According to the South African constitution everyone has the right to receive education in the official language or languages of their choice in public educational institution where that education is reasonably practicable. Contrary to this policy language continues to be a barrier for learners who use English as second language at Higher Education Institution, since indigenous languages have not yet been developed as academic/scientific languages. Most of the first year science learners at Rand Afrikaans University (Soweto Campus) come from high schools where their instructional language is not the same as the one, which is used at the university. Thus, most of them experience problems with regard to the language that is used in science. If language plays an important role in development of scientific thinking then student will have a problem in understanding, writing, speaking the language used in teaching and learning science. This research project attempts to identify the problems that students from disadvantaged schools have in the use of language in learning science in their first year at the university. The primary aim of this research is to directly observe the role of language in science education. It considers the language ability, language in textbooks, and the medium of instruction as the situational factors that need careful consideration. Quantitative research method was used for this research which includes subject, instrumentation, procedures for obtaining data, data analysis, presentation and design limitation. The data was gathered from questionnaires, interviews, and observations of the participation in lectures, tutorials and classical laboratory experiments. The research report concludes that there is a scope for consideration of more varied approaches to the role of language in science education. The research recommends that there is a need to develop Indigenous languages as academic/scientific languages for use of instruction and to develop student proficiency in currently designated languages of tuition (English and Afrikaans) at higher education institutions. / Prof. J.R. Debeila

This clinical study aimed at exploring the following issues: 1) whether English Primary Language and English Second Language students have similar ideas on the Life-Cycle of the Mealworm Beetle; 2) which words and phrases these two groups use to convey key aspects of that Life-Cycle 3) to what extent does the type and frequency of words and phrases used, vary with the student1 ability to communicate orally in English. Two Interview Conditions were used, the Verbal Con dition and the Verbal Manipulative Condition. Results indicated that the ideas of students fell into four patterns regardless of whether subjects were-English Second Language or English Primary Language. A list of words and phrases used by the subject has bee identified, according to the language background of the sample and this list suggests that the type and frequency of nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs varied according to the language sub-group (ESL/EPL) and Interview Condition (Verbal/Verbal Manipulative). / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

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Since the inception of the Human Genome Project (HGP) there has, and continues to be, rapid changes in genomics, STEM, and human health. Advances, specifically in genomics, continue to be increasingly important as new knowledge in this field has led the trajectory for significant advancements in all biological disciplines. Throughout the scientific community there is an emphasis on increasing and improving genomic concepts and literacy for grades K-12. Numerous research studies report that there is generally a low level of genetic/genomic knowledge among the general public. The purpose of this research is to analyze and document evidence of secondary school students’ participation, and educational outcomes, in a novel course on genomic principles and practices. A mixed methods approach, using qualitative and quantitative methods was used to address three research questions. 1) Based on affective evidence, how did secondary school students perceive and critically judge, content topics learned in a course on modern genomic principles and practices? 2) Based on cognitive evidence, how much of the content did secondary school students learn when they participated in a course on modern genomic principles and practices? 3) Using individual interview evidence, what are the major perceptions that the secondary school students expressed throughout the duration of the course? The results for Research Question 1 demonstrated that the students gained a significant level of new knowledge pertaining to genomics after attending the course sessions, based on their pre-and post-test Likert survey data. More particularly, they expressed more interest in, and understanding of genomic principles and practices. Concurrently, they became much more critically reflective and evaluative about some of the societal and medical implications of its applications. With respect to Research Question 2, the secondary school students’ content knowledge as measured by a 25-question multiple-choice pre-and-post test administered before and after the course demonstrated a significant increase. Lastly, the participants were provided an opportunity to comment on the course through individual and collaborative interviews, in order to find out to what extent they perceived the course to be interesting and challenging. Future inquiry expanding from this research would help to establish the foundational pathway for designing a more inclusive genomics curriculum.

Most science teachers in public schools across the nation are young, White women entering classrooms that are increasingly racially and culturally diverse. While the science classroom is becoming increasingly diverse, science careers continue to be exclusive of students of color, women, and English language learners. Assessments, as pedagogical practices, are the most impactful gatekeepers in determining the successes or failures of all students in science. Therefore, teacher-designed formative assessments serve to construct or damage student science identity. It is important to better understand how teacher-designed assessments represent science teacher identity so that we can better understand how they influence student science identity. In the following research study, I examine the narratives shared by four early-career teachers around their development of science teacher identity and navigation around developing formative assessment practices in their classrooms. In this work, I use a reflective practice lens to examine how science teacher identities are co-constructed during completion of a preservice performance assessment and during one induction year and how those identities inform the ways that teachers set goals for assessment. Through the interpretation of data sources including interviews, observation notes, portfolio assessments, and inquiry groups, I present the experiences, identities, and values in setting goals for assessments that four early-career science teachers shared. Across these data sources, I draw attention to findings around a) the language and positioning that the participants shared as they grew into their roles as science teachers; b) the ways that participant identities informed their goals for assessments and student learning, and c) the ways that teacher-designed formative assessments represented the identities of four early-career middle and secondary school teachers. I conclude with implications for teacher education strategies for building responsive and reflective assessment practices, for teacher education support for science teacher identity construction, and future research around identity in teacher education portfolio assessments.

Human beings by nature have a predisposition towards learning and the exploration of the natural world. We are intrinsically intellectual and social beings knitted with adaptive cognitive architectures. As Foot (2014) succinctly sums it up: “humans act collectively, learn by doing, and communicate in and via their actions” and they “… make, employ, and adapt tools of all kinds to learn and communicate” and “community is central to the process of making and interpreting meaning—and thus to all forms of learning, communicating, and acting” (p.3). Education remains pivotal in the transmission of social values including language, knowledge, science, technology, and an avalanche of others. Indeed, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) have been significant to the advancement of social cultures transcending every epoch to contemporary times. As Jasanoff (2004) poignantly observed, “the ways in which we know and represent the world (both nature and society) are inseparable from the ways in which we choose to live in it. […] Scientific knowledge [..] both embeds and is embedded in social practices, identities, norms, conventions, discourses, instruments, and institutions” (p.2-3). In essence, science remains both a tacit and an explicit cultural activity through which human beings explore their own world, discover nature, create knowledge and technology towards their progress and existence. This has been possible through the interaction and applications of artifacts, tools, and technologies within the purviews of their environments. The applications of technologies are found across almost every luster of organizational learning especially teacher education, STEM, architecture, manufacturing, and a flurry of others. Thus, human evolution and development are inexplicably linked with education either formally or informally. The 21st century has however seen a surge in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies in education. The proliferation of artificial intelligence and associated technologies are creating new overtures of digital multiculturalism with distinct worldviews of significance to education. For example, learners are demonstrating digital literacy skills and are knowledgeable about AI technologies across every specter of their lives (Bennett et al., 2008). It is also opening new artesian well-springs of educational opportunities and pedagogical applications. This includes mapping new methodological pathways, content creation and curriculum design, career preparations and indeed a seemingly new paradigm shift in teaching STEM. There is growing scholarly evidence about the use and diffusion of these technologies in K-12 and higher education (Bonk & Graham, 2012; Hew & Brush, 2007; Langer, 2018; Mishra & Koehler, 2006). Some of these include the Sphero robots, Micro Bit, Jill Watson, BrickPi3 Classroom kit, Engino STEM Mechanic, Lego Education WeDo Core Set and Spike. Both educators and learners are using these in STEM programs as well as other education related activities. Just as human activities and interactions with artifacts and tools shaped and redefined the scientific-technological feat of previous generations, so the contemporary digital technological era seems to be on a similar trajectory. However, there is sparsity of empirical scholarship on the pedagogical prospects and effectiveness of artificial intelligence in STEM classrooms. Also, it should be noted that scholarship on how AI impacts pedagogical content knowledge of STEM educators and how learners perceive these technologies are just emerging. In addition, the recent COVID-19 pandemic (Ghandhi et al., 2020; Rasmussen et al., 2020) has unexpectedly created a renewed synergy towards the applications of digital technologies in teaching STEM. In the context of this force majeure (COVID-19), the traditional brick and mortar educational spaces metamorphosed into digital spaces with the applications of many artificial intelligent technologies and resources in the arena of education. This doctoral dissertation study examined these enigmas including how educators use these technologies in STEM classrooms. The study is informed by activity theory or cultural-historical activity theory (Engeström et al., 2007; Hasan et al., 2014; Krinski & Barker, 2009; Oers, 2010; Vygotsky,1987). The study participants will be selected from educators currently integrating artificial intelligent systems and digital technologies in their respective STEM classrooms. Pre-data survey inquiry has shown that many educators were incorporating some forms of AIS into their STEM classrooms. In view of these, I have explored Sphero educational robots to interrogate the research topic. The Sphero Edu described as a “…STEAM-based toolset that weaves hardware, software, and community engagement to promote 21st century skills. While these skills are absolutely crucial, our edu program goes beyond code by nurturing students’ creativity and ingenuity like no other education program can” (Sphero, April 2020). The Sphero robots also have features and applications for designing and teaching STEM topics such as nature, space science, geometry, and other activities of pedagogical significance. Users could also design and write advanced engineering programs in JavaScript during STEM educational activities formally and outside of the classrooms. In essence, educators and students can learn designing, programming, engineering, mathematics, computational thinking, and hands-on skills reflective of the 21st century. In brief, the dissertation study research has explored artificial intelligence and emerging technologies and how these could transform and advance teaching and learning of STEM hence the research topic: Exploring the use of Artificial Intelligent Systems in STEM Classrooms. Methodologically, this is a qualitative study through the theoretical frameworks of activity theory as applicable to STEM education. The main research questions are: 1) Given that artificial intelligent systems and digital technologies have been applied in STEM educational domains (content, pedagogy, student learning, assessment). How does the application of AIS and digital technologies impact pedagogy in STEM educational activities? 2) Given that digital technology is transforming contemporary society in every facet. How/What does AIS tell us about how digital technology impacts STEM pedagogy? Data was collected from the study participants, archival sources, and others for analyses. It is hoped that the findings will inform and address theories of learning and teaching, policy and praxis in science education, teacher preparatory and professional development programs as it relates to STEM classrooms

Despite a steady stream of new science teachers joining the K-12 education workforce, the rate at which beginning science teachers (BSTs) stay in the classroom long-term is shockingly low. With such a low rate of retention, it is important to examine these teachers’ experiences in the formative first years of teaching after completing a formal pre-service program in order to observe their continual learning in-service. Though much attention has been given to formal mentoring and induction programs for BSTs, little is known about the ways these teachers choose to continue learning to teach science. Especially little is known about how technology can facilitate their continued learning. In this phenomenographic study, I followed a group of BSTs to describe their experiences and conceptions of their learning choices and agency during the induction period, which I define as the first through third year of teaching. By investigating induction, the period of rapid learning that occurs during the first years of teaching science full-time, I captured the experiences BSTs have that are unique to this time. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from surveys, observations, journal reflections, and interviews. The data indicate that BSTs’ learning needs are tied to a desire for professional connection to other educators, juxtaposed with a perception that they must be self-reliant in their work. BSTs learn primarily from their specific student population, through trial and error, and the extent and manner of these learnings depend on time, logistics, and the school context in which they work. Finally, BSTs demonstrate that technology plays a primarily pedagogical role in their classrooms, but promising themes emerged about ways in which they learn from and use technology to deprivatize teaching in order to meet their desire for professional connection.

This qualitative, multi-case study examined the process of lyric creation and nontraditional modes of communication (using themes from hip-hop and battle rap) as a mechanism for developing a teaching and learning strategy in STEM education. This manuscript style dissertation, examines the experiences of 24 postsecondary students and five battle rappers who created science-themed lyrics, used them as a learning strategy, and delivered content in a college and community setting. Insights into teaching and learning were revealed through the study of these lyrics from a constructivist and intellectual warrior theoretical framework. This research showed that as a result of utilizing battle rap, learning spaces were improved. Students’ interviews, lyrics, and reflections uncovered that they appreciated the opportunity to be more creative in class were more engaged, communicated and networked more than they did in their traditional science classroom. The battle rappers discussed and displayed the characteristics that allow them to engage audiences in hopes that teachers can learn how to incorporate engaging techniques within their own classrooms. Through interviews and a performance, battle rappers’ attempt to keep students engaged revealed their transparency; ability to freestyle; get hyped; and demonstrate charisma, presence, character, and energy. This information helped to explain, describe, and understand the experiences of both students and battle rappers and their potential relationships to science and the community. This work supports arguments for the use of culture (art/music/experiences) through music in the science classroom.