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Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Many researchers cite living more sustainably as humans' most pressing long- term challenge. Living sustainably can be defined as meeting one's needs without interfering with future generations ability to meet their needs. Engaging students with the social causes and effects of sustainability issues may help to address and create dialogue about our own needs and those of future generations. Unfortunately, no studies examine how teachers deliver this topic as a social issue in their classrooms. Through the research question, "What are the curricular, pedagogical, and assessment strategies of three teachers when they teach the social issues of sustainability education?" this qualitative case study seeks findings useful to the education field. For example, teachers might learn how peers plan, implement, and assess this sort of instruction. Teacher educators could create or update pre- service education sustainability frameworks. Or, researchers might study the findings' impact on existing educational paradigms. Thus, this study advances understanding within education on ways to sustain humanity's prosperity.

I investigate stakeholder experiences in five New York City secondary classes associated with the low end of the civic opportunity gap. Classroom stakeholders are students, teachers, and college mentors participating in the Generation Citizen program. Generation Citizen is a push-in program meant to promote civic engagement opportunities in middle and high schools associated with the civic opportunity gap. The civic opportunity gap refers to observations that opportunities for civic engagement differ based on racial and socioeconomic markers. A conceptual framework based on situated learning theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991) guides data collection and analysis. The framework draws attention to the experiences of individuals and groups in specific contexts, called communities of practice. Successful learning in a community of practice begins with legitimate peripheral participation, a process similar to apprenticeship. Situated learning theory considers the ways that people engage with each other around important issues, imagine realities in other communities, and try to align their efforts with existing processes. I present data collected through observations of classroom interactions and interviews with students, teachers, and program mentors. I find that legitimate peripheral participation required classroom stakeholders to engage the root causes of their chosen issues and put their knowledge into practice through actions aligned with the locus of their issue. This finding emerged through three themes, which address the role of classroom pedagogies in supporting or complicating the process of legitimate peripheral participation. Themes allow a discussion of the role that classroom interactions play in framing civic engagement experiences. Opportunities for civic engagement in school can positively address the problems of civic gaps when youth can name and enact legitimate efforts on their own terms.

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This thesis sought to investigate the teaching of natural sciences in the curriculum of middle schools. This was because the Government of South Africa had introduced a new curriculum to replace an apartheid curriculum which existed in the country before 1994. Outcomes- Based Education (OBE) was chosen as the medium through which the curriculum was to be made known to learners. OBE like all educational theories and principles has its characteristics and specific approaches to teaching, which were different from the teacher - centred approaches science teachers were used to. This placed on teachers the task of teaching science using OBE. There were other problems and challenges which they had to overcome in order to teach effectively. The purpose of the research was to determine the extent to which natural science teachers practiced OBE in their teaching. The study sought Jo answer the following research questions: • To what extent was Grade 7 to 9 natural science teachers able to use Outcomes Based Education methods and principles to teach natural science? • Which challenges did middle school science teachers experience in the use of Outcomes Based Education in the teaching of natural sciences to learners in Grades 7 to 9? • How could the challenges experienced by the science teachers in the use of Outcomes Based Education in their teaching be addressed? The study drew its population and sample from natural science teachers of the middle schools of the Mmabatho, Mafikeng, ltsoseng and Bodibe areas. The teachers responded to questions from questionnaires and interviews. The data collected was then subjected to both quantitative and qualitative analysis. The following are the main findings of the study : That the middle school science teachers had little or no knowledge on OBE and needed more workshops and or in-service training and development in OBE strategies and teaching skills. They also needed further education and certification to improve : That the unavailability of laboratories, apparatus, chemicals and other learner support materials such as text books and a school library have influence on the teachers ability to prepare lessons to suit specific topics and they could not prepare lesson plans from any other sources except from prescribed textbooks. The teachers needed support from the Department of Education officials to understand and apply OBE in their classrooms. Views they had on OBE as to its usefulness or otherwise were formed based on how Department of Education officials interpreted it to them. Finally to ensure success and effective implementation, the study expressed the need for further research to be conducted in matters that affect the teaching and learning of science such as; teachers knowledge in OBE science teaching strategies and assessment practices; teaching and learning support and, in-service training and science teacher development and education. A research on the impact of OBE on learners at middle schools was suggested as a sequel to the topic of this research. / Thesis (PhD) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2006

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M.Ed. / The goal of this research study was to provide psycho-educational guidelines that will facilitate a positive experience of physical science for grade 10 learners. The stakeholders in this research study were grade 10 physical science learners and grade 10 physical science educators. A positive experience of physical science is important for various reasons. One reason is that there is a declining interest in learners pursuing scientific careers (Lepkowska, 1996:33). The main reason for this is that learners do not feel they are able to master the subject. They often do not understand what they are being taught in class and how it is applicable to their lives. Learners therefore experience a “love/hate” relationship with the subject – when they do well in the subject they like it and when they achieve poorly, they hate it. This complex relationship is often misunderstood by physical science educators. Educators often do not realise how they can change learners’ experience of the subject. It was one of the main aims of this research study to provide educators with practical guidelines on how to facilitate a positive experience of physical science. Three main themes were identified during the research: 1. Grade 10 learners’ experience of physical science is related to the psychosocial characteristics of the learner and his/her interaction with the environment. 2. Grade 10 learners’ experience of physical science is related to the method of instruction or the teaching method thereof in the classroom. 3. Grade 10 learners’ experience of physical science is related to the educators’ attitude, words and actions towards learners during the teaching of physical science.These three themes can be further substantiated by the following categories: • The feedback loop between the learners’ ability to understand physical science and their self-image in the presence of other learners. • Learners experience a love-hate relationship with physical science influenced by their ability to understand the subject. • Implementing practical activities such as experiments, practical assignments and attending science outings makes the subject more interesting, fun and able to understand. • Group activities in learning about physical science adds to the experience of it being fun and enable learners to learn more about others. • Physical science taught by relating its meaning in the learners "real life" is more interesting and easier to understand. • A context created where learners feel "comfortable with the teacher" promotes the approachability of the educator. • Disrespectful practices demonstrated by educators, lead to a negative experience of physical science. • Educators verbalising work pressure and showing stress related to the teaching of physical science increase the pressure and stress learners experience about the subject. Recommendations that could assist learners’ achievement in physical science should focus on facilitating a positive experience of the subject. It should takethe themes and categories of this study into consideration. Some important recommendations are: • Further research is required to find appropriate ways to enable educators and curriculum designers to successfully build systematic understanding of science through everyday knowledge and interests of learners. • The current physical science curriculum is national or universal but it should be locally defined. The curriculum should respond to local interests and needs. Science education will then be of immediate use to the learners and promote concept development that is more effective. It will also result in greater achievement of “critical outcomes” like problem solving, critical thinking, application of knowledge and teamwork. • Further research is needed to explain the negative correlation between learners’ attitude and perceptions towards physical science and their achievement in the subject. • The context of the physical science classroom has to be investigated to identify what the nature and style of teaching and activities are that engage learners in physical science. • More research is needed to examine instructional strategies in the classroom for improving all learners’ experience of physical science and achievement in science. The researcher experienced the research as very fulfilling and challenging. She realised that there are numerous possibilities within the physical science classroom where educators can influence their learners’ achievement.

Assuming that the social studies teacher should shoulder responsibility for developing reading skills, what steps are necessary in planning a program aimed at the development of reading skills in the social studies classroom? This paper will treat only one step: evaluation of the present position of the student and/or class in terms of skill development and ability levels. The author shall attempt to ascertain whether or not it is possible for the classroom teacher to determine present achievement levels in terms of specific skills needed in reading social studies materials through an item analysis of student performance on two commonly used standardized social studies tests. This will, in effect, be testing the thesis: Through item analysis of tests concerned with reading skills in the social studies it is possible to determine achievement levels of a class or individual accurately enough, in terms of specific skills, to design a program for skill improvement. / Typescript. / "August, 1959." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Education." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 41-42).