The dismantling of apartheid in South Africa provides educational researchers with the opportunity to explore many issues in education one of which being knowledge and its epistemology. Since colonization Africa has been mainly a consumer of Western knowledge and hardly a producer of new knowledge. Generally indigenous knowledge is taken by Western scholars and then sold to its motherland dressed in Western garb. Because of colonization and subsequent apartheid rule the progress of indigenous ways of knowing was marginalized and only Western ways of knowing were promoted. Indigenous ways of knowing need to be debated not only by scholars in the main but also by the science learners in African schools. Hence this study firstly explores the beliefs of a large group of grade 11 Physical Science learners about school science and indigenous knowledge and secondly explores how these learners negotiate relationships between school science and indigenous knowledge. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

When democracy was achieved in South Africa there was a need to create an education system that served the needs of all South Africans. An education system which would produce literate, creative, critical and productive citizens. This led to the introduction of OBE, Curriculum 2005 and the National Curriculum Statement policy document. The principles on which the current South African education system is based has been borrowed from countries like Canada, England and Scotland. Although there are educational changes, the legacy of apartheid continues to be felt in the education system. There still exists an unequal distribution of resources both physical and human. Many previously disadvantaged schools do not have laboratory facilities nor qualified biology educators. This unequal distribution of resources impacts on teaching and learning. The successful implementation of the NCS-FET Life Science Policy Document hinges on teachers. Teachers are expected to through their teaching espouse the philosophy of the NCS-FET Life Science Policy Document. The majority of teachers teaching in South African schools had their training in a "content era," where it was amiable to transfer as much content knowledge as possible to learners, with little inquiry and the accompanying practical work. The NCS-FET Life Science Policy Document embraces the idea of learner centredness and emphasises the development of basic and integrated science process skills, in its first learning outcome. These educational changes imply a re-examination of the ways in which activities may have been conducted in the past, and at present. The context in which practical work is done in South Africa is different from the context in which practical work is done in countries like Canada, England and Scotland. This study uses an open-ended questionnaire and focus group interview to investigate teacher conceptions of practical work, the types of practicals teachers use to teach science process skills. The purpose is to get a deeper insight and understanding of teacher practices within a South African context, taking into account the effects of the legacy of apartheid. The study also highlights the possible challenges the teachers face in embracing the NCS-FET Life Science Policy Document. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

This study examines the mathematics education of youth at-risk in South Africa. It explores how two learners at the margin understand and perform in mathematics in two radically different educational environments. It also examines what provisions, if any, are incorporated into the mathematics curriculum to accommodate these pupils. One of the research participants attended Thuthukani, a residential school for youth at-risk and the other was based at Sanville Secondary, a mainstream school. The differences between the two contexts were in the scarcity of resources, limited space and class sizes. The qualitative case study, which was the preferred method of choice, was carried out in two stages. Observation of learners at the residential school was stage one. Stage two was the observation of a learner at the margin in a mainstream school. Observations were captured through audio and visual recordings and photographs. Pupils' written reflections and workbooks, combined with the information acquired through interviews, informal discussions and a research diary, supplemented the instruments to produce a rich data for analysis. The analysis suggests that each of the components of this study, namely: the educational environment (context), the mathematics curriculum, the teacher and the learner at the margin influence the teaching and learning in the classroom. The study concludes with the researcher's recommendations on the mathematics education of learners at the margin. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2003.

The purpose of this study was to explore Physical Science learners' conceptions of nature of science. Grade ten learners were the focus in this study. They were the second group of learners who had experienced outcomes-based education in the General Education and Training band. The main research question that framed this study was: What are grade ten Physical Science learners' conceptions of nature of science? In order to answer the key research question this study also attempted to determine if learners held contemporary views of nature of science as accepted by the scientific community and as required by the new Natural Sciences curriculum and if there were differences in conceptions between groups such as male and female or different cultural groups namely Black and Indian learners. The research was conducted using a mixed methods approach where both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered. This study is embedded in a survey design. Quantitative data was obtained by administering a survey questionnaire to 190 grade ten Physical Science learners from seven different schools. Qualitative data was obtained from an open-format questionnaire, using a number of science-based scenarios, that was administered to a single class. The purpose was to obtain a deeper understanding of learners' nature of science conceptions in action. The findings of this study indicated that learners had mixed conceptions of nature of science. They possessed contemporary conceptions for certain aspects of nature of science but others were rooted in positivism. The results of this study concurred with the abundant international literature on nature of science. The findings have also revealed that there were significant differences for certain aspects of nature of science between the groups. Indian and Black learners had different conceptions for certain aspects of nature of science and so did the males and females. The intention of this study was to provide baseline data and guidance to teachers on what conceptions or alternate conceptions learners have about nature of science. Limited research exists on nature of science in South Africa. This study opens up the possibility of more detailed research into learners' views on nature of science within the new reforms of our South African science curriculum. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

This research explored the complex issue of the nature of science. The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between teachers 's beliefs about the nature of science and their classroom practices. Limited literature exists on the nature of science in South Africa. However, findings from the study concurs with the abundant international literature on the nature of science. This research has shown that textbooks, the curriculum, and teacher training are three of the primary factors that shape teachers ' beliefs about the nature of science. The under-emphasis of the nature of science in textbooks, the curriculum and in teaching training contributes to the misrepresentation of the nature of science by teachers in their classroom practices. This research was conducted as a case study using quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection such as questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations. Findings from the study have shown that teachers' instructional strategies are consistent with their personal educational philosophies, that is, teachers' teach science according to a belief system. For teachers operating in the analytical paradigm, the products of science such as the laws and theories were emphasized in their teaching and lessons were teacher dominated. Teachers operating in the hermeneutic and critical paradigms present science as dynamic and changing and they emphasized the products and processes of science with the teacher acting as a facilitator. Recommendations from the research include the development of new textbooks, curricula, teaching techniques and approaches to science. The research also calls for the inclusion of history and philosophy of science in the science curriculum. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1998.

The study provides a closer look at Physical Science teachers in the rural secondary schools (of the Bafokeng area). It puts focus on the different teaching methods that they use in order to overcome the realities of teaching in an under-resourced environment. This includes different aspects that affect the teaching and learning process, both directly and indirectly. In view of the above, the study displays the necessity and roles that different stakeholders have to play. For instance, the contribution of NGOs/ companies towards the development of teachers and school learning areas. The need for parental involvement in their children's learning process has also been highlighted. In the midst of having problems with resources, and learners from disadvantaged backgrounds, this study enlightens that" by going an extra mile, teachers can make a difference in the (disadvantaged) teaching environment, as well as to the lives of learners. Teachers in this study do not use any unknown special methods to deal with their situation. They do what they feel has to be done in order to continue with what is expected of them. The study has not managed to link any direct negative impact between class size and learning, since the school which had most learners in Physical Science, seemed to have being doing well under similar conditions as others. Also highlighted, is the importance of the relationship amongst Physical Science teachers themselves. Since most of the schools in this study did not have enough materials for teaching Physical Science/Chemistry, building relations with other teachers from different schools seemed worthwhile. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

The introduction of the new Physical Science curriculum in South Africa in 2006 has created challenges for physical science teachers and curriculum developers, including tertiary science educators. The curriculum recommends that the Nature of Science (NOS) has to be taught in an integrated manner in physical science lessons. In addition approximately one-third of all questions in class tests and examinations should be on NOS. Studies that were conducted nationally and internationally have shown that most science teachers‟ have inadequate views of NOS. This study, in particular, looks at post- graduate physical science teachers‟ knowledge and classroom practice of the Nature of Science in KwaZulu-Natal. Data was collected using a NOS questionnaire by a group of 38 FET physical science and life science teachers who had completed an honours module in NOS. Part of this module included the history and philosophy of science in classroom lessons, indigenous knowledge, and science and culture. Four physical science volunteers were then selected for in-depth classroom observations and interviews. This formed the main data for the study with fieldwork carried out in teachers‟ classrooms. Results indicated that postgraduate science teachers have an adequate understanding of NOS, mainly as a result of having completed modules covering NOS objectives, history of science and philosophy of science. Furthermore, evidence confirms that these teachers made positive attempts to plan and teach for the achievement of the NOS objectives during physical science class lessons and used materials and references from their post-graduate programmes. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

This study intends to foreground visual literacy within the wider context of visualisation and visual thinking in mathematics teaching and learning. Visualisation in general has been receiving attention in mathematics education research. I distinguish visual literacy from visualisation by referring to visual literacy as the combination of visualisation and logical thought. Visual literacy emphasises construction of meaning through the process of decomposition, comprehension and analysis of visual representations. The section on functional relationships is located in the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) for mathematics in the Further Education and Training (FET) phase for Grades 10-12 (Department of Education, 2003). Graphical functional relationships, which form an integral part of functions and algebra in the FET phase for Grades 10-12, demand visual literacy, which includes graphical interpretation and comprehension skills. Therefore, the conceptual understanding associated with graphs is dependent on the way graphs are presented. This study examines learners‟ and educators‟ procedural and conceptual understanding of the graphs they sketch and interpret in the FET curriculum. The data analysis contributes towards the fast growing body of knowledge on visualisation in mathematics with the significant impact visual literacy has on the conceptual understanding of mathematical graphs. The analysis reveals that the overarching theoretical framework of constructivism embracing the Process-Object, Visualizer-Analyzer and Semiotic models are useful in illustrating and justifying the link between visual literacy and the conceptual understanding of learners. In examining the visual understanding of graphical representations of ten Grade 11 learners and the two mathematics educators that teach them, the data reveals that learners display a somewhat skewed understanding of the nature of the Cartesian plane, the characteristics of graphs, functional notation and graphical terminology. In fact their educators, in some instances, displayed similar understandings. Learners display procedural understanding of graphical representations to a large extent. The educators‟ visual understanding does suggest that learners‟ interpretation of graphs is in some way influenced by the way they teach. The overriding contribution of the research study is that visual literacy plays a significant role in the conceptual understanding of functional graphical relationships. The relationship between graphical representations and logical thought is central to visual literacy. Key concepts: visual literacy, conceptual understanding, graphical representations, visualisation, analytical thinking, constructivism, process-object, Visualizer / Analyzer, semiotics and vehicles of reasoning. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

his thesis reports on a qualitative study of stakeholders’ constructions of gender in the context of the Free Primary Education policy in three primary schools in Lesotho. Through the lens of the social constructionist paradigm, the thesis examines how parents, teachers and children living in and around these primary schools think, act, and feel in relation to gender in their academic and social worlds. It looks at the ways in which these stakeholders engage with issues of gender in Lesotho communities ravaged by gender inequality. Based on parents’, teachers’ and children’s constructions of gender, the thesis suggests strategies that might help address inequitable gender relations in and around the primary schools. The thesis grounded my personal life experiences, as the researcher, as crucial in the development of methodological strategies and processes of this study. In a flexible and responsive manner, the study utilised informal conversations, semistructured interviews, observations, questionnaires and document analysis, as methods of data collection. It found that, influenced by ‘discursive constructs’ of providence and God’s will, child-adult relations, naturalness of gender differences and attributes as well as the Basotho culture, parents and teachers constructed gender in ways that reinforced existing gender inequality in and around the primary schools. The structural and social organisation of the schools that tended to allocate girls and boys into rigid social categories, and parents’ and teachers’ constructions of gender which reinforced inequitable gender relations, were found to have significant impact on the regulation of children’s experiences and meanings of gender. The study found that children’s experiences of gender informed how they actively engaged with issues of gender and the meanings they attached to being girls and boys. The study traces how Basotho culture and religion have been fundamental to gender inequality and violence in Lesotho. These factors encouraged the schools to use structural/physical identities (such as having biological sex as a boy/girl), as the bases for allocation of girls and boys into rigid and inequitable social categories. The dominant discourses of gender that emanated from these factors, ascribed stereotypic attributes to males (boys and men) and females (girls and women) as means to ground inequitable gendered human aptitudes, which were used to justify gender inequality. The study also identifies ways in which girls defy the insistence on their subordination, and sees fault lines where gender inequality can be confronted without abandoning Basotho culture. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

This study explores the aims of psychological assessment and evaluation of learners by Free State child guidance clinics so as to realise the goals of Inclusive Education. A systematic and scientific study examined the psychological assessment practices used by the Free State child guidance clinics. The study agitates for the eco-systemic theory as its theoretical framework to psychological assessment and evaluation of learners as opposed to the medical positivistic approach. The advent of democracy in 1994 led to the transformation of the South African education system. Education changes included the review of the use of psychological assessment and evaluation of learners in schools. Such changes in psychological evaluation were necessitated by the fact that traditional psychological evaluation methods were used to perpetuate apartheid policies. Psychological tools and techniques used were biased towards certain learners. Quantitative and qualitative research approaches were used to complement each other as part of triangulation. Five child guidance clinics were targeted as the research population for this study. These were: Child Guidance Clinic1, Child Guidance Clinic 2, Child Guidance Clinic 3, Child Guidance Clinic 4 and Child Guidance Clinic 5. Participants for the study were selected from all these clinics as they had all the characteristics needed to be part of the study. Purposive sampling then became the appropriate sampling style for the study. Not all members of the child guidance clinics were reached to be participants in the research study. Ultimately, 33 members of the child guidance clinics formed the research sample. Data production techniques used were structured questionnaires, clinical interviews and file analysis. A total number of 12 interviews were conducted, 25 questionnaires administered and 50 files audited. The literature survey provided a theoretical base to look at previous studies conducted on this topic and to provide a theoretical lens through which this study was conducted. Data produced were presented and qualitatively and quantitatively analysed. It became evident in this study that psychological assessment and evaluation of learners was culturally biased against certain learners. Many psychological tests used to assess learners had a content bias and were not standardised for the culturally diverse South African society. The general picture that emerged from the study about the assessment of learners was that many learners who were referred to child guidance clinics for psychological intervention were eventually placed in the special education programme. A majority of the assessors were white and speak Afrikaans. This created problems as they assess black Southern Sotho or Xhosa speaking learners because they are not conversant with learners’ language. They then had to use interpreters to help them. Tools and techniques that they used were influenced by the medical model as its theoretical base. In this study, it is argued that the medical model needs to be revisited as it does not help learners to realise their full potential. Instead, the eco-systemic model is foregrounded as the assessment model which is compatible with the principles of inclusive education. It then became evident that the aims of psychological assessment and evaluation of learners especially in an inclusive education context must be revisited. On the basis of the findings of this study, it is concluded that; • The total number of specialists working at the Free State child guidance clinics is too limited; • Most of the therapists, especially psychologists, still maintain that psychometric tests can play a role in inclusive education; • The aims of psychological evaluation should aim at the learner’s needs and for support; • Placement of learners in special settings should be discouraged and those who need moderate to high levels of support should be assisted at the full service school or resource centre. It was not the intention of this study to discuss psychological assessment and evaluation in depth as this is a very wide concept. Time constraints could not allow that. Further research is required on other aspects of psychological evaluation. Recommendations relating to how assessment in an inclusive education setting should be conducted and suggestions for future relevant research on psychological assessment and evaluation of learners are made. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.