The Limpopo Province is characterised by poor Physical Science matric results and poorly qualified teachers. There are many reasons which contribute to the poor Physical Science matric results such as for example, lack of equipment and poverty in this largely rural area. Effective INSET programmes however, can be a possible solution to improving teachers' qualifications and competencies. The success of INSET programmes basically depends on obtaining and utilzing information on demographic profiles and perceived INSET needs of Physical Science teachers. Unfortunately, there is a lack of information on the demographic profile and perceived INSET needs of Physical Science teachers in the Limpopo Province. This study aims at collecting and analysing data, which will provide information on the demographic profile and perceived INSET needs of Physical Science teachers in the Limpopo Province. It is anticipated that the availability and utilisation of this information will hopefully contribute to the improvement of Physical Science education in the Limpopo Province. The objectives of the study are reflected in the following rese:R[ch questions: a) What is the demographic profile of Physical Science teachers in the Limpopo Province? b) What are the perceived INSET needs of Physical Science teachers in the Limpopo Province? c) What are the possible associations between the demographic profile and perceived INSET needs of Physical Science teachers in the Limpopo Province? Two methods were used to elicit the demographic profile and perceived needs of Physical Science teachers, namely the survey method using a pencil-and-paper instrument-the Science Teachers Inventory of Needs-Northern Province (STIN-NP}-which was specially adapted and validated for this purpose, and focus group interviews with Physical Science teachers. 'The STIN-NP was developed from the Science Teachers Inventory of Needs (STIN3) of Baird, Prather, Finson and Oliver (1994). The STIN-3 was adapted and validated for use in the Limpopo Province context by inviting 47 important stakeholders in Physical Science education at provincial and national level to suggest modifying, omitting or adding items to STIN-NP and to provide a rationale for their suggestions. Items in the instrument were thereafter modified for clarity and ambiguity by an English Second Language expert. STINNP was thereafter piloted on tlrree samples of Physical Science teachers from urban, township and rural schools (n=29) in the Limpopo Province. iv The final version of the STIN-NP consists of 98 items arranged in six sections. Information on the reliability of STIN-NP was determined by calculating the items' alpha coefficient and the instrument's Guttman split-half reliability coefficient after the instrument had been administered. The alpha coefficient reliability for use of with Physical Science teachers was 0 .95, and the adjusted Guttman split-half reliability was O .83. A total of 1629 questionnaires were distributed to Physical Science teachers in the Limpopo Province via District Office's Curriculum Advisers and school principals. Completed questionnaires were collected from teachers via the same way. Focus group interview questions were structured to cross-validate the information obtained through the questionnaires and also to help acquire possible additional information on the teachers' INSET needs. The total number of Physical Science teachers who responded to the invitation for the interviews were 35 (18 male teachers and 17 female teaches) in six groups. The six groups were from urban, rural, and the township areas as it was assumed that INSET needs were largely influenced by school context. Interviews were recorded and later transcribed into a more formal and written style in order to facilitate analysis of what was said by the interviewees, as recommended by Kvale (1996: 170). The quantitative results of this study are based on the responses of 352 Physical Science teachers (grades 10-12) in the Limpopo Province--a 22% response rate. Only eight responses were received from teachers at urban schools, but these responses were ignored as this sample is too small to enable the researcher to draw conclusions about urban teachers with confidence. The effective sample used in the analysis is thus 344, comprising 300 rural and 44 township teaches. Professionally, teachers need help with improving their teaching skills, followed by improving content knowledge, classroom organisation and assessing learners' work. The above ranking is the same for both rural and township teachers. The above ranking also suggests that INSET providers should focus on improving teaching skills and content knowledge of teachers first, and only later on for example, assessment. Physical Science teachers finther indicated that they need help with carrying out laboratory practicals. These teachers' limited academic knowledge and the lack of textbooks suggest that INSET providers should aim at empowering these teachers to improvise equipment and learning and teaching materials. The fact that most teachers have limited academic knowledge suggests that a suitable INSET model for them, will be Dunn's traditional model which will assist them to gain additional qualification (Nduna, 1999). V Most of the Physical Science teachers failed to attend the workshops due to lack of information (Table 4. 5 page 36). INSET providers should issue a year programme in time to reach all Physical Science teachers. Physical Science, Mathematics and Biology workshops should not take place simultaneously, so that learners are not left unattended, and some teachers also teach all three subjects. The Department of Education in the Limpopo Province is urged to provide workshops based on practical sessions in Physical Science and how to improvise equipment. This will help to restore learners' interest and understanding of science. Establishing and staffing resourcecentres in various districts will help many schools without equipment. INSET programmes for Physical Science should be guided by teachers' professional needs in order to be more appropriate, sustainable and effective. Workshops should be conducted at a convenient time and venue for teachers. It is anticipated that the established perceived needs of Physical Science teachers in the Limpopo Province as described and stated above will provide an important, valid and reliable basis for designing effective, and sustainable programmes for Physical Science in the Limpopo Province. It is also hoped that such programmes will significantly facilitate attempts to improve Physical Science education in the Limpopo Province. KEYWORDS: In-service education and training, (INSET), Interviews, Science Teachers, Needs Assessment, Limpopo (Northern) Province, Rural Areas, Surveys, Teacher Characteristics, Test Construction.

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Much research has been conducted in the area of children's alternative ideas. However, little is known about their ideas in the biological sciences at a time when there is growing concern for an understanding of environmental and global issues. The purpose of this study was to explore the formation and revision of students' constructs as expressed through different tasks relating to the cycling of organic matter over a period of three months. A qualitative research method was employed in the traditional approach of exploratory investigation. Children, ages 8, 10, and 12 years old, participated by observing the process of decay (plant and animal) in a natural setting on the school grounds. Data were collected by means of regularly scheduled observations, loosely constructed interviews, and a review of participant records of their experience. The data were examined for indications of children's thinking about the process and causes for decomposition, the language used to express their thinking, including their idiosyncratic explanations for the phenomena observed and their expectations and predictions for events to come. The participants demonstrated through various types of language expression that they thought organic matter disappeared into the earth. Furthermore, they thought the cause of decay was physical and/or biological in nature. It was also discovered that the participants held a variety of personal theories which they used to explain aspects of the phenomenon.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Curriculum and Instruction / Michael F. Perl and Kay Ann Taylor / The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore (a) the types of student affective responses that secondary science teachers reported emerged in science classes, (b) how those teachers worked with student affective responses, and (c) what interactions were present in the classroom when they worked with student affective responses. The study was motivated by research indicating that student interest and motivation for learning science is low. Eight secondary science teachers participated in the case study. The participants were selected from a pool of teachers who graduated from the same teacher education program at a large Midwest university. The primary sources of data were individual semi-structured interviews with the participants. Krathwohl’s Taxonomy of the Affective Domain served as the research framework for the study. Student affective behavior reported by participants was classified within the five levels of Krathwohl’s Affective Taxonomy: receiving, responding, valuing, organization, and characterization. Participants in the study reported student behavior representing all levels of the Affective Taxonomy. The types of behavior most frequently reported by participants were identified with the receiving and responding levels of the Affective Taxonomy. Organization behavior emerged during the study of perceived controversial science topics such as evolution. Participants in the study used student affective behavior to provide feedback on their lesson activities and instructional practices. Classroom interactions identified as collaboration and conversation contributed to the development of responding behavior. The researcher identified a process of affective progression in which teachers encouraged and developed student affective behavior changes from receiving to responding levels of the Affective Taxonomy.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1981. / Copy 2 in E Thesis M. Phil. 81 T5.

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<p> <b>Purpose:</b> The aims of this study were to: (1) evaluate the prevalence of compliance of Postgraduate Pediatric Dentistry Programs (PPDPs) in the United States with the current American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) sedation guidelines and Commission On Dental Accreditation (CODA) sedation curriculum requirements and identify barriers to and facilitators for implementation of such guidelines; (2) identify changes to-date in sedation practices of PPDP since the previously published AAPD sedation guidelines (2011); and (3) determine the independent association of compliance of PPDP with program setting. </p><p> <b>Methods:</b> A 40-item questionnaire was emailed to all postgraduate pediatric dentistry program directors (PPDPDs) of CODA accredited programs in the U.S. (n=74). Bivariate analysis, chi-square, Monte Carlo simulation and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to analyze the data. </p><p> <b>Results:</b> 70% of surveyed participants responded (n=52). On average, PPDPs were found to be compliant with both AAPD and CODA sedation standards. The bivariate analysis showed that both current setting of PPDPs and PPDPDs training setting did not affect the compliance of the program with the AAPD and the CODA sedation guidelines. Directors that stated receiving an &ldquo;excellent sedation training&rdquo; were more likely to be compliant with the CODA sedation standards (p=0.01). In this study, a major perceived barrier for increasing the number of non-IV conscious sedation cases per residents was a lack of patient pool (37%). When comparing changes in the sedation practice of PPDPs between 2009 and 2011, more sedation emergency drills were found to be performed in 2015 (p=0.05). </p><p> <b>Conclusion:</b> Most PPDPs were compliant with both the AAPD and CODA sedation standards. Most PPDPDs were in favor of the 2013 increase number of sedation required by CODA. Both PPDPD training setting and PPDP setting did not affect the compliance of the programs with the AAPD sedation guidelines and the CODA sedation standards. PPDPs with PPDPDs who reported an excellent sedation training were more likely to be more compliant with the CODA sedation guidelines. Finally, PPDP setting did not affect the number of patients receiving non-IV conscious sedation or the number of sedation ER experienced per year.</p>

<p> What experiences do college STEM majors report as being factors that encouraged them to pursue a STEM related major? Do experiences and influences in school such as labs, curriculum, and teachers make a difference? How do extracurricular impact a students&rsquo; desire to continue on in science after high school? Through this qualitative study I attempted to find some answers to the above questions. </p><p> Seven current college STEM majors were interviewed in a semi-structured format. Through the coding of the interview data several themes emerged which included the following: development of students&rsquo; interest, experiencing real science, academic inclination, and knowledge of careers in the STEM fields. These reported factors seemed to influence these students in one way or another in choosing to pursue a STEM career. It was found that all but one subject interviewed experienced hands-on science within a career related experience. They cited those experiences as their biggest influencers.</p>