This research builds on and contributes to work in Natural Science teacher education and practice. The study places particular attention on the teacher’s role in the science classroom through gaining more understanding on their classroom practices. A qualitative approach was employed. Data was collected from three grade 7 Natural Science teachers using observation and interview schedules. Analysis of the data then followed using the Classroom Practice Diagnostic Framework. The findings thereafter included inadequate teachers’ teacher knowledge. The teachers’ instructional strategies where not varied enough and centred on teacher lecture and the demonstration method. Finally, authoritative discourse was very prominent as well as system accountability. Recommendations were then given ranging from use of teaching methods that encourage an active and critical approach to learning, to improving classroom discourse by avoiding authoritative discourse. The implications of the research include better understanding of how teachers link their science knowledge to how they teach it, and better science application by the teachers and learners in South Africa. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (With specialisation in Natural Science Education)

This study aimed to explore teaching difficulties of Natural Sciences teachers when offering lessons in the Planet, Earth and Beyond strand. The aim was to understand their teacher knowledge, type of instructional strategies, and classroom discourse and interactions in their Natural Science classroom. The following question guided the study: What are the teaching difficulties of Planet, Earth and Beyond strand? A qualitative case study design was used for the study. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews and observations. The study revealed that NS educators: carry misconceptions to class; show poor knowledge of context in specific aims and assessment strategies while also choosing poor and irrelevant instructional strategies and; still see themselves as authority in class by applying a one- way approach. It is recommended that: educators be trained on how to implement active and critical learning, while empowering them with knowledge on NS specific aims and assessment strategies; departmental heads, SMTs, and subject advisor should engage in regular class visits in the NS educators` classes, reviewing lesson plans that educators prepared; schools should provide educators with CAPS relevant documents; the DoE should provide more education to educators on the importance of following the curriculum as prescribed in the CAPS document; the department should provide educators with relevant teaching aids and practical apparatus and in the absence advice educators on how to improvise and; the subject advisors should assist educators in identifying misconceptions. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Sciences Education)

This study aimed at determining whether participating in an environmental education programme (GLOBE) was positively reflected in participants' environmental perceptions, attitudes and level of environmentally responsible behaviour. An ecologically homogeneous sample consisting of 40 Grade 8 GLOBE participants and 40 non-GLOBE participants was selected. Pearson correlation coefficients, multiple regression analyses and t-tests were employed to compare the research groups. Results showed that GLOBE participants were more positive in their attitudes and actions toward the environment than non-GLOBE participants. GLOBE participants were however not environmentally more perceptive than non-GLOBE participants. Analysing responses of the GLOBE participants in terms of gender and place of residency was fruitless as the sample was too small to yield meaningful results. It was recommended that a more controlled and extended replication of this study, paying specific attention to initial motivations for participation/non-participation in the GLOBE programme, be considered. / Psychology / M.A.

This study investigates variables that influence choice of Physical Science as a secondary school subject. The variables are pupil, home environment, teacher and school environment. A questionnaire was administered to 849 grade 9 pupils. The following findings are recorded: The better pupils achieve in Science the more likely that they will further their studies in Science. If pupils have positive self-concepts, beliefs about, attitudes and interest in Science and enjoyed Science at primary school they are inclined to choose Science as a subject. Pupils who choose Science view it as a valuable subject for daily life, have parents who evaluate Science favourably and come from better socio-economic backgrounds than those who do not choose Science. These pupils also view the attitudes, personalities, competencies and methods of assessment of their Science teachers positively. Finally, they perceive the Science curricula and textbooks as beneficial. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The educational changes introduced by the South African democratic dispensation after 1994 were meant to address the apartheid imbalances. The self-governing regime sought to bring and safeguard quality education for all, and to amend the previous education inequalities among all racial groups. Hence, the new curriculum that was introduced by the National Department of Basic Education was meant to be a drastic departure from the school curricula of the apartheid administration. One critical innovation sought was to replace a teacher-centred curriculum with a learner-centred curriculum. The emphasis of this study, therefore, was to determine the level to which learner- centred teaching has been adopted by rural and underdeveloped schools. The selection of rural schools was informed by the obvious differences that still persist between the former Model C schools and those that were predominantly black and underdeveloped, particularly in terms of resources and the quality of teachers. Given the fact that the main feature of the Outcomes Based Education (OBE) that was introduced from 1996 is that it is resource-reliant, the main research question of the study was therefore: How do educators in rural and underdeveloped schools cope with a learner-centred teaching as part of the curriculum innovation? In order to riposte to the study’s main question, the researcher used qualitative research methods to discern data from Physical Sciences teachers, learners and Physical Sciences Heads of Departments (Hods) from the selected schools. In addition, the researcher conducted classroom teaching observations, analysed relevant documents and interviewed some participants to determine their views and experiences on using a learner-centred approach. The findings of the study revealed many challenges to rural schools in adopting and implementing a learner-centred approach. These include the lack of relevant resources, poor quality of teachers, insufficient and inappropriate teacher-support programmes for teachers as well as the rural environmental challenges. The overall conclusion of the study is that, after two decades since the introduction of a learner-centred approach in South Africa, rural schools have not yet managed to adopt and implement learner-centred pedagogy as an important part of the post-1994 educational innovations. The researcher finds it ironic that apartheid education was demonized for promoting inequality around racial lines. Sadly, the post-apartheid innovations have yet to address equality among the racial groups and areas of resident. The inability of rural schools to adopt and implement learner-centred approach is depriving black and rural learners of quality learning. They are still subjected to a teacher-centred learning which does not assist them to acquire required skills which can help them to compete with those learners who are attending affluent urban schools. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

This study aimed at determining whether participating in an environmental education programme (GLOBE) was positively reflected in participants' environmental perceptions, attitudes and level of environmentally responsible behaviour. An ecologically homogeneous sample consisting of 40 Grade 8 GLOBE participants and 40 non-GLOBE participants was selected. Pearson correlation coefficients, multiple regression analyses and t-tests were employed to compare the research groups. Results showed that GLOBE participants were more positive in their attitudes and actions toward the environment than non-GLOBE participants. GLOBE participants were however not environmentally more perceptive than non-GLOBE participants. Analysing responses of the GLOBE participants in terms of gender and place of residency was fruitless as the sample was too small to yield meaningful results. It was recommended that a more controlled and extended replication of this study, paying specific attention to initial motivations for participation/non-participation in the GLOBE programme, be considered. / Psychology / M.A.

This study investigates variables that influence choice of Physical Science as a secondary school subject. The variables are pupil, home environment, teacher and school environment. A questionnaire was administered to 849 grade 9 pupils. The following findings are recorded: The better pupils achieve in Science the more likely that they will further their studies in Science. If pupils have positive self-concepts, beliefs about, attitudes and interest in Science and enjoyed Science at primary school they are inclined to choose Science as a subject. Pupils who choose Science view it as a valuable subject for daily life, have parents who evaluate Science favourably and come from better socio-economic backgrounds than those who do not choose Science. These pupils also view the attitudes, personalities, competencies and methods of assessment of their Science teachers positively. Finally, they perceive the Science curricula and textbooks as beneficial. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The quality of matric results for Physical Sciences in South Africa is very poor and as a result few learners are able to meet the admission requirements to study careers related to Physical Science at tertiary institutions. The study investigated barriers to high performance of Physical Science learners at the township secondary schools in the Tshwane West District, in the Gauteng Province. Using a qualitative approach and a case study design, samples were chosen purposefully involving three secondary schools in the Tshwane West District. The schools that obtained a high pass rate in the Physical Science Grade 12 in the year 2017 were identified. Grade 11 and 12 Physical Science teachers and learners participated in this study. The data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews, and Physical Science lesson observation. The semi-structured interviews were conducted with four Physical Science teachers including Heads of Department (HODs) from the three selected secondary schools and 15 Physical Science learners in Grade 11 and 12. The data were analysed manually. The data were categorised according to themes, and then coded by hand and supported by the literature review. The anonymity of all participants was protected. Upon analysis of the results, some contributory barriers of high performance in Physical Science were identified from the three township schools, and these include inability to finish Grade 12 curriculum in time, parents forcing learners to do Physical Science in the senior grades (particularly in Grades 11 and 12), lack of motivation, learners with a negative attitude towards the subject, poverty, crime and dysfunctional Physical Science laboratories. Recommendations for improvement in the areas identified were provided. The Curriculum Developers of the Department of Education must review the Physical Science curriculum, particularly with the view of reducing the number of topics covered in Grades 11 and 12. Poverty and crime must be attended to as learners cannot learn when they are hungry and in an unsafe environment. It was also recommended that the Department of Education must assist in provision of resources necessary to teach Physical Science efficiently. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Science and Technology Education)

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Background. Traditionally, departmental appointment type (basic science or clinical) and/or degree earned (PhD, MD, or MD-PhD) have served as proxies for how we conceptualize clinical and basic science faculty. However, the landscape in which faculty work has considerably changed and now challenges the meaning of these cohorts. Within this context I introduce a behavior-based role variable that is defined by how faculty spend their time in four academic activities: teaching, research, patient care, and administrative duties. Methods. Two approaches to role were compared to department type and degree earned in terms of their effects on how faculty report their perceptions and experiences of faculty vitality and its related constructs. One approach included the percent of time faculty spent engaged in each of the four academic activities. The second approach included role groups described by a time allocation rubric. This study included faculty from four U.S. medical schools (N = 1,497) and data from the 2011 Indiana University School of Medicine Faculty Vitality Survey. Observed variable path analysis evaluated models that included traditional demographic variables, the role variable, and faculty vitality constructs (e.g., productivity, professional engagement, and career satisfaction). Results. Role group effects on faculty vitality constructs were much stronger than those of percent time variables, suggesting that patterns of how faculty distribute their time are more important than exactly how much time they allocate to single activities. Role group effects were generally similar to, and sometimes stronger than, those of department type and degree earned. Further, the number of activities that faculty participate in is as important a predictor of how faculty experience vitality constructs as their role groups. Conclusions. How faculty spend their time is a valuable and significant addition to vitality models and offers several advantages over traditional cohort variables. Insights into faculty behavior can also show how institutional missions are (or are not) being served. These data can inform hiring practices, development of academic tracks, and faculty development interventions. As institutions continue to unbundle faculty roles and faculty become increasingly differentiated, the role variable can offer a simple way to study faculty, especially across multiple institutions.

The South African education system has been evolving since the country became democratic in 1994 and a number of curriculum reforms have been introduced within a short space of time. These reforms revolve around power and control and therefore, Bernstein’s concepts of classification and framing form the conceptual framework for this study. This study attempts to give a picture of what is currently happening in schools pertaining to the implementation of the grade 10 Life Sciences (LS), Business Studies (BS), and Engineering Graphics and Design (EGD) Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS). The dual aim of this study was to find out educators’ understanding and interpretation of the CAPS that can be observed in their teaching practice and to establish how decisions on subject content (selection, sequencing and pacing) are made. Also of importance was to determine whether educators view and treat their subject as unique or as similar to other subjects. The study used a qualitative approach, using case study design. Observations were used as the main method for data construction. Four LS, BS and EGD educators from four different schools were observed teaching the same class for five consecutive lessons. Thereafter, these educators were interviewed. For triangulation purposes, learners and the subject advisor were participants in this thesis. For this purpose a group of ten randomly selected learners from observed classes per subject and school were requested to complete a questionnaire and the LS, BS and EGD subject advisors were interviewed. The subject advisors insisted that educators follow the CAPS so that learners would be able to write common assessment tasks at the end of each term. Although educators claimed that they were following the CAPS regarding content selection, sequencing and pacing, observations showed that educators were not following the CAPS document. The findings suggest that well coordinated interventions are required to support and monitor educators’ practice. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)