This descriptive case study focuses on how Technology teachers interpret and enact the interrelationship of the Technology-Society-Environment (TSE) theme with the Technological Process and Skills (TPS) and Technological Knowledge and Understanding (TKU) curriculum themes of the South African school subject, Technology. Science and technology have influenced society in the twentieth and twenty-first Century to a considerable extent. A critical study of this group of related influences is termed Science- Technology-Society and addresses socially relevant topics that encourage critical and high level thinking skills, problem-solving and decision making capacity. These issues are included in the Technology curriculum as the TSE theme. Using the TSE theme in teaching would have the potential to make the curriculum more relevant and learning more meaningful as it provides scope for teachers to engage learners to construct knowledge at a critical level in different real life contexts. This study investigated the relationship between teachers’ understanding of the interrelationship of TSE with Technological Process and Skills (TPS) and Technological Knowledge and Understanding (TKU) themes and the extent to which the unique features and scope for teaching Technology are met. The study was set in Bohlabela district of the province of Mpumalanga, in South Africa and implemented between August 2011 and April 2012. Four teachers of different schools and circuits were interviewed, three were observed during teaching, their lessons, work schedules and learners’ workbooks and project portfolios were analysed. A novel combination of an adaptation of the Ben-Peretz scheme of curriculum document analysis and Rogan and Grayson construct of implementation frame was used in the analysis of the information obtained through documents and observations. The study established that only in exceptional cases teachers use learner centred approaches that allow the integration of the TSE theme with the process (TPS) and knowledge (TKU) themes. Evidence was found that while teachers planned such integration, learners themselves do not show any examples of such integration in their workbooks. Teachers have difficulties with specific knowledge areas of the Technology curriculum, in spite of formal adequate basic training in the subject. Teachers ascribe these difficulties to resource limitations, the absence of specific technology training and inadequate support by teacher support personnel. It is recommended that teacher support groups be established, and that the Department of Education develop specific curriculum materials and train teachers in the interpretation and enactment of the documents. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / gm2014 / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul / In search of a distinctive chemical education, with meaning for social and productive life of young high school students, the present study investigates how the theme "pollution" may facilitate the construction of the teaching and learning process of redox reactions content of high school students under a STSE (Science-Technology-Society-Environment) approach. For this, firstly, we sought theoretical references about the conceptual part of redox reactions and the theme "pollution". Then, we conducted an analysis of papers published in the journal Chemistry at the New School , with the intention of investigating how the redox reactions have been explored, their different approaches and their impact on the teaching of chemistry. From this, we developed a proposal to approach the redox reactions in the classroom, which was assessed through interventions with the second year high school students from a public school of Santa Maria, RS. Interventions in the classroom were carried out in two steps, both based on the methodology of the three pedagogical moments. The first developed inorganic redox content associated with the pollution of soil, whereas the second involved some organic redox reactions through the water pollution, specifically the treatment of effluents. This is a qualitative research. To collect data, we use questionnaires and textual productions, they were analyzed according to the Discursive Textual Analysis. The results allowed us to conclude that the development of redox reactions associated with the theme "pollution" by a STSE perspective favored teaching and learning of chemistry, as we observe an improvement in the construction of students knowledge. / Na busca de um ensino de química diferenciado, com significado para vida social e produtiva de jovens estudantes do nível médio, a presente pesquisa investiga como a temática Poluição pode favorecer a construção do processo de ensino aprendizagem do conteúdo de reações redox para estudantes de nível médio sob um enfoque CTSA (Ciência-Tecnologia-Sociedade-Ambiente). Para isso, primeiramente, buscamos referenciais teóricos a respeito da parte conceitual das reações redox e a temática Poluição . Em seguida, realizamos uma análise dos artigos publicados na revista Química Nova na Escola, com a intenção de investigar como as reações redox estão sendo exploradas, suas diferentes abordagens e sua repercussão no ensino de Química. A partir disso, desenvolvemos uma proposta para abordar as reações redox em sala de aula, que foi avaliada através de intervenções realizadas com estudantes da segunda série do nível médio de um colégio estadual de Santa Maria, RS. As intervenções em sala de aula foram realizadas em duas etapas, ambas baseadas na metodologia dos Três Momentos Pedagógicos. A primeira desenvolveu o conteúdo inorgânico de oxirredução associado à poluição do solo, enquanto que a segunda envolveu algumas reações orgânicas de oxirredução através da poluição da água, especificamente o tratamento de efluentes. A pesquisa é de caráter predominantemente qualitativo. Para a coleta de dados, utilizamos de questionários e produções textuais, analisados de acordo com a Análise Textual Discursiva. Os resultados encontrados nos permitiram concluir que o desenvolvimento das reações redox associadas a temática Poluição por um perspectiva CTSA favoreceram o ensino e a aprendizagem de Química, visto que observamos um avanço na construção do conhecimento dos estudantes.

Submitted by JÚLIO HEBER SILVA (julioheber@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-03-27T20:31:00Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Viviane Soares do Nascimento - 2015.pdf: 1621065 bytes, checksum: 5ac4d73e695185fd51cb24af57d83587 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-03-28T11:35:43Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Viviane Soares do Nascimento - 2015.pdf: 1621065 bytes, checksum: 5ac4d73e695185fd51cb24af57d83587 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-28T11:35:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Viviane Soares do Nascimento - 2015.pdf: 1621065 bytes, checksum: 5ac4d73e695185fd51cb24af57d83587 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-09-24 / The Youth and Adult Education (YAE) in the educational system of the country, is characterized as a teaching modality, required by law and aimed at people who had no access, for some reason, to the regular school at the appropriated age, according to has been established in the Federal Constitution of 1988. We believe that teaching of science can form more critical citizens. Thus, teaching of science allows citizens a better interaction with the world. This research aimed to evaluate the teaching of scientific concepts about substance in the adult education. Thus, we plan and develop pedagogical interventions (PIs) with approach in relations Science-Technology-Society-Environment (STSE). We have studied the processes of conceptual appropriation by Conversation Analysis (CA) produced these PIs. Based by socio-historical and cultural foundations, we developed an action research. Results lead us notice that the teaching and the learning of chemical concepts with STSE approach performed in adult education seems to contribute to the concepts appropriation of constituent entities of matter. Besides, he explained the link between the work world (context that characterizes and defines the subject of the YAE) and the chemical science, a fact that promoted the relations teacher - student - knowledge-cientific. / A Educação de Jovens e Adultos (EJA) no sistema educacional do país, caracteriza-se como uma modalidade de ensino, amparada por lei e voltada para pessoas que não tiveram acesso, por algum motivo, ao ensino regular na idade apropriada de acordo ao que se instaurou na Constituição Federal de 1988.Defendemos que ensinar ciências pode formar cidadãos mais críticos.Assim, ensinar ciências permite ao cidadão uma melhor interação com o mundo.Essa investigação visou avaliar o ensino dos conceitos científicos sobre substância na EJA. Desta forma, planejamos e desenvolvemos intervenções pedagógicas (IPs) com abordagem nas relações Ciência-Tecnologia-Sociedade-Ambiente (CTSA). Estudamos os processos de apropriação conceitual por meio da Análise da Conversação (AC) produzido nestas IPs. Pautada em bases sócio-históricas e culturais desenvolvemos uma pesquisa-ação. Os resultados permitem inferir que o ensino-aprendizagem dos conceitos químicos com enfoque CTSA realizado na EJA parece colaborar para a apropriação dos conceitos das entidades constituintes da matéria. Além do que, explicitou o vínculo entre o mundo do trabalho (contexto que caracteriza e define o sujeito da EJA) e a ciência química, fato que promoveu as relações professor-aluno-conhecimento científico.

With the proliferation of 21st century educational technologies, science teaching and learning with digitally acclimatized learners in secondary science education can be realized through an online Science-Technology-Society-Environment (STSE)-based issues approach. STSE-based programs can be interpreted as the exploration of socially-embedded initiatives in science (e.g., use of genetically modified foods) to promote the development of critical cognitive processes and to empower learners with responsible decision-making skills. This dissertation presents a case study examining the online environment of a grade 11 physics class in an all-girls’ school, and the outcomes from those online discursive opportunities with STSE materials. The limited in-class discussion opportunities are often perceived as low-quality discussions in traditional classrooms because they originate from an inadequate introduction and facilitation of socially relevant issues in science programs. Hence, this research suggests that the science curriculum should be inclusive of STSE-based issue discussions. This study also examines the nature of students’ online discourse and, their perceived benefits and challenges of learning about STSE-based issues through an online environment. Analysis of interviews, offline classroom events and online threaded discussion transcripts draws from the theoretical foundations of critical reflective thinking delineated in the Practical Inquiry (P.I.) Model. The PI model of Cognitive Presence is situated within the Community of Inquiry framework,encompassing two other core elements, Teacher Presence and Social Presence. In studying Cognitive Presence, the online STSE-based discourses were examined according to the four phases of the P.I. Model. The online discussions were measured at macro-levels to reveal patterns in student STSE-based discussions and content analysis of threaded discussions. These analyses indicated that 87% of the students participated in higher quality STSE-based discussions via an online forum as compared to in-class. The micro-level analysis revealed students to attain higher cognitive interactions with STSE issues. Sixteen percent of the students’ threaded postings were identified in the Resolution Phase 4 when the teacher intervened with a focused teaching strategy. This research provides a significant theoretical and pedagogical contribution to blended approach to STSE-based secondary science education. It presents a framework for teachers to facilitate students’ online discussions and to support learners in exploring STSE-based topics.

With the proliferation of 21st century educational technologies, science teaching and learning with digitally acclimatized learners in secondary science education can be realized through an online Science-Technology-Society-Environment (STSE)-based issues approach. STSE-based programs can be interpreted as the exploration of socially-embedded initiatives in science (e.g., use of genetically modified foods) to promote the development of critical cognitive processes and to empower learners with responsible decision-making skills. This dissertation presents a case study examining the online environment of a grade 11 physics class in an all-girls’ school, and the outcomes from those online discursive opportunities with STSE materials. The limited in-class discussion opportunities are often perceived as low-quality discussions in traditional classrooms because they originate from an inadequate introduction and facilitation of socially relevant issues in science programs. Hence, this research suggests that the science curriculum should be inclusive of STSE-based issue discussions. This study also examines the nature of students’ online discourse and, their perceived benefits and challenges of learning about STSE-based issues through an online environment. Analysis of interviews, offline classroom events and online threaded discussion transcripts draws from the theoretical foundations of critical reflective thinking delineated in the Practical Inquiry (P.I.) Model. The PI model of Cognitive Presence is situated within the Community of Inquiry framework,encompassing two other core elements, Teacher Presence and Social Presence. In studying Cognitive Presence, the online STSE-based discourses were examined according to the four phases of the P.I. Model. The online discussions were measured at macro-levels to reveal patterns in student STSE-based discussions and content analysis of threaded discussions. These analyses indicated that 87% of the students participated in higher quality STSE-based discussions via an online forum as compared to in-class. The micro-level analysis revealed students to attain higher cognitive interactions with STSE issues. Sixteen percent of the students’ threaded postings were identified in the Resolution Phase 4 when the teacher intervened with a focused teaching strategy. This research provides a significant theoretical and pedagogical contribution to blended approach to STSE-based secondary science education. It presents a framework for teachers to facilitate students’ online discussions and to support learners in exploring STSE-based topics.