A case study was made of FITMAST (Formal Inservice Training of Mathematics and Science Teachers.), an inservice education programme for science teachers in South Africa. The objectives of FITMAST are: a) to upgrade the academic qualifications of teachers and, b) to improve the teaching competence of the teachers. In the case of FITMAST, equal emphasis was initially placed on the acquisition of both the above aims. However, the recognition that teachers wanted from attending the FITMAST courses, was first-year university credits. Such wishes necessitated an emphasis towards more academic content in order for the University of the Western Cape to grant such credits. Consequently less time was devoted to improving the teaching competencies for the participants; a move that the teachers were critical of for they continued expressing the desire to have their teaching competencies improved. FITMAST is thus caught up in a "Catch 22" situation: an emphasis shift in either direction will have to be made each at the expense of the other. Faced with an apparently unresolvable position, a tension is created insofar as the devotion of time to either of the objectives is concerned. This study, in accepting that the above-mentioned tension exists, will seek to: a) find how this tension and other problems that surrounds FITMAST manifest themselves in the teachers' perceptions and , course experiences, as well as within the views of the administrators and, b) provide in the form of recommendations, a direction for change based on the teachers' course experiences. Four modes of data collection were employed: a) Interviews were conducted with the Biology teachers that attended FITMAST in June 1987. The administrators were also interviewed during that period. b) A questionnaire, constructed from the interview data obtained from the teachers, was mailed to all the Biology teachers that had participated in FITMAST since its inception in 1983. c) Field notes were recorded during the researcher's attendance of the FITMAST session in June 1987. d) Documents with regard to FITMAST were also consulted. The major findings that emanated from this study were: 1) The teachers' expectations of FITMAST were not met by the programme. 2) The amount of course work encountered during a residential session of FITMAST is too much. 3) A sizeable amount of the course work covered in FITMAST might be familiar to the teachers. 4) The distance teaching component merely evaluates the teachers' understanding of the work covered in the residential component. 5) Teachers believe that didactics should form a major part of the FITMAST programme. The following recommendations were made: 1) Prospective participants should be informed about the exact nature of the FITMAST courses primarily through an orientation session in which former participants can share their experiences with the new recruits. 2) The amount of course work covered during the residential session should be reduced. 3) The distance teaching component should become part of the instructional process. 4) The time devoted to didactics should be extended as an urgent response to a strongly expressed need of the teachers to enrich their didactic experiences. The researcher further recommends that a feasibility study be undertaken of an alternative format that is proposed should the distance teaching component become part of the instructional process. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

D.Ed. / The declining interest of pupils in physical Science, the shortage of qualified teachers, and the rapid progress in science, necessitate the continual professional in-service training of Science teachers. Without such training the need for scientists in the RSA cannot be sufficiently met. Innovation in Physical Science could be realized if professional, qualified and able teachers were to be involved in the development and implementation of curriculums in schools. The necessity for change which is educationally sound also holds implications for teacher assessment. These needs represent an educationmanagement imperative for the professional development of the Science teacher. The procedure followed in this research project comprises an empirical examination as well as a study of literature on the following: -the professional development of the Science teacher; -participation in curriculum development and innovation; -teacher assessment; -career stress experienced in the workplace by the Scienceteacher; and -the influence of persons in management positions in formal education on the professional expertise and development of the Science teacher. The professional development of the teacher depends on pre-service, in-service and further training. Such training should effect a research awareness in teachers. There are fifteen fundamental aspects of reality underlying the professional development of the Science teacher. These aspects, viewed from a management perspective, ought to feature in an interdependent structure. The educational goal of a school should realise itself in subject aims. Realisation of this goal with regard to science demands professionally qualified and able Science teachers. One of the theories of professional concern for teachers is that teacher development could be realised at different levels and could be extended during in-service training. In-service training in the TED comprises orientation, regional and decentralized in-service training courses; staff development visits by superintendents of education (academic); in-service training at and by schools and/or independent teachers' centres. It would seem as if the training which teachers undergo at their schools is the most effective training with regard to their professional development, provided that such training is correctly conducted. It is the broad educational goal which determines the general direction of the education system. This goal acts as a guideline for the Science teacher. To effect an accountable subject curriculum the participation of professionally qualified and able teachers is a prerequisite. Teacher development with regard to curriculum matters is, therefore, also an imperative of educational management. Communication is the key word in curriculum development. Professionally qualified and able teachers are the teacher innovators who have the most impact because they can insure innovation in the classroom itself. Teacher assessment is a management imperative because assessment (even of oneself) is a prerequisite for professional development. Areas to be considered during the assessment of teacher conduct and ability are: -the teacher's command of subject content; -teaching methods; -classroom management; -administrative duties; -teacher-pupil relationships; and -the correlation between tuition and pupil achievement. Interpersonal relationships feature strongly in communication. Any disturbance within this relationship could cause stress. The elimination of potential sources of stress would facilitate the prevention of stress. It would seem as if the possibilities for coping with stressful situations could be categorized as personal, interpersonal, organisational and societal (community) sources. In the secondary school the defusion of stressful situations is the responsibility of each and every teacher. Therefore one of the imperatives of management should be to assist staff to acquire a professional equilibrium. Empirical research has shown that teachers experience in-service training at decentralized courses as useful, stimulating and enriching because such courses enhance their professional expertise. Where in-service training is conducted at schools themselves, the head of department and/or the subject head are regarded as key personnel. It has been determined that teachers view an educationally sound relationship with the superintendent of education (academic) as one in which the superintendent acts as: *a consultant; *a partner-in-education; *an identifier of problems encountered during teaching; and *a motivator towards higher productivity. It is obvious that the role of the superintendent of education (academic) will progressively have to become one of professional academic leadership. If the guidelines provided in this research project were to be implemented, teachers might develop along more professional lines. This, in turn, could lead to a revival of pupil interest in Physical Science.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a short-term math/science inservice based upon the participants' perceived changes in attitude and behavior relevant to the projects' goals and objectives. One hundred and three elementary school teachers from twelve schools in an urban school district participated in the inservice. The treatments were administered during two eight hour days, one month apart. The project was designed to improve the participants' attitude and behavior relevant to ten goals that centered around increasing awareness and use of science process and math problem solving approaches to teaching. The evaluation instrument was a pre- and post-treatment survey. Seventy questions were created and apportioned to test twenty hypotheses. Two hypotheses were tested to determine the achievement of each goal. One hypothesis tested the teachers' perceived change in attitude and the other tested the teachers' perceived change in teaching behavior relevant to a specific goal. Goal achievement was determined by comparing changes (significant at the.05 level) in attitude and behavior. All ten attitude hypotheses indicated a significant positive change occurred in attitude. None of the behavior hypotheses showed a significant positive change. It was determined that the inservice was totally effective in changing the teachers' attitude, relevant to the goals, but it failed to make a positive impact upon the teachers' perceptions of their actual practice in the classroom. It was speculated that the failure to affect behavior change was a result of one or a combination of the following four factors: insufficient time lapse to affect behavior, more accurate reporting on the post test, retrenchment resulting from feelings of inadequacy, and fear of venturing out alone primarily due to the lack of organizational development. Suggestions for improving the inservice were based upon proposed remedies for the above four factors.

A research report in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the School of Science Education of the Witwatersrand. Johannesburg, 1995. / This project is concerned with a multimedia package which incorporates comics, video and pupil workbooks. The intention as to determine the effectiveness of the package on the conceptual change of pre-service teachers, using an empirical research method and decriptive analysis of results. Logistical constraints experienced at colleges of education and schools led to an alternative evaluation of the packaqe with D.E.T. college lecturers at RADMASTE workshop. Results indicated that, if properly administered, the multimedia package can assist users in identifying and changing tneir interfering preconceptions and misconceptions while they are enjoying the story. / MT2017

Research report submitted to the Faculty of Science University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg, in part completion for the Master of Science Degree, / Three case studies were conducted involving Andrew, Ferrial and Mary. A number of aspects relating to their experiences were explored and are described in this report. In addition to their personal accounts, their views about the nature of science, science teaching and learning were sought. The study also surveyed HDE students' knowledge of certain concepts related to chemical bonding and acids and bases. The case studies were observed during their teaching practice to establish how the aspects mentioned above relate to their practices in the classroom. Data was collected through intervews, journals, classroom observation both in their science methodology classes and during teaching practice and diagnostic tests. It was found that school backgrounds influenced Ferrial's and Mary's perceptions of the HDE programme. They both appreciated those aspects of the metholodologies that were directly linked to preparation for teaching, such as the mini lessons, test design, the practical work, and enriching their knowledge of science concepts through discussing science content. Both were very anxious about their competence in teaching science. They considered the assignment work excessive, irrelevant, and frustrating and were sometimes not sure what was expected. Ferrial felt .they were given too much work. Andrew, on the other hand did not seem to find any problems. He liked the practical approach followed in the classes and appreciated the suggestions made. His experiences were more of a personal nature and related to the fact that he was engaged in part time teaching. Their conceptions of science, teaching and learning were modified rather than changed during the year of study. They were not always successful in trying out their theories of teaching and learning and applying the suggestions made in the HDE courses because such moves were sometimes unacceptable to their students or cooperating teachers. In Andrew's situation implementation of suggestions were impeded by lack of appropriate facilities. It was also found from this study that student teachers had several erroneous ideas about chemical bonding and acids and bases irrespective of the depth of their chemical background. It was further found that discussing chemical bonding helped the students change some of their ideas to more acceptable ones. / Andrew Chakane 2018

Typescript. / Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1982. / Bibliography: leaves [201]-215. / Photocopy. / xi, 215 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

M. Ed. (Science Education) / South African Life Sciences teachers have been subjected to three policy changes during the past six years. The first new curriculum was implemented in 2006, and when it was found that this curriculum lacked sufficient botany content, a new version of the curriculum was implemented in 2009. Following this, a new curriculum was being implemented in 2012 in all subjects, leaving Life Sciences teachers fatigued as a result of all the professional development workshops they had to attend each year. One principle of the new curriculum was that teachers had to use a constructivist approach to teaching, but research had found that this was not the case in South African classrooms. Furthermore, research also showed that some South African teachers lacked the necessary content and pedagogical knowledge to teach science to grade 12 learners. The aim of this study was to see whether teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge could be improved by the use of communities of practice over a period of time. The content that was focused on was DNA, protein synthesis, meiosis and genetics, as these topics were flagged as problematic topics in the National Senior Certificate examinations in 2008. A generic qualitative design was used as this research was situated in an interpretive framework. The genre of the research was phenomenology with design based elements. Before the intervention started, teachers had to complete a questionnaire and this questionnaire had to be completed again after the intervention. Interviews and feedback tools were used to obtain teachers’ views on these communities of practice. The interviews also had a section that pertained to teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge. Structured classroom observations were used to see whether teachers were implementing a constructivist approach when teaching the content. It also served as a method to ascertain whether the activities done during the community of practice sessions were implemented into classroom practice. It was found that communities of practice are an effective way of developing teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, but that it should be continuous and would be more v effective over a longer period of time. Teachers also enjoyed these meetings, shared resources and motivated each other. Another finding of this research was that teachers did not implement a constructivist approach to their teaching as required by the new curriculum, even though they indicated that they preferred this approach to teaching. A recommendation of this research is that teachers’ professional development should take place in an informal community of practice where teachers could share ideas and resources. A keystone species is required for these communities of practice to stay sustainable. These communities of practice should be implemented on a continuous basis in order to have a positive effect on teachers’ practice.

The purpose of this study was to determine the sustainability of professional development teacher utilization of the Science-in-CTE pedagogical model and science enhanced CTE lessons one year following the Science-in-CTE Pilot Study. This study included 27 teachers (15 experimental CTE and 12 science) who participated in the Pilot Study in 2009-2010. This study was a partial replication of the Math-in-CTE Follow-up Study and data were collected using a mixed methods approach. Quantitative data were obtained from online questionnaires and qualitative data were collected from personal and telephone interviews. Data found that a majority of the CTE and science teachers voluntarily incorporated portions of the seven-element pedagogical model and 15 science-enhanced lessons into their curricula one year later. Findings suggest that collaborative professional development is an effective method of integrating science content into CTE curricula to enhance student CTE course achievement without reducing the intent of the CTE program.

This naturalistic case study documents a year long Teacher Professional Development Program (TPDP) initiated by an elementary school staff in British Columbia. The TPDP was designed to enable the teachers to meet their objective of making science instruction more frequent, more active, and more student-centered in all classrooms in the school. This case study addresses two research questions: 1. What attributes of the Teacher Professional Development Program supported the school's "objective" for improved science instruction? 2. How did the outcomes of the Teacher Professional Development Program relate to the achievement of the school's educational objective? The site for the research was a kindergarten - Grade 7 school. A university professor and the researcher were invited to visit the school on a bi-weekly basis during one school year (1993-94) to facilitate a series of science workshops involving the entire teaching staff and to provide classroom support to teachers. Teachers were offered university course credit for their participation. This case study draws on qualitative data including: audio recordings of planning/debriefing sessions, workshop discussions, and interviews with participants; field notes and written observations; a survey of teachers' opinions about the TPDP; and documents relating to the school accreditation process in 1994-95. The results of the study show that teachers, administrators, and parents were satisfied that the school's objective for science instruction was met, and that the TPDP contributed significantly to this outcome. The study identifies TPDP attributes which supported the school's objective with reference to the teachers and their context, the planning process, and the organizational context, that is, the school. This study contributes to our understanding of teacher professional development by examining an alternative to more common approaches to elementary teacher science inservice in British Columbia, which are typically short-term, designed by inservice providers with little input from participants, and removed physically and conceptually from the classroom. Such inservice experiences often lack administrative and collegial support for the teacher who attempts classroom implementation. While this study relates to science, the discussion is relevant to other curriculum areas such as fine arts or physical education.

The problem with which this study was concerned is an investigation of physics instruction in Texas public secondary schools. The purposes of this study were to investigate the status of physics instruction and to determine the in-service needs and preferences of the physics teachers in Texas public secondary schools. Data were collected by a questionnaire that was sent to a stratified random sample of 100 teachers. The questionnaire was evaluated by a panel of advisors and pilot tested. The bases for stratification were relative school size and geographic location. Usable returns were obtained from 69 respondents.