This study sought to investigate how teachers in Grade 9 conceptualize and implement the Natural Science Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in KwaZulu Natal. In South Africa, there have been major curriculum changes since the dawn of democracy in 1994. These changes have been criticized by various stakeholders in the education sector, including unions, parents and teachers. Since 1994, the curriculum has been revised constantly to address the concerns raised by the society. This study therefore sought to develop an understanding of what influences educators in their endeavors to implement Natural Science CAPS in Grade 9 classrooms. The study further aimed at understanding, from the educators’ perspectives, how policy implementation challenges their traditional ways of teaching and learning. This study adopted a qualitative research design. Focus groups interviews, observations and documentary analysis were used as method of data collection to answer the research questions. Purposive sampling was used to select 9 teachers from six different schools in three districts in the Province of KwaZulu Natal (KZN), namely Zululand, uThungulu and uMzinyathi to participate in the study. The findings reveal that the participants are knowledgeable about the CAPS principles and they all use prescribed principles in their planning, albeit in different ways.The study reveals that workshops and in-service training organized by the Department of Basic Education were useful in preparing teachers to implement CAPS even though the period of training was insufficient. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Information and communication technology (ICT) advances have dramatically changed teaching and learning processes. This study investigates the use of ICT in teaching and learning with the objective of establishing whether teachers are utilising the skills acquired through the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre training. The study sample comprised of 30 secondary school teachers who were trained in 2012 and who were teaching mathematics and/or physical science. The participating teachers were from schools that fell within the Johannesburg North and Johannesburg East regions of the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE). An overall understanding of reviewed literature on the use of ICT in teaching and learning contributed to the preparation of the research survey questionnaire and interview questions. A research survey design using a multi-methods approach allowed both questionnaires and interviews. The questionnaires were analysed using a simple descriptive data analysis technique. The interviews were conducted with 12 of the initial 30 participants over a period of two weeks in a one-on-one setting. The recorded interviews were transcribed and analysed using a thematic content analysis technique. The results of both quantitative and qualitative analysis are presented using charts and tables. The research findings identified issues such as the need for teachers to maintain a positive attitude towards the use of ICT in teaching, and for schools to create a conducive teaching environment for effective use of ICT in the classroom, including the availability of computer resources. The study provides recommendations including the provision of ICT coordinators at schools, and the provision of an ongoing teacher ICT training programme. / School of Computing / M. Tech. (Information Technology)

The study describes the teaching of scientific investigations by Life and Natural Sciences educators in the Bushbuckridge Region in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. A quantitative survey method was exploited using a Cluster sampling method. The study was conducted a year after the introduction of the National Curriculum Statement in Grade 10, in South African schools. The study found that most educators use teacher-centred teaching methodologies rather than open inquiry in teaching scientific investigations. Schools still have a shortage of infrastructure, teaching resources and references, which make it difficult for the educators to shift towards the expected new system of teaching. Teachers are confronted with language barriers, heavy workload and insufficient retraining in the new curriculum. / Science and Technology Education / M.Ed.

The exploratory study investigated school related factors responsible for high matriculaion failure rates in physical science in public high schools of Alexandra Township in South Africa. The target population included all Further Education and Training (FET) science educators and learners in Alexandra Township. An extreme-case sampling method was used to select a sample of two schools. Data was collected through two different closed questionnaires, one for educators (n=10) and the other for learners (n=250). The results were analyzed using mainly descriptive tatistics. The results, according to the views and opinions of educators and learners showed that the main causes of high failure rates are poor educator qualifications, outdated teaching methods, massive workloads, high levels of absenteeism and acute deficiencies in aspects related to: resources, subject content, classroom management skills, proficiency in language of instruction and assessment, motivation and perseverance. Recommendations for practice and policy are suggested. / Further Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

A case study using a phenomenological approach was carried out to determine how effective and enduring learning is for two diverse groups of grade 9 natural science learners when delivered through a collaborative co-teaching approach involving a high school science teacher and a special needs teacher. Even though the findings of this research indicate that the co-taught sessions did not significantly affect the learners’ test results, the majority of the learners reported very positive perceptions of co-teaching. From the findings the main benefits for the learners included an improvement in their understanding of learning styles and associated study skills, increased contact time with the teachers, and the benefit of another teacher’s expertise in the classroom. The researcher found the co-teaching approach yielded a clearer focus on the individual learning styles, new strategies for differentiation, and a positive teaching experience. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

The purpose of this study is to formulate guidelines upon which Technology Education can be put into operation in the South African schools with specific reference to standard eight students. The objective is to formulate Technology Education guidelines suitable for and within the broad framework of the South African curricula. In attempting to translate Technology Education curriculum to South Africa, the author explores the state of advancement in Technology Education in various developed and developing countries. The status, principles and theoretical assumptions of Technology Education are also explored. The role of the teacher in the Technology Education programme is also discussed. Guidelines for Technology Education, including Technology Education teaching strategies, guidelines for Technology Education assessment standards and guidelines for integrating Technology Education, Science and Mathematics are also formulated. The author qualifies the significance of Technology Education in South Africa through a pilot study over a year. The subjects of this (pilot) empirical study consisted of a total of 175 standard eight students, 77 of who were in a control group, who had received no tuition in Technology Education. A group of 98 received tuition in Technology Education for a year. The normal end of the year examination in 1994 measured academic performance of the two groups. Performance in 1993 is also used in the statistical analysis. The Univariate Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is applied in the analysis of data. Statistically significant differences are found between the academic performance of these two groups in relation to the overall Examination marks, English, Science and Mathematics marks. Statistically significant differences are also found between the 1993 and 1994 performance of the experimental group after receiving Technology Education tuition in standard eight in terms of the overall Examination, marks, English, Science and Mathematics marks. In the control group, no statistically significant differences were evidenced in Mathematics, English and Science when comparing marks in 1993 and in 1994. It is only applicable in the average Examination mark. These results confirm the role that Technology Education plays in enhancing performance in Science and Mathematics including English. / Curriculum and Institutional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

School physical science is a prerequisite for science courses at institutions of higher education. Science graduates are an important link in a nation's scientific and technological development which often shapes a country's economic development. The purpose of this study was to investigate psychological and social factors influencing physical science achievement and attitude of black secondary school students in South Africa. The first part of the literature study which was concerned with physical science education in South Africa revealed that few black students chose to study science after standard seven, that failure rates were high and that science education was generally in a state of crisis. The second part of the literature study identified psychological and social factors related to science achievement and attitude. These were home environment variables, teacher and school related variables, personal variables (self-concept, motivation, gender, ethnicity) and students' abilities. The third part was the construction of a Structural Equation Model (SEM) specifying the relationships among the psychological and social factors and their effects on physical science achievement and attitude. The theoretical SEM fit the data reasonably well. The best fitting model, however, was a revised model in which several paths were constrained. The latter accounted for a substantial variance in attitude towards physical science (70.3%) and a meagre 17.7% in physical science achievement. The variables ability, home environment and self-concept had the greatest total effects on physical science achievement. Self-concept, home environment and motivation made the greatest total contributions to physical science attitude. Teacher characteristics and school environment had non-significant effects on physical science achievement and attitude. Multiple-group structural equation modelling analyses found no significant difference in the structural parameters of boys and girls. Theoretical and educational implications of the findings were discussed and specific recommendations for improving educational practice in general and physical science achievement and attitude in particular, were made. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The study explores the role of eye contact in promoting effective learning in natural science in the secondary school using eye-tracking technology. A theoretical framework constituting the theories of Vygotsky, Piaget and Bandura inform the study. In the empirical inquiry in this study a purposefully selected group of eleven Grade 9-learners of mixed ability were eye-tracked by means of the Tobii 60 X-2 eye-tracker during individual viewings of a video-recording of a natural science lesson taught by the educator using a PowerPoint presentation. The Tobii 60 X-2 eyetracker establishes how a learner pays attention to information presented through educator narration, visuals and texts during teaching and learning. The findings indicate that, as the learners’ areas of interest, their highest total fixation duration was firstly on the PowerPoint presentation, and secondly on the educator. Under-performing natural science learners showed shorter and less dense fixation in both areas of interest. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

Despite the increasing importance of digitization in all facets of teaching and learning, digital moderation (eModeration) has received little attention in research and practice. No evidence-based requirements on the secondary school environment could be found for the development of a digital moderation system. This finding provided the rationale for an investigation into the requirements for an efficient eModeration system for IT and CAT assessments at grade 12 level in South Africa. A critical literature review was employed to explore eModeration and the requirements for a digital moderation system. This study is novel in exploring the applicability of post-adoption technology acceptance models to a pre-adoption system. The inquiry was guided by the overarching research question of: What are the requirements for an efficient eModeration system for IT and CAT SBA assessments at grade 12 level in SA? This dissertation concludes that there is currently no dedicated eModeration system in use in the secondary school environment. This study draws on the eModeration literature, the technology adoption literature and empirical research in the private secondary school environment of IT and CAT assessments at grade 12 level in South Africa to provide an evidence-based contribution to the requirements for an efficient eModeration system. The findings serve as a theoretical basis for future research into eModeration systems and can make a practical contribution to future practices and policies within schools and assessment bodies. / School of Computing / M. Sc. (Computing)

This research investigates progress in the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) into curriculum-based teaching and learning in the Lesotho secondary and high school science classroom, with the aim of establishing how effective e-learning and integration of ICT can be supported. E-learning was perceived by education stakeholders in Lesotho as an effective way to enhance teaching and learning. To this end, Lesotho embarked on three partnership projects, namely SchoolNet, Microsoft STIC and NEPAD e-School Projects. There is a volume of research, international and regional, on e-learning and ICT integration, mainly conducted by European and American researchers. This study by an African author, therefore, fills a gap. Using a variant of action research, the author undertook six studies over four years, investigating the extent of computing infrastructure in schools and ways in which e-learning was implemented in subject-based teaching. In particular, he studied barriers to ICT implementation in Lesotho; advantages and disadvantages of combining e-learning with classroom practice; the perceptions, aptitude and skills of Lesotho science teachers and students; professional development programmes; and preparations for introducing e-learning, including infrastructural issues. Literature studies were conducted, following which pertinent concepts from the literature were used to generate a framework of evaluation categories and criteria for addressing the research questions of this study. The criteria were translated into questions and evaluation statements for data collection instruments for the empirical studies. Triangulation in data collection and analysis was provided by applying multiple and mixed data collection methods: questionnaires, interviews, observations and case studies, to gather data from principals, teachers and students in selected schools across the three projects and in varying regions of Lesotho. The study identified notable progress, but determines that more remains to be done, on an ongoing basis, to support secondary and high schools in Lesotho with implementation plans and strategies. The study concludes with guideline and recommendations for educators. / Computing / D. Phil. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education)