The purpose of this study was to observe the science teaching practices of six primary school teachers in Standards 5 through 7, to learn about their perceptions of teaching science and to examine whether or not their teaching practices were in keeping with what they were taught during teacher preparation as well as Malawi's educational expectations for primary school science based upon MIITEP (Malawi Integrated In-service Teacher Education Program) handbooks. Three research questions were posited: (a) What is the teacher preparation program for primary teachers in Malawi? (b) What were the instructional practices of the six beginning primary school science teachers who were prepared in the teacher training college programs? (c) What connections were evident between what beginning primary school science teachers were expected to learn and what they demonstrated in the classroom? All of the six participants (5 males and 1 female) had completed MIITEP in the past three to five years. The data sources for these science teachers included a self-assessment form, pre-observation interviews, post-observation interviews, and lesson observations. Data were also gathered from MIITEP handbooks and three science teacher educators who were interviewed. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis. The study revealed that there were matches, partial matches, and mismatches between what the six primary school teachers demonstrated in their classroom as compared with the Malawi Ministry of Education science teacher preparation expectations. Of particular interest were that science teachers did not fully engage pupils in most of the process skills for science teaching, nor did they utilize a variety of appropriate teaching and learning strategies and materials for teaching science. In addition, allotted time for teaching science lessons was not fully utilized due to, among other factors, time conflicts with other official and community welfare duties, and mixing English with vernacular during teaching. Implications for practice and for further research have also been suggested. / Ph. D.

The aim of the dissertation is to examine the mechanisms at work when networks are formed and risk constructions made as bodies encounter frontline technology within the food sector. The concept of technoscience TS, is the link uniting the escalating technology of risk society, rebellious nature and the insidious threats of substances absorbed straight into the metabolism of our bodies through the food that we eat. The TS viewpoint is complemented by a short overview of Beck’s theory about the risk society, in order to explain how research creates risks rather than removing them. The four case studies are all concrete manifestations of technoscience. They are: 1) a study of the alliance between a research company and a bacteria culture, 2) the section about the Gaio controversy and the creation of scientific facts, 3) the case of the scientist and high-ranking official who was sued for defamation of the Danish pig, 4) and finally the scandal of the meat-eating cows. We can observe, aided by Bruno Latour, how particularly in the first two stories, the importance of networks becomes apparent. How network analysis can be a tool for understanding the high-tech development of the food industry in the late 20th century as stories of how scientific claims – or “truths” – are reconstituted and transformed. We are also able to observe how truth is dependent on our own viewpoint, in Donna Haraway’s word it is “situated” or context dependent. The case studies are also examples of the links between body, technology and risk. Because they deal with the food product trade, the link to the body becomes obvious as dangerous food products are absorbed into the body through the food and is spread through the metabolism. The thing that sets risk construction in the use of high-tech production methods in the food trade apart from other areas is the meeting or confrontation between the man-made advanced technology and the limits determined by “nature” through the body. The linking of technology and the human body becomes particularly exciting as we notice that no matter how advanced the technology that has been used to produce a food product, it is still there to be eaten and absorbed by the metabolism of our bodies. In this area of uncertainty the dividing line between the possible and the impossible is fuzzy and changing.

De plus en plus d’organisations scientifiques contemporaines intègrent dans leur processus des foules de participants assignés à des tâches variées, souvent appelés projets de science citoyenne. Ces foules sont une opportunité dans un contexte lié à une avalanche de données massives qui met les structures scientifiques face à leurs limites en terme de ressources et en capacités. Mais ces nouvelles formes de coopération sont déstabilisées par leur nature même dès lors que les tâches déléguées à la foule demandent une certaine inventivité - résoudre des problèmes, formuler des hypothèses scientifiques - et que ces projets sont amenés à être répétés dans l’organisation. A partir de deux études expérimentales basées sur une modélisation originale, cette thèse étudie les mécanismes gestionnaires à mettre en place pour assurer la performance des projets délégués à la foule. Nous montrons que la performance est liée à la gestion de deux types de capitalisation : une capitalisation croisée (chaque participant peut réutiliser les travaux des autres participants) ; une capitalisation séquentielle (capitalisation par les participants puis par les organisateurs). Par ailleurs cette recherche met en avant la figure d’une nouvelle figure managériale pour supporter la capitalisation, le « gestionnaire des foules inventives », indispensable pour le succès des projets. / A growing number of contemporary scientific organizations collaborate with crowds for diverse tasks of the scientific process. These collaborations are often designed as citizen science projects. The collaboration is an opportunity for scientific structures in a context of massive data deluge which lead organizations to face limits in terms of resources and capabilities. However, in such new forms of cooperation a major crisis is caused when tasks delegated to the crowd require a certain inventiveness - solving problems, formulating scientific hypotheses - and when these projects have to be repeated in the organization. From two experimental studies based on an original modeling, this thesis studies the management mechanisms needed to ensure the performance of projects delegated to the crowd. We show that the performance is linked to the management of two types of capitalization: a cross-capitalization (each participant can reuse the work of the other participants); a sequential capitalization (capitalization by the participants then by the organizers). In addition, this research highlights the figure of a new managerial figure to support the capitalization, the "manager of inventive crowds", essential for the success of the projects.

ABSTRACT The study aims at establishing whether Foundation Phase schooling provides a proper foundation for the promotion of scientific literacy. Natural Science in the Foundation Phase is understood as scientific knowledge, process skills, and values and attitudes, which together should foster scientific literacy. Influential perspectives on learning, and teaching methods appropriate to Natural Science education in the Foundation Phase, are reviewed, and the Natural Science Learning Area in the RNCS discussed in the context of global trends in curriculum development. Finally the findings of an empirical survey on the perceptions of Foundation Phase teachers with regard to Natural Science teaching and learning, are presented. Major findings include the following: (1) Scientific literacy is currently not a curriculum priority in the Foundation Phase, due mainly to meagre time allocation and lack of applicable Learning Outcomes. (2) Although teachers appear predominantly positive towards the Learning Area, significant shortcomings need to be addressed before Natural Science teaching in the Foundation Phase may claim to provide the required basis for promoting scientific literacy. OPSOMMING Die studie poog om vas te stel of Grondslagfase-onderrig `n geskikte basis lê vir die bevordering van wetenskaplike geletterdheid. Natuurwetenskappe in die Grondslagfase word beskou as `n kombinasie van wetenskaplike kennis, prosesvaardighede, en waardes en ingesteldhede, wat gesamentlik wetenskaplike geletterdheid ten doel het. Invloedryke perspektiewe op leer, en gepaste onderrigmetodes vir die effektiewe fasilitering van Natuurwetenskappe-onderrig in die Grondslagfase word onder die loep geneem voordat die Natuurwetenskappe-leerarea in die Hersiene Nasionale Kurrikulumverklaring bespreek word binne die konteks van wêreldwye neigings in kurrikulumontwikkeling. Laastens rapporterr die studie die bevindinge van `n empiriese ondersoek na die persepsies van Grondslagfase-onderwysers rakende Natuurwetenskaponderrig en -leer. Belangrike bevinding sluit in: (1) Die bevordering van wetenskaplike geletterdheid word nie as kurrikulumprioriteit in die Grondslagfase beskou word nie, soos blyk uit die karige toedeling van tyd en aantal leeruitkomste aan die Natuurwetenskappe-leerarea op hierdie vlak. (2) Alhoewel onderwysers se persepsies rakende Natuurwetenskaponderrig en -leer oorwegend positief blyk te wees, is daar ernstige tekortkominge wat aangespreek moet word voordat Natuurwetenskappe-onderrig in die Grondslagfase die vereiste grondslag sal kan lê vir die bevordering van wetenskaplike geletterdheid. / Educational Studies / M.Ed.

ABSTRACT The study aims at establishing whether Foundation Phase schooling provides a proper foundation for the promotion of scientific literacy. Natural Science in the Foundation Phase is understood as scientific knowledge, process skills, and values and attitudes, which together should foster scientific literacy. Influential perspectives on learning, and teaching methods appropriate to Natural Science education in the Foundation Phase, are reviewed, and the Natural Science Learning Area in the RNCS discussed in the context of global trends in curriculum development. Finally the findings of an empirical survey on the perceptions of Foundation Phase teachers with regard to Natural Science teaching and learning, are presented. Major findings include the following: (1) Scientific literacy is currently not a curriculum priority in the Foundation Phase, due mainly to meagre time allocation and lack of applicable Learning Outcomes. (2) Although teachers appear predominantly positive towards the Learning Area, significant shortcomings need to be addressed before Natural Science teaching in the Foundation Phase may claim to provide the required basis for promoting scientific literacy. OPSOMMING Die studie poog om vas te stel of Grondslagfase-onderrig `n geskikte basis lê vir die bevordering van wetenskaplike geletterdheid. Natuurwetenskappe in die Grondslagfase word beskou as `n kombinasie van wetenskaplike kennis, prosesvaardighede, en waardes en ingesteldhede, wat gesamentlik wetenskaplike geletterdheid ten doel het. Invloedryke perspektiewe op leer, en gepaste onderrigmetodes vir die effektiewe fasilitering van Natuurwetenskappe-onderrig in die Grondslagfase word onder die loep geneem voordat die Natuurwetenskappe-leerarea in die Hersiene Nasionale Kurrikulumverklaring bespreek word binne die konteks van wêreldwye neigings in kurrikulumontwikkeling. Laastens rapporterr die studie die bevindinge van `n empiriese ondersoek na die persepsies van Grondslagfase-onderwysers rakende Natuurwetenskaponderrig en -leer. Belangrike bevinding sluit in: (1) Die bevordering van wetenskaplike geletterdheid word nie as kurrikulumprioriteit in die Grondslagfase beskou word nie, soos blyk uit die karige toedeling van tyd en aantal leeruitkomste aan die Natuurwetenskappe-leerarea op hierdie vlak. (2) Alhoewel onderwysers se persepsies rakende Natuurwetenskaponderrig en -leer oorwegend positief blyk te wees, is daar ernstige tekortkominge wat aangespreek moet word voordat Natuurwetenskappe-onderrig in die Grondslagfase die vereiste grondslag sal kan lê vir die bevordering van wetenskaplike geletterdheid. / Educational Studies / M.Ed.