Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Since 1994 South Africa has been characterized by transformation inter alia in the field of education. A process characterized by preparation and development of a new, extended curriculum evolved between 1994 and 1997. On 24 March 1997 Curriculum 2005 with an outcomes-based approach was introduced. Curriculum 2005 strives to bridge the imbalances of the past. Owing to the complexity of this curriculum and the problems encountered in practice, Curriculum 2005 was revised between January and July 2001 in order to address the problem areas. A change in curriculum necessitates a change in teaching-instruction strategies, learning programmes, assessment strategies and the method of recording and reporting. As educators are directly affected by the process of change in curricula, it is essential that educators are curriculum-competent to understand and implement the changes. In this regard, Evans (1996:55) states: "One of the necessary ingredients of such a restructuring is empowering the players, the teachers." An essential condition for successful implementation of change is the empowerment of educators to manage the change. The essential questions addressed in this study are: • To what degree are educators trained to manage these changes? • What does the successful implementation of change, entail specifically within the Social Sciences Learning Area? • What are the educators' needs and experience regarding change? The main focus of this study is to make a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the current changes with a view to developing a theoretical framework for the training of educators for Outcomes-based Education (OBE) within the Social Sciences Learning Area. To achieve the main focus of this study, the following specific aims have been formulated: • executing of a literature study, with regard to appropriate curriculum theory, curriculum practice and development of educators; • making a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the training process of educators within the Social Sciences Learning Area; and • developing a theoretical framework to address the problems that have been identified, regarding educator development. The contribution of this study is located not only in the appropriate literature study, but also in the fact that the outcome of this research can contribute to the development of a relevant, effective and contextualised dissemination process. It is clear that ineffective dissemination is the root cause of ineffective curriculum development, as educator development cannot be optimalised in such conditions. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrika word sedert 1994 deur transformasie gekenmerk, onder meer op onderwysgebied. Tussen 1994 en 1997 is 'n proses aan die gang gesit om 'n nuwe, breë kurrikulum voor te berei en te ontwikkel. Op 24 Maart 1997 is Kurrikulum 2005 bekend gestel. Met Kurrikulum 2005 se uitkomsgebaseerde benadering word daarna gestreef om die ongelykhede van die verlede te oorbrug. As gevolg van die kompleksiteit van die kurrikulum en probleme wat in die praktyk ervaar is, is Kurrikulum 2005 tussen Januarie en Julie 2001 hersien ten einde probleemareas aan te spreek. Kurrikulumverandering beteken uiteraard dat daar ook In verandering in onderrigstrategieë, leerprogramme, assesseringstrategieë en wyses van optekening en rapportering sal wees. Aangesien opvoeders direk deur die veranderingsproses van kurrikula geraak word, is dit noodsaaklik dat opvoeders kurrikulumbekwaam is om die verandering te verstaan en te implementeer. In die lig hiervan verklaar Evans (1996: 5): "One of the neccesary ingredients of such a restructuring is empowering the players - the teachers." 'n Kernvoorwaarde vir suksesvolle implementering van verandering is die bemagtiging van opvoeders om hierdie verandering te hanteer. Die kernvrae wat in hierdie studie aangespreek word, is: • In watter mate word opvoeders voorberei om sodanige veranderinge te kan hanteer? • Wat behels effektiewe opvoedervoorbereiding met die oog op die suksesvolle implementering van verandering, spesifiek binne die leerarea Sosiale Wetenskappe? • Wat is opvoeders se behoeftes en ervaring van verandering? Die hooffokus van die studie is die maak van 'n kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe evaluering van huidige verandering met die oog op die ontwikkeling van 'n teoretiesee raamwerk vir die voorbereiding van opvoeders vir Uitkomsgebaseerde Onderwys (UGO) binne die Leerarea Sosiale Wetenskappe. Om die hooffokus van hierdie studie te realiseer, is die volgende besondere doelstellings geformuleer: • die uitvoer van 'n literatuurstudie ten opsigte van toepaslike kurrikulumteorie, kurrikulumpraktyke en opvoederontwikkeling. • die maak van 'n kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe evaluering van die voorbereidingsproses van opvoeders binne die Leerarea Sosiale Wetenskap; en • die ontwikkeling van 'n teoretiese kurrikulumraamwerk vir die aanspreek van die geïdentifiseerde probleme met betrekking tot opvoederontwikkeling. Die bydrae van hierdie studie is nie net in die toepaslike literatuurstudie geleë nie, maar ook daarin dat die uitkoms van hierdie navorsing kan bydra tot die ontwikkeling van relevante, doelmatige en gekontekstualiseerde disseminasieprosesse. Dit blyk duidelik dat oneffektiewe disseminasie 'n grondoorsaak van oneffektiewe opvoederontwikkeling is, juis omdat opvoederontwikkeling nie tot sy reg kom nie.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Planet Earth is plagued by a myriad of problems which have been on the increase in recent years. These include, among other things, e–waste; reduction in biodiversity, air pollution, global warming and many more. Undoubtedly, the greed of human beings more than the quest to satisfy needs has been at the core of these problems which threaten the sustainability of earth’s ecosystems. For some years now, Environmental Education (EE) has been acknowledged and, consequently, employed as the vehicle to offset the impact of the challenges which continue to degrade Planet Earth. Hence, many levels of education, especially formal education; have been making some inroads towards empowering people to change their behaviour and help others through the integration of EE in learning and teaching activities. Unfortunately, the early childhood stage of human development has been neglected when it comes to education issues, in general (Calman and Tarr–Whelan 2005; Davis 1998), and in the context of this study, in issues concerning Environmental Education (Davis 2009). For example, Davis (2009) conducted a literature survey for the period 1996 – 2007 with a focus on environmental education/education for sustainability and childhood education and discovered that little research had been conducted in this area. Hence, she laments, “in general, early childhood education researchers have not engaged with environmental/sustainability issues, and environmental education researchers have not focused on very young children and educational settings” (Davis 2009: 229). Accordingly, this study was undertaken in response to Davis’s (2009) outcry and the realisation that, indeed, even in the context of South Africa, there is paucity of research in the areas identified by Davis (2009). The purpose of this qualitative–interpretive paradigm guided inquiry was to investigate the extent to which Environmental Education is integrated in Grade R teaching and learning activities at selected Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centres in the North West Province of South Africa. In order to gain in–depth information and multiple perspectives (Creswell 2007) on the subject of inquiry, the maximum variation strategy, a subtype of purposeful sampling (McMillan and Schumacher 1997) was used for case selection.Consequently, four Grade R offering ECD centres with diverse characteristics participated in this inquiry. From each of the selected centres, one Grade R classroom was selected for investigation. Likewise, the Grade R teachers whose classes were selected together with their principals participated in the investigation. Three data generation strategies were used in this inquiry, namely; participant observations, semi–structured interviews, and document and artefact analysis. And, in order to assign meaning to generated data, two data analysis strategies were utilized, namely; constant comparison (Leech and Onwuegbuzie 2007) and domain analysis (Neuman 2011). Evidence from this study suggests that, to a very limited extent, some Grade R teachers do integrate environmental issues in their activities. However, this infusion of EE is done, mainly, in the form of teaching about the environment with little or no teaching in/through and for the environment. Hence, viewed from Kopelke’s (2012) perspective, this integration of environmental issues can be considered to be environmental studies. Likewise, hindrances to the integration of EE in selected Grade R classes were identified. These included the following: classroom overcrowding, underfunding, inadequate teacher training and lack of resources. On the other hand, the following were some of the factors identified as enablers of EE infusion: collaboration among the Grade R teachers, well–designed Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM) and, enabling curriculum frameworks. The study makes the following recommendations, among other things: the prioritisation of Grade R teacher training and remuneration, on–going and meaningful professional support for Grade R teachers, adherence to the norms and standards for Grade R funding and empowerment of School Management Teams and Senior Education Specialists to adequately support the Grade R teachers. Additionally, studies of similar nature are recommended and the study is rounded off with some guidelines on the integration of EE in Grade R. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Planeet Aarde word deur ontelbare probleme wat in die afgelope jare verhoog geteister. Hierdie probleme sluit in, onder andere, e–afval, vermindering van biodiversiteit, lugbesoedeling, aardverwarming en nog meer. Sonder twyfel word die gulsigheid van die mens liewer as die voorsiening van behoeftes as die kern van hierdie probleme, wat die volhoubaarheid van die aarde se ekosisteme bedreig, beskou. Vir ’n paar jaar word Omgewingsopvoeding (OO) erken en gevolglik gebruik om die effek van die voortdurende uitdagings om Planeet Aarde te degradeer en te neutraliseer. Gevolglik het baie vlakke van onderwys, veral formele onderwys; deur die integrasie van Omgewingsopvoeding in leer= en onderrigaktieiteite vordering t.o.v die bemagtiging van mense gemaak om sodoende hul gedrag te verander en ander mense in die proses te help. Ongelukkig word die vroeë kinderfasee van menslike ontwikkeling in die algemeen, verwaarlos waneer dit by onderwyskwessies kom (Calman en Tarr–Whelan 2005; Davis 1998), en veral in die konteks van hierdie studie, spesifiek die kwessies van Omgewingsopvoeding(Davis, 2009). Davis (2009) het ’n literatuuroorsig vir die tydperk 1996 – 2007 met die fokus op omgewings /opvoeding vir volhoubaarheid in kinderonderwys gedoen, en ontdek dat baie min navorsing in hierdie gebied gedoen is. Dus betreur sy die feit dat “in die algemeen navorsers in vroeë kinderonderwys nie die kwessies van volhoubaarheid aangeraak het nie en die navorsers in omgewingsopvoeding nie op baie jong kinders en hulle opvoedkundige kontekste gefokus het nie” (Davis 2009: 229). Gevolglik is hierdie studie onderneem in respons op Davis (2009) se verweer en ook die besef dat, inderdaad; selfs in die konteks van Suid–Afrika, daar ‘n gebrek aan navorsing in die areas wat deur Davis (2009) geidentifiseer is bestaan. Die doel van hierdie kwalitatiewe–interpretatiewe ondersoek is om die mate waarin omgewingsopvoeding, in Graad R–onderrig en leeraktiwiteite by Vroeëkindontwikkeling (VKO) sentrums in die Noordwes Provinsie van Suid–Afrika geintegeer is, te ondersoek. Ten einde, in–diepte inligting en veelvuldige perspektiewe (Creswell 2007) oor die onderwerp van ondersoek te verwerf, is die maksimum variasie–strategie (McMillan and Schumacher 1997), wat ‘n sub–kategorie van doelgerigte steekproewe is as keuse vir hierdie gevallestudie gebruik. Gevolglik is vier VKO–sentrums, met uiteenlopende kenmerke, wat Graad R aanbied by hierdie ondersoek betrek. Uit elke gekose sentrum is een Graad R–klaskamer vir ondersoek gekies. Terselfdetyd het die Graad R–onderwysers van die gekose klasse en hul skoolhoofde aan die ondersoek deelgeneem. Drie strategiee is gebruik om data in hierdie ondersoek te genereer naamlik; deelnemer–waarneming, semi–gestruktureerde onderhoude en die analise van dokumente en artefakte. Twee strategiee is gebruik om data te analiseer en betekenis daaraan te gee, naamlik; konstant–vergelykings (Leech and Onwuegbuzie 2007) en domein– analise (Neuman 2011). Bewyse uit hierdie studie dui daarop dat, sekere Graad R–onderwysers tot ’n baie beperkte mate, omgewingskwessies in hul aktiwiteite integreer. Hierdie integrasie van omgewingsopvoeding sluit hoofsaaklik onderrig oor die omgewing in met min of geen onderrig of/deur en vir die omgewing. Dus, vanuit Kopelke (2012) se perspektief, kan hierdie integrasie van omgewings–kwessies in aanmerking geneem word by omgewingsstudies. Daarbenewens is ook, hindernisse tot die integrasie van OO in gekoste Graad R–klase identifiseer. Dit sluit die volgende in: oorbevolkte klaskamers, swakbefondsing, onvoldoende opleiding van onderwysers en ’n gebrek aan hulpbronne. Andersyds is die volgende faktore identifiseer as geleenthede wat die integrasie van OO kan bevorder: samewerking tussen die Graad R–onderwysers, goed ontwerpte Leer en Onderrig Ondersteuning Materiaal (LOOM) en bemagtigende kurrikulumraamwerke. Die studie maak onder andere die volgende aanbevelings: die prioritisering van Graad R–onderwyser- opleiding, deurlopende en betekenisvolle professionele ondersteuning aan Graad R–onderwysers, voldoening aan die norme en standaarde vir Graad R–befondsing, en die bemagtiging van Skoolbestuurspanne en Senior Onderwys–spesialiste tot die effektiewe ondersteuning van Graad R–onderwysers. Daarbenewens word, studies van soortgelyke aard aanbeveel en word die studie met ’n paar riglyne oor die integrasie van OO in Graad R afgerond.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Education / Master / Master of Education

Transforming society towards following an environmentally sustainable path will not be easy because it means a fundamental shift in thinking, values and actions of all institutions, communities and individuals worldwide. Education is the key to ensure that future generations of South Africans will be able to deliver the society envisaged by our Constitution. The formative years of the Foundation Phase are an ideal place for environmental education (EE) to begin. The purpose of this study was to explore conceptions of EE held by educators in the Foundation Phase at a primary school in KwaZulu-Natal. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

In traditional science education, lecture-style presentation dominates. There is a call, however, to integrate a greater amount of inquiry and discovery into the science classroom, specifically utilizing new media and technology. To answer that call, an undergraduate team created a tablet application for primary students, which was designed to supplement instruction in the physical sciences. The app was then taken into the classroom to test for efficacy. The primary students’ test scores showed a significant increase after use of the tablet application. Grade level and school location did affect change in test score; whereas, gender, type of school, student IEP, and iPad use did not. The undergraduate team who designed the app also showed significant increase in concept knowledge after the project in specific topic areas. / Literature review -- Methodology and results for undergraduate study -- iPad application : the product -- Methodology and results for primary student study -- Implications and recommendations. / Department of Chemistry

The purpose of this study was to compare the environmental literacy of 11th and 12th graders who participated in an eighteen-week environmental education program using trade books versus 11th- and 12th-graders who participated in an eighteen-week, traditional environmental education program without the use of trade books. This study was conducted using a quasi-experimental research technique. Four high school aquatic science classes at two suburban high schools were used in the research. One teacher at each high school taught one control class and one experimental class of aquatic science. In the experimental classes, four trade books were read to the classes during the eighteen-week semester. These four books were selected by the participating teachers before the semester began. The books used were A Home by the Sea, Sea Otter Rescue, There's a Hair in My Dirt, and The Missing Gator of Gumbo Limbo. The instrument used to measure environmental literacy was the Children's Environmental Attitude and Knowledge Scale. This test was given at the beginning of the semester and at the end of the semester. The scores at the end of the semester were analyzed by 2 X 2 mixed model ANOVA with the teacher as the random effect and the condition (trade books) as the fixed effect. The statistical analysis of this study showed that the students in the experimental classes did not score higher than the control classes on the Children's Environmental Attitude and Knowledge Scale or on a subset of "water" questions. Several limitations were placed on this research. These limitations included the following: (1) a small number of classes and a small number of teachers, (2) change from the original plan of using environmental science classes to aquatic science classes, (3) possible indifference of the students, and (4) restrictive teaching strategies of the teachers.

The problem of the study was to develop an instrument to measure achievement in social studies in the primary grades.

The problem of using a state adopted textbook written to apply to a large body of students with varying interests and needs was overcome by using a detailed syllabus that arranged course content in a meaningful sequence that appealed to student interest. The outlined syllabus prepared a two semester life science curriculum to be used by the teacher to guide lesson planning. Both semesters were divided into three units each. Materials included in the syllabus were given to actual student groups in real classroom settings. Since hands on learning was an important part of classroom instruction, two laboratory sections were included in the appendices to be used with the syllabus.

The most important question addresed in this study was whether there is any difference in student learning between a motion group and a non-motion group. The interactive video courseware is currently a part of the curriculum in this district. It was used in its original form with the contrast group. For the experimental group one unit of the courseware was modified to remove the motion video and replace it with photorealistic graphics that served as the non-motion part of the study. Covariates were selected to compensate for any differences in the two groups. A pretest and posttest was administered to both groups. Analysis of the posttest scores indicated that there was no difference in learning if motion in the presentation was the only variable.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, 10 October 2016. / This research explores the potential influence of Life Sciences teacher curriculum support materials on unscientific ideas about evolution by natural selection. The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement document, seven learner Life Sciences textbooks and their seven teacher guides were investigated by content analysis to find out firstly, the nature and extent of misconceptions about evolution; secondly, the nature and extent of latent problems associated with the topic of evolution; thirdly, the extent to which the Grade 12 Life Sciences textbooks pointed out common misconceptions and went on to provide the correct scientific explanations to counter the misconceptions; and fourthly, the extent to which teacher guides address teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching the topic of evolution by a) pointing out common misconceptions; b) providing the correct science to counter a specific misconception; c) pointing out pre-requisite knowledge which ought to be learnt first in order to understand the topic of evolution; d) pointing out typical difficulties students encounter when learning the topic of evolution. The Grade 10 and 11 textbooks and teacher guides were analysed for fragmentation and sequencing by use of a checklist. The results show the presence of manifest errors and latent problems in the CAPS document, textbooks and teacher guides. The CAPS document had one manifest error and five instances of latent problems. The section on alternatives to evolution was judged to be a manifest error because religious ideas are not regarded as science by the scientific community. The manifest error found in the CAPS document was also found in the textbooks and teacher guides. Frequent manifest errors occurred in the textbooks, averaging 11 per publisher. The CAPS document had fragmented evolution ideas and probably because textbook authors use this document to write their books, the evolution content in textbooks was also found to be fragmented. Whilst some of the teacher guides were found to address the issue of teacher PCK for teaching the topic of evolution in different ways, some of them were found to be deficient in that respect. The presence of latent problems across all the three curriculum support materials investigated is a cause for concern. Latent problems are problematic if not handled with care because they pose a risk of being misinterpreted, and this may in turn cause the development of evolution misconceptions. An investigation of whether the unscientific evolution ideas in the curriculum documents actually influenced learners’ evolution ideas was not part of this study. However, because textbooks are generally considered as authoritative sources of knowledge upon which teachers and students rely, the presence of misconceptions in these curriculum support materials poses a risk that users of such documents could pick up these misconceptions during teaching and learning. The study highlights the need for a multifaceted approach involving all relevant stakeholders (teachers, authors, publishers and the Department of Education officials) working together in an attempt to address the problem of evolution misconceptions in the Life Sciences curriculum support materials. / TG2016