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published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Philosophy

Teaching science using an inquiry approach is encouraged by several organisations responsible for defining teaching and learning guidelines in North America. However, using this approach can be difficult because of the complexity of inquiry. One source of difficulty is an inability to make sense of the data. Error variation, in particular, poses a significant barrier to the correct interpretation of data and therefore successful inquiry learning. A study was conducted to examine middle school students' ability to make sense of the data they collected in three related experiments. These data involved taking measurements of two continuous variables that were affected by error variation. The results indicated that students tended not to use abstract patterns to describe the data but rather used more local patterns that did not make use of the whole data set. However, many students also indicated an intuitive understanding that a greater amount of data could be used to generate results that are more accurate. This suggests a disparity between what the students understand about data and what they are capable of doing with data. Educational implications are that students may benefit from learning ideal patterns that can be compared to non-ideal data they collect.

The dismantling of apartheid in South Africa provides educational researchers with the opportunity to explore many issues in education one of which being knowledge and its epistemology. Since colonization Africa has been mainly a consumer of Western knowledge and hardly a producer of new knowledge. Generally indigenous knowledge is taken by Western scholars and then sold to its motherland dressed in Western garb. Because of colonization and subsequent apartheid rule the progress of indigenous ways of knowing was marginalized and only Western ways of knowing were promoted. Indigenous ways of knowing need to be debated not only by scholars in the main but also by the science learners in African schools. Hence this study firstly explores the beliefs of a large group of grade 11 Physical Science learners about school science and indigenous knowledge and secondly explores how these learners negotiate relationships between school science and indigenous knowledge. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

As the purpose and function of secondary education evolved, secondary school science, while still presented as a discipline has been influenced by external aims and objectives. Two persistent difficulties have been the wide range of student ability and interest, and external examinations. [...]

The increasing installation of the SMART Boards (electronic interactive whiteboards - IWBs) in education is an issue that cannot be ignored. South Africa is not an exception in this issue. The IWBs are gaining popularity amongst schools and educators in South Africa. With the growing number of users of IWBs in South Africa, this modern technology might have brought challenges and new opportunities to education and instructional methods at all educational levels. The purpose of the study was to investigate the use of the IWBs in the teaching and learning science in high schools. The selected schools use modern technologies that enhance teaching and learning such as the IWBs. This study aimed at developing an understanding of educators’ experiences on the benefits and challenges posed by utilizing the IWBs in their current practice with a view to drawing implications for possible recommendations for this type of technology. The study adopted a qualitative research design and followed case study methodology. It employed qualitative data collection techniques such as semi-structured individual and focus group interviews and classroom observations with purposively selected science educators in two public high schools in the Durban metropolis. The participants were six educators and eight learners from the two schools. It also followed a guided analysis based on the principles of both Connectivism and Engagement theories that informed the study. The findings revealed both benefits and challenges on educators. The most prominent benefits which educators recognized included multimedia features of the IWBs; their capabilities in learning; and their support for different learning styles. Alongside these benefits, educators also perceived challenges which involved low level of educators’ ICT skills related to insufficient professional development and training, and lack of planning. Generally; the study revealed that the IWBs can be generically beneficial tools provided some major problems are rectified. Recommendations relating to these findings are also provided, with an emphasis on technology planning and professional development as prerequisites to proper implementation of the IWBs in schools. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

This work is a case study of the opinions of four young people who studied physical science while at a technical high school and then went on either to study in a scientific field at a tertiary institution or went to work in a technical field. The purpose was to try and find out what contribution studying physical science at high school makes to learners who choose a career path in a technical workplace or in a scientific/technical field in tertiary education. The questions asked were firstly ''What is the value of having studied physical science at high school to students entering the workplace and entering higher education?" and then "What skills and knowledge are required for employment in a technical workplace and for tertiary education?" and "What are the views of students, employers and lecturers on the preparation given to physical science students for the world of work and for tertiary studies?" Questions were asked of the young people, their lecturers, and their employers. The idea was to find out whether subject-specific knowledge was important or whether there were certain skills which were considered more valuable. Skills were broadly defined as competencies that would enable a person to cope with the requirements of a new and different learning and work environment after leaving school. Four young people with similar high school backgrounds were interviewed and their opinions noted. Structured interviews were conducted and compared for similarities and differences. The employers and lecturers were given a questionnaire to complete. They were asked what they expected of new employees and new students, and how their ideals matched the actual applicants whom they accepted. These answers were compared to those given by the young people. It was found that although the subject content knowledge that learners received at high school was important, there was a general and definite lack of preparation in terms of critical thinking skills and preparation for coping with unfamiliar problems. It seemed that the current examination-driven school system is not the best preparation for either tertiary education or technical employment, although much did depend on the particular teaching methods experienced by each student. This study opens up a possibility of more detailed research into why so few learners who pass senior certificate physical science are adequately prepared for the fields which are under consideration in this enquiry. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, 2003.