The South African Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS), curriculum guides, and instructional materials on the Outcomes Based Education (OBE), emphasize the development and use of science process skills. Learners using these materials are expected to acquire these skills. The traditional assessment of process skills through practical work only, has practical constraints, particularly in large under resourced classes. A reliable, convenient and cost effective complementary paper and pencil test for assessing these skills may provide a solution. In South Africa, little research has been undertaken in the area of development and validation of science process skills tests. This study was an attempt to develop and validate a test of integrated science process skills, referenced to a specific set of objectives, for use in the further education and training band (grades 10 – 12). The science process skills tested for were: identifying and controlling variables, stating hypotheses, experimental design, graphing and interpreting data, and operational definitions. Thirty multiple-choice items, designed to be content independent; and gender, race, school type, and location neutral, were developed and administered to a total of 1043 grade 9, 10, and 11 learners from ten schools, in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Results from data analysis show that the test is valid, and that its test characteristics fall within the acceptable range of values for discrimination index, index of difficulty, reliability, and readability levels. Comparison of the performance of different groups of learners who wrote the test showed that the test is gender and race neutral. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / MSc / Unrestricted

Submitted by Fabiana Gonçalves Pinto (benf@ndc.uff.br) on 2015-12-21T14:41:46Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Fabiana Silva Marins Nazareno Cosme.pdf: 2308189 bytes, checksum: f3ba353270961268f4dfc41b3eb788b0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-21T14:41:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fabiana Silva Marins Nazareno Cosme.pdf: 2308189 bytes, checksum: f3ba353270961268f4dfc41b3eb788b0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Mestrado Profissional em Ensino na Saúde / O estudo emergiu a partir da vivência da autora como preceptora em Unidades Básica de Saúde que recebem estagiários. Objeto de estudo: a construção de competências pelo preceptor de Enfermagem na Atenção Básica. Objetivos: descrever as atividades do enfermeiro preceptor, da atenção básica, na formação de graduandos de Enfermagem; identificar as competências que o enfermeiro preceptor necessita desenvolver e/ou aprimorar para atuar na formação de graduandos de Enfermagem; analisar possíveis estratégias para o desenvolvimento e/ou aprimoramento das competências identificadas e elaborar uma tecnologia educacional, com a participação dos preceptores sobre competências e estratégias didático-pedagógicas, com base nos achados deste estudo, que subsidie a prática reflexiva da preceptoria de graduandos de Enfermagem no SUS. Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo, descritivo e exploratório, sendo o projeto aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética e Pesquisa Hospital Universitário Antônio Pedro e da Secretaria Municipal de Saúde do Rio de Janeiro, em respeito à resolução nº196/96 do Conselho Nacional de Saúde. Os cenários da pesquisa foram três unidades de Atenção Básica, duas do município de Niterói e uma do município do Rio de Janeiro. Os sujeitos foram onze enfermeiros-preceptores de alunos da graduação em Enfermagem. A coleta de dados foi realizada através de entrevistas semi-estruturadas. As bases conceituais do Estudo foram as competências para o educador elencadas por Perrenoud e a Reflexão na ação discutida por Schön. Os dados foram analisados norteados pelo ciclo da reflexividade proposto por Valente (2009) e categorizados os resultados em unidades temáticas: Ações do Enfermeiro Preceptor na formação do graduando: evidenciando seu papel e O desafio da Preceptoria na Atenção Básica: competências e estratégias demandadas dessa prática. Analisando as categorias apresentadas, foi concluído que não há um auto-reconhecimento claro por parte dos preceptores de seu papel como agentes de transformação social, o que é percebido em suas ações. Identificou-se que a reflexão retrospectiva sobre a prática do preceptor ainda é incipiente, apontando prioritariamente para a necessidade de competências relacionadas à falta de pro atividade sobre sua própria formação e à deficiência no planejamento do processo ensino-aprendizagem advindo de falta de capacitações específicas. / The study emerged from the experience of the author as preceptor in Basic Health Units that receive trainees. Object of study: the building of competences by the preceptor of Nursing in the Basic Attention. Objectives: to describe the activities of the preceptor nurse, of basic attention, in the education of the graduating nursing student; identify the competences that the preceptor nurse needs to develop and/or enhance to act in the education of graduating nursing students; analyze possible strategies for the development and/or enhancement of competencies identified and elaborate an educational technology, with the participation of preceptors on skills and didactic-pedagogic strategies, based on the findings of this study, which subsidizes the reflexive practice of preceptorship of nursing students in the SUS. This is a qualitative study, descriptive, exploratory, and the project is approved by the Ethics Research Committee of the University Hospital Antônio Pedro and of the Municipal Health Secretariat of Rio de Janeiro, in respect to Resolution N.196/96 of the National Health Council. The research scenarios were three units of Basic Attention, two of Niterói municipality and one of Rio de Janeiro municipality. The subjects were eleven preceptor nurses of the graduation nursing students. Data collection was realized through semi-structured interviews. The conceptual bases of the Study were the skills for the educator listed by Perrenoud and the Reflection in the action discussed by Schön. Data were analyzed guided by the cycle of reflexivity proposed by Valente (2009) and categorized the results into thematic units: Preceptor Nurse´ s actions in the formation of the student: highlighting their role and the challenge of Preceptorship in Basic Attention: skills and strategies originated from this practice. Analyzing the categories presented, it was concluded that there is no self-recognition by the course tutors of their role as agents of social transformation, which is perceived in their actions. It was identified that the retrospective reflection on the practice of the preceptor is still incipient, pointing primarily to the need for skills related to the lack of pro activity on their own training and disability in planning the teaching-learning process arising from a lack of specific skills.