillnader och likheter mellan våra berättelser och reflektera över dem gemensamt utifrån skolan och fritidshemmets demokratiuppdrag ur ett jämställdhetsperspektiv.  Syftet med essän är att undersöka dilemman som vi upplever i gestaltningarna och hur vi kan förstå yrkeserfarenheterna i ett annat ljus idag med hjälp av Aristoteles kunskapsformer, episteme, techne och fronesis, samt genom gemensam reflektion lära oss något. Vi vill med essän bidra med en fördjupad förståelse för lärarprofessionens demokratiuppdrag och visa på den komplexitet som det kan innebära i det praktiska arbetet när vi möter elever i lekar och aktiviteter inom fritidshemmet.  Vi har valt att komplettera vår essä med en kvalitativ metod i form av deltagande observationer och som på olika sätt har utvidgat våra förståelsehorisonter eftersom det uppstått fler gemensamma reflektioner kopplat till dilemman i gestaltningarna och till litteratur som behandlar demokrati och jämställdhet. Trots att vi har teoretiska kunskaper om demokrati och jämställdhet, samt praktiska erfarenheter inom fritidshemmet har vi konstaterat att vi kan uppleva utmaningar i arbetet med elever när det gäller hur vi genomför demokratiska procedurer och behandlar orättvisefrågor. Vi fritidshemslärare kan aldrig sluta vara nyfikna på vårt arbete och måste därför ha en vilja att utvecklas och kritiskt granska oss själva, både i vår personliga och professionella syn på demokrati och jämställdhet. En av våra slutsatser är att vår individuella syn på verksamhetens möjligheter och utmaningar kan påverka det praktiska arbetet med eleverna i en positiv eller negativ riktning och få en inverkan på elevernas upplevelse av delaktighet på fritidshemmet. / In our scientific essay we have portrayed two stories inspired by real events. Elenor's story is based on a workplace and Ayla's story from an internship during her teacher training.  We will draw parallels in the form of differences and similarities between these two stories and reflect on them together based on the school's and leisure-time center's democratic mission from a gender equality perspective.  The purpose of this essay is to examine the dilemmas that we experience with our portrayed stories and how we can understand our professional experiences today in a different light, for example with support of Aristotle's knowledge forms called episteme, techne and phronesis, and through common reflections learn something of what we have experienced. With this essay we want to contribute to a deeper understanding of the teaching profession's democratic mission and show the complexity that it can have in practice when we meet pupils in games and activities within the leisure-time center.  We have also chosen to complete the essay with a qualitative method in the form of participatory observations, which in various ways have broadened our horizons of understanding, as more joint reflections have arisen linked to dilemmas in the portrayals and to literature that deals with democracy and gender equality. Despite the fact that we have a solid theoretical knowledge of democracy and gender equality, as well as practical experience from working in leisure-time centers, we have found that we can experience major challenges in the close work with pupils when it comes to how we actually implement democratic procedures and deal with unfair issues. We leisure-time center teachers can never stop being curious about our work and therefore must constantly have willingness to develop and critically examine ourselves, both in our personal and professional view of democracy and gender equality. One of our conclusions is that our individual view of possibilities and challenges in leisure-time centers can influence the practical work with the pupils in a positive or negative direction and therefore have an impact on pupil's experience of participation.

Este trabajo, en la línea de las investigaciones realizadas sobre la historia de las disciplinas y del currículum, tiene como objetivo fundamental conocer los antecedentes y la evolución de la enseñanza de la física y química en España en la educación secundaria durante el período 1900-1936. Analizamos los planes de estudio, el colectivo de catedráticos de instituto que las impartía, su actualización científico-pedagógica y profundizamos en aspectos que incidieron en la modernización y puesta en práctica de nuevas orientaciones metodológicas. Destacamos la labor realizada por la Junta para Ampliación de Estudios y el Instituto-Escuela de Madrid con profesores renovadores como José Estalella, Andrés León, Miguel Catalán, etc., que proporcionaron nuevos enfoques para la enseñanza de estas materias relativos a los contenidos, libros de texto, realización de experiencias prácticas, material científico y la utilización de las salidas de campo y visitas escolares como recurso importante para la enseñanza de estas disciplinas. / This work, in line with the research carried out on the history of school subjects and curriculum, aims to understand the background and status of the teaching of physics and chemistry in Spain in secondary education during the period 1900-1936.We analyzed the curriculum, the group of professors teaching the above subjects, and their scientific and pedagogical updating. Moreover, we thoroughly dealt with some aspects affecting the modernization and implementation of new methodological guidelines. We highlighted the work done by the Junta para Ampliación de Estudios and the Instituto-Escuela of Madrid with some innovative teachers as José Estalella, Andres León, Miguel Catalán, among others. These provided new approaches to the teaching of the subjects related to the contents, textbooks, the carrying out of practical experiences, scientific material and the use of field and school trips visits as an important resource for the teaching of these subjects.

Learners who take Physical Sciences in the Further Education and Training Phase in Eastern Cape schools have been performing poorly in the subject in the final examinations in Grade 12. This raised the concern of the researcher to determine issues that underlie this. In attempting to determine the cause of the poor results, a Physical Sciences subject advisor and six Physical Sciences teachers were interviewed to gather information on this problem. The following issues were considered: the Physical Sciences curriculum, the nature and structure of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (Physical Sciences), learner performance in Physical Sciences, a review of literature on science teaching, strategies of teaching and learning, the role of science teachers, classroom interaction between teachers and learners and the challenges experienced with science teaching. Data collected through the interviews were analysed leading to the identification of core issues and recommendations on how to address these. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Text in German, summaries in English and German / Die vorliegende Forschungsarbeit befasst sich mit den Erfahrungen, die Senioren im Alter von 60plus in einem evangelischen Kindergarten im niedersächsischen Apen in der Zusammenarbeit mit Kindern machen, wenn sie ihre Ressourcen an Wissen und Zeit ehrenamtlich einbringen. Das Engagement der Senioren in der Generationenarbeit erfolgt in Form von Workshops und weiteren verschiedenen Projekten und versteht sich als gemeinwesendiakonisches Projekt in Kooperation zwischen Kirche und Kindergarten. Die Studie untersucht die subjektiven Erfahrungen der ehrenamtlich tätigen Senioren mit Kindern, die aus den intergenerationellen Begegnungen hervorgehen und deutet diese auf ihre missionstheologische Relevanz. Unter Rückgriff auf praktisch-theologische Erkenntnisse aus der Lebenswelt der Senioren gehen wichtige Ergebnisse in die in der kontextuellen Theologie und Missiologie verorteten Arbeit ein. Diese münden wiederum in praktische Empfehlungen zur generationenübergreifenden Arbeit für Kirche und Kommune. / The current study aims at investigating the experiences of elderly at the age of 60plus, when contributing with their knowledge and time during their work with children. As a research setting, an evangelic kindergarden has been selected in Apen, the northern part of Lower Saxony, Germany. The engagement of seniors in this so-called generation work is understood as a diaconal practical project which is defined as social welfare work. It is implemented in form of different projects and performed in cooperation with the church and the kindergarden. The research explores firstly, the subjective experiences of the volunteering seniors during their intergenerational encounters. Secondly, the inter generational encounters are furthermore analyzed regarding its missiological-theological relevance. Practical theological insights, gained by analyzing the seniors’ lifeworld, result as relevant for the research in the domain of contextual theology and missiology. Finally, the results lead to practical recommendations for intergenerational work for both the church and community. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)