This study was conducted at the school where I teach which is a semi-rural secondary school (Grade 8-12) situated in Omuthiya Town in Oshikoto region, Namibia. The new curriculum that has been implemented in Namibia, has posed challenges in how best to put the curriculum into practice at this school. It was this challenge that triggered my interest in doing a research study with the aim of improving my practice. Essentially, the study sought to gain insight into whether integrating learners’ prior everyday knowledge and experiences of acids and bases in conjunction with practical activities using easily accessible materials enabled or constrained meaning-making of this topic. This study is located within an interpretive paradigm. Within this paradigm, a qualitative case study approach was adopted with my Grade 9 class. Data were gathered using document analysis, videotaped lessons and observations by a critical friend, stimulated recall discussions while watching the videotaped lessons as well as focus group interviews with the learners. An inductive analysis to discover patterns and themes was applied during the data analysis process. The themes were further turned into analytical statements. Data sets were also analysed in relation to the research questions posed by this study. The validation process was achieved by using a variety of data gathering techniques. I watched the videotaped lessons with a teacher who observed the lessons and transcripts of the interviews and a summary of discussions were given back to the respondents to verify their responses and check for any misinterpretations, a process known as member checking. I also translated what the learners said in Oshiwambo, their home language, into English. The findings from the study revealed that the use of learners’ prior everyday knowledge and experiences of acids and bases facilitated meaningful learning during teaching and learning. Furthermore, linking learning to learners’ everyday experiences enabled them to learn scientific concepts in a relaxed and non-threatening environment. However, linking learners’ prior knowledge and experiences to conventional science (textbook science) proved to be a challenge. My recommendations are that teachers need support in their endeavors to incorporate learners’ real life experiences into their teaching and learning repertoires. Another aspect of my study that deserves further research is the role that language plays in implementing the curriculum.

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The constructivist world view is advocated in the Namibian National Curriculum for Basic Education (NNCBE, 2010) since it encourages teachers to use different knowledge sources. This perspective embraces a multicultural approach to science teaching and learning. Indigenous knowledge (IK) and western science (WS) are some of the knowledge sources that are advocated. Yet, it has been noted that some science textbooks used in school science curricula do not consider IK. It is often diminished and considered of lesser value. The sole use of WS in teaching and learning is often distant from IK sources which can be used as prior knowledge. In this study, I therefore endeavoured to minimize this gap in the science curriculum. Essentially, the study focused on investigating trainee teachers’ engagement with prior everyday knowledge and experiences of natural phenomena in teaching physical science concepts. The rationale behind the study emerged while I was supervising twelve trainee teachers on school based studies (SBS) in the Caprivi Region. Observations revealed that learners frequently asked trainee teachers to relate their IK to WS to contextualize what they were learning. However, most trainee teachers seemed to experience challenges. This pedagogical gap and challenge was investigated using the instruments below. An analysis was done on the Namibian National Curriculum for Basic Education (NNCBE, 2010), extracts of research papers and a chapters on pressure in physical science textbooks. A worksheet was used to orientate trainee teachers with suggestions on how IK could be fused with WS to contextualize teaching and learning. Thereafter, this was followed by the simultaneous use of brainstorming and audio-visual techniques. Base line instruments paved the way for the main data generating techniques; namely, microteaching, audio-visual techniques, critical partners’ observation and focus group interview. There was triangulation of data collection instruments which enhanced validation followed by tabulation and data collation to develop themes. Analysis entailed checking theme repetition, indigenous categories and key words in context techniques. Themes enabled the construction of analytical statements which were discussed with reference to the relevant literature, theory and subsequently aligned to the research questions. Findings from this study include the suggestions that IK can be incorporated into teaching and learning of science concepts through the use of models or practical activities, science language used in the community and some cultural artifacts. The relevance of incorporating such type of knowledge is to contextualize science teaching and learning. The study therefore concluded that the incorporation of IK into teaching and learning of science concepts; (a) broadens the curriculum as it addresses conceptual progression and cohesion; (b) contextualizes concepts taught; (c) empowers teachers to use a practical curriculum and (d) it also creates space for misconceptions that come with IK to be identified and corrected. The study thus recommends that cultural artifacts and the social science jargon used in the community of the trainee teachers can be used to incorporate IK with WS as these types of knowledge are not mutually exclusive but in fact complement one another.