A lot of scholars have alluded to the existence of indigenous knowledge among community elders. The purpose of this study was to explore existence of indigenous science understandings among Zulu elders and determine the impact of these understandings on the indigenous secondary school learners. A group of elders and a group of learners from a selected rural community were interviewed on three phenomena pertaining to biology and physical science. Each phenomenon was chosen according to its relevance to the traditional African practices of the rural community studied. The data from both groups was analysed to determine understandings held by each group. Findings of this study revealed that elders held indigenous science understandings that had an impact on the indigenous secondary school learners. Elders transmit these understandings as views that I chose to call indigenous conceptions and duality explanation conceptions. As a result of the impact of elders' views and school science, learners on the other hand held three types of conceptions, namely, unchanged indigenous conceptions, hybridised conceptions and duality explanation conceptions. The recommendations I made are based on the findings that elders' indigenous knowledge has an impact on learners' science understandings. This then has implications to classroom practices and science education. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2001.

I have found that as a rule of thumb, when the majority of our learners in our science classrooms respond to expectation under examination conditions, the teacher's focus is on the minority who did not succeed. However, when only a minority of learners respond expectedly, then I feel teaching approaches have to be seriously questioned. My personal studies and readings in the education field, revealed a myriad of explanations and approaches surrounding the above problem. Literature has revealed that our greatest benefits can be achieved by successfully coping with the diversity of learners found in our science classrooms. There is no doubt that the problem is large, and thus a proper understanding of the problem is paramount to its resolution. This is where my study focuses, a case study that checks for gaps in science teachers' understanding of multicultural diversity in their classrooms and the impact of such understanding on classroom practice. Approaching the problem from an interpretive viewpoint within a social-constructive paradigm, the issue of multicultural diversity, especially in the field of science, is a "relatively" new concept in the South African context. Europeans and especially the Americans have at least forty years of experience in this field, their economy, low unemployment and advanced technology being a measure of their successes in multicultural science classrooms. At a theoretical level much of the American experiences do have direct relevance in our South African setting and is thus used throughout my study as a point of reference. The study used as its tools semi-structured interviews of 5 science teachers, (respondents), observations of a single lesson of each of the respondents and analysis of documents used in the observed lesson. The study was conducted in a middle to low socio-economic suburban secondary school of Kwazulu-Natal where science teachers' understandings of multicultural diversity was found to be somewhat traditional, simplistic and parochial. The study further revealed how a poor understanding of the issues of diversity amongst learners impacted on the teachers' abilities to successfully adapt the science curriculum and their teaching approaches to meet the needs of their diverse learners, and thus create equitable learning opportunities for all learners. Recommendations proposed in this study stem from the fact that though the respondents have some knowledge of the diversity in their science classrooms, their attempts to cope with the diversity based on currently available guidelines, viz. OBE, C2005 and the RNCS, still falls short of achieving equitable learning opportunities for all learners. Thus the study recommends serious attention to issues of multicultural science education with respect to language barriers and practice of appropriate teaching and learning methods. It also recommends appropriately designed training for both pre and in-service teachers and teacher educators. The study further recommends making science more meaningful by localising the Eurocentric curriculum and lastly, diversifying our teaching force to better reflect the increasingly diverse learner bodies. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

The Department of Education has introduced a policy of Continuous Assessment (CASS) in grades 11 and 12. This, however, does not mean that the current policies such as senior certificate examinations will immediately change. It appears that the old and the new practices will co-exist. This implementation of CASS took place in some environments characterised by enormous infra-structural backlogs, resource limitations, inadequate supply of quality learning support materials and absence of common national standards for learning and assessments. Consequently, the purpose of this interpretive research is to investigate how CASS has been implemented in grades 11 and 12 Physical Science classrooms in three disadvantaged secondary schools. This research study is a qualitative case study of three secondary schools in a school circuit. The three secondary schools were chosen on the basis of their varying socio-economic backgrounds and history related to quality of work and innovation. The research study examines the contexts and processes that took place during the implementation of CASS in these schools. The principal theories underpinning this study are those supporting educational change and curriculum innovation. The argument is that different understandings of the nature of the curriculum have important implications for the implementation of curriculum change. The literature was reviewed to expand the argument that curriculum change has different meanings and is dependent on the context. In this research study, curriculum changes in South Africa, the meaning of curriculum changes, CASS and CASS policy are discussed. The research methods used to gather data are semi-structured interviews, document analysis and questionnaires. The participants in this study were grade 11 and 12 Physical Science teachers, the Science Head of Departments (HOD) and grade 11 and 12 Physical Science learners from each school. The three schools were visited in the second half of 2002. This research study considered the roles and importance of learners, teachers, school management team, community and external inputs for the successful implementation of CASS. The feedback from teachers, HOD's, and learners were analysed and discussed. The schools were found to have profiles and strategies that were unique, but also some principles, practices and characteristics were common. The overall findings show that CASS has been implemented in these classrooms, but the strategies that are mostly used are those which were used in a content-based curriculum. For example, tests, classwork and homework were common in these schools. This study therefore suggests that more thorough and different support and developmental programmes be put in place so as to equip teachers with the skills necessary to implement CASS. This study also suggests that further research in schools be conducted, so that the best procedures are used to ensure the effective implementation of curriculum innovation in South Africa. / Theses (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

The purpose of this study is to ascertain, from a review and analysis of the literature, if any key messages emerge within which curriculum reconstruction of primary science education in South Africa can be undertaken. Firstly, three paradigms in education are equated with three philosophies of science and the compatibility of modes of inquiry are highlighted. It is argued that paradigms can be used as a form of analysis to locate particular approaches to the teaching and learning of science. Thereafter, an overview of major trends in science education is provided. The various views of and approaches to science education are analysed and located within particular paradigms. In order to assist in such analyses, a conceptual framework is developed. This draws on key determinants of curriculum development and locates these within each of the three paradigms. The framework is applied to a review and analysis of international emphases in primary science education, within which five different perspectives are identified. These are located within different paradigms. Science education in developing countries is considered thereafter and some recent trends in primary science curriculum development in South Africa are examined. It is shown that the recent syllabus revision process and the revised syllabuses in South Africa are still located in a technical approach to curriculum development. In seeking an alternative approach, the weaknesses of imported ready made solutions from more developed contexts are highlighted, and an exploration of alternative approaches that are more responsive to local contexts is then undertaken. Some innovative examples of curriculum development in other parts of Africa and South Africa are examined. From the review and analysis a set of key messages emerge for curriculum development in primary science education. In selecting appropriate programmes, it is vital that attention is given to children's' existing abilities and ideas, to the expected role for science in society, and to a particular society's values and norms. Material provision, of itself, does not bring about meaningful change, and teachers can and should be involved in the production of teaching materials. Another key message is that it is crucial for teachers to be involved in curriculum decision making, although they may need inservice support to make this possible. Approaches to inservice education must therefore give due consideration to this, and to developing classroom based teaching competencies. Finally, attention is given to some of the factors which may contribute to systemic change in science education. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, 1996.

This case study examines some of the cultural and educational implications of the intersection of a Western world view and a Yupiaq world view in a remote Yupiaq Eskimo village on the Kuskokwim River in southwestern Alaska. The study examines how the contemporary Yupiaq people have adapted their belief system, educational practices and subsistence lifestyle to accommodate a mix of Western and indigenous cultural traditions and technologies. It involves the documentation of Yupiaq practices in a traditional fish camp and science education in a school setting. The most important vehicle for data gathering was the role of participant-observer, because it was congruent with the way Yupiaq people learn. In addition to patient observation, emphasis was placed on document analysis, informal conversations, and interviews as the primary sources of data from the fieldwork. The study addresses the aspirations of Yupiaq people for self-determination and self-reliance by providing a pedagogical framework which attempts to meld Western and Yupiaq knowledge generation and use, based on the data gathered in the field. Special attention is given to the generation and application of scientific knowledge in a manner suited to the maintenance of Yupiaq cultural traditions and world view in a contemporary world.

Alice, a secondary teacher from Quebec, Canada is the focal point of this qualitative case-study research. She is a Caucasian, 37 year-old, married woman with three children. Alice is selected for the following reasons: primarily, she is a science teacher, who has received a provincial award Prix de merite de la conservation de la faune for a project, that is a demonstration of creativity in her field. Secondarily, I share many attributes with her including being married with children, and being a science teacher. Data were gathered from July, 1998 to July, 2001. Data sources included five one-to-one interviews with Alice. Additional data sources included one interview with June (mentor-colleague) and Jane (Departmental Head); two classroom observations; 1996 retrieved interview; and artifacts of students' work. All interviews were audio-taped verbatim and then transcribed, and observations videotaped. The overarching themes represented constructs involving community, values, and interpersonal skills. Alice's values, her bent towards community, and her way of life in constructing interpersonal relationships contribute to her creative teaching. Alice's philosophy of grounding education in the community determines who she is, and encompasses her creative process which begins with recycling of community resources and giving back to the community through the creative products developed by her students. Her values guide her practice and teaching decisions. This case study of creative teaching highlights the domain of teaching as different from those addressed by studies on creative giants and presents an inspirational model for individuals in the teaching profession.

The purpose of this thesis is to identify typical patterns of career destinations for young women and men in relation to their high school science preparedness. This is an empirical structural study that documents the way high school academic capital is turned (or not) into human capital for science and engineering professions. The study uses ten years of longitudinal data on educational and career paths of British Columbia high school graduates of the Class of '88. Correspondence analysis and other descriptive statistics provide a picture of students' participation in mathematics and science senior high school courses and post-secondary academic programs. School course choices, post-secondary educational attainment, specialization fields are correlated to respondents' high school science preparedness, parental education and gender. A major finding of this study is that high school science preparedness opens greater opportunity for students to attend and succeed along abroad range of post-secondary pathways. Still, thesis findings confirm the existence of a "leaking" phenomenon along the physical sciences and engineering post-secondary pipeline, especially for women as well as men with non-university educated parents. Equity in access and outcomes is discussed in relation to respondents' possession of cultural and academic capital, and in relation to gender inequality that persists within school and post-secondary institutions, the science community and society at large. Implications for further research emerge from the literature review and the interpretation of thesis findings. Longitudinal research needs to explore more directly the reasons why many young women and men who excelled in science at the high school level depart from the science pipeline sooner or later. A major conclusion is that the "critical mass" approach that directs attention toward creating a large supply pool to feed the science pipeline by encouraging more young women to enter the field of science is still a unilateral numerical strategy, and more has to be done to improve the retention and advancement of talented women interested in science. This thesis reinforces the need for an analysis of the culture of the science community and a revision of the leaking science pipeline concept that should be replaced by a more open non-linear model of science careers.

The primary objective of this study was to implement a project that utilizes telecommunications as a tool to enhance the grade eight science curriculum. The process of becoming prepared to undertake this study was examined and documentd so that teachers in all subject areas at all grade levels could use it as a guide for similar projects. It was proposed to do this by conducting a collaborative project in which the students would use the scientific method to develop research questions that could be used to discover why the incidence of asthma is so high in Central Alberta. These questions would be sent out to schools across Canada and then the data would be analyzed and interpreted. The results would be shared with all participants as well as asthma researchers. The study met with many barriers whcih impeded the progress as well as made it impossible to fulfil the original goal of having the students collaborate with the experts and contribute their own research to the field. Whe embarking on a new project using technology it is inevitable that there will be barriers. Through repeated reconnaissance we were able to adjust our goals and still pursue very worthwile, but very different computer and telecommunications projects. The students attitudes towards learning science, science in society and computers were measured by pre and post surveys. The findings showed that the students were aware of the importance of all these factors in their lives. Without completing the asthma study, it is impossible to know how much of a difference there would have been in the results. The qualitative results showed very clearly that computers are a motivator for students. They enjoy working on them and the challenge they present. Many of them will do extra homework so that they can take advantage of every opportunity to work on the computer. Unfortunately, many teachers do not have the time or support to learn enough about the Internet/Schoolnet and what is available to take full advantage of what is has to offer our students and ourselves. For the most part, there are few teachers in each disrict becoming involved. This will change over time only if there is a support system in place and the pioneers share what they have learned. We cannot run the risk of the forerunners becoming discouraged and giving up. The Internet is a global community. For that community to grow and flourish we must share what we have learned and provide the means to make the path smoother for those who follow. Through this study, the projects have been documented and resources have been prepared that are intended to help others get online and access a wide variety of resources that are sure to enhance all programs and professional development. / xiii, 228 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.

Recent Canadian statistics have shown a dramatic decrease in women enrolling in computer science courses at the university level. This study presents quantitative and qualitative research that forms a profile of the family background, schooling experiences and personal characteristics of women who are successful computer science students at this level. Forty-five male and female technology students were surveyed to determine emerging gender differences and 4 females were interviewed. Contrary to previous studies, the lack of early and extensive computer experience did not limit these women. Recommendations for increasing female participation in computer culture include providing parents, teachers, and students with career information and improving critical problem solving skills in math instruction. / ix, 172 leaves ; 28 cm.

The central query of this study is focused around questions about increasing the numbers of girls and women in science. Surveys and focused group interviews were conducted with Grade 8 and 11 girls in two rural southern Alberta high schools to obtain an understanding of the impact they feel role models have on them with respect to an interest in science and the pursuit of a science career. While boys were also surveyed for comparison purposes, the focus of the study was girls‘ perceptions. Seemingly girls are just as interested in science topics as boys until they get to high school. While boys appear to continue to study science with interest, what prevents many girls from continuing to study topics they previously enjoyed? In elementary school many teachers are female but in high school a majority of science teachers are male. Does the gender of the teacher affect girls‘ interest in science? Extending this thought beyond the classroom: does the lack of positive visible female role models in science discourage girls‘ interest in science and science careers? The answers to these questions are complex. / xiv, 247 leaves ; 29 cm