Abstract in English, Zulu and Afrikaans / Environmental Education (EE) has been integrated into the school curriculum for many years. According to this study, integration has to be followed by implementation, therefore the process of implementation is successful when integration has been successfully carried out. This study aimed to understand how teachers meet the curriculum needs of learners in order to implement effective teaching and learning of EE and for learners to gain adequate knowledge of EE. The methodology employed by this study was a qualitative research method and a multiple case study design. The theories employed to guide this study were social learning theory and social constructivism theory. This study employed a purposive sampling technique and three secondary schools were sampled for observations, three Natural Science (NS) teachers in grade 8 classes were sampled for interviews and 24 learners were sampled for focus groups in grade 8 NS classes. The findings of this study reveal that there is a lack of knowledge regarding caring for the environment, of which there is a contradiction between EE guidelines and policies provided by the Department of Education (DoE) and the teaching practices of teachers. Although education is perceived to be an essential tool in the conservation of nature through the development of information, aptitudes, qualities and critical thinking by the general population, it does not seem to have a large impact. In this study the aim was to understand how learners and teachers perceive the environment. This study implicates that there is an important role for other stakeholder’s involvement. Thus far, it was recommended by this study for EE curriculum to be revisited and emphasises the importance of thorough teacher training in regards to the integration. The purpose of this study was to explore how teachers and learners in three selected secondary schools in the UGU education district perceive the integration of EE in classrooms. / I- Environmental Education (EE) ihlanganiswe nekharikhulamu yesikole eminyakeni edlule. Ngokwalolu cwaningo, ukuhlanganiswa kumele kulandelwe ngokusetshenziswa, ngakho- ke, inqubo yokusebenzisa iyaphumelela lapho kuhlanganiswa kwenziwa ngempumelelo. Lolu cwaningo luhlose ukuqonda ukuthi othisha bahlangabezana kanjani nezidingo zekharikhulamu zabafundi ukuze babe nokufundisa nokufunda okusebenzayo kwe-EE nokuthi umfundi athole ulwazi olwanele lwe-EE. Indlela esetshenziswe yilolu cwaningo yayiyindlela yokucwaninga eyejwayelekile, ukwakhiwa kwamacala amaningi okufundwa Kanye nemibono esetshenziselwe ukuqondisa lolu cwaningo kwakuyithiyori yokufunda ukuqondisa lolu cwaningo kwakuyithiyori yokufunda ngokuhlalisana komqondo kanye nomqondo wokuqina kwezenhlalo. Lolu cwaningo lusebenzise inqubo yokuhlampula enenhloso kwathi izikole ezintathu zenziwa amasampula ukuze kubhekwe zona, othisha abathathu be- Natural Science (NS) emabangeni e- 8 bavunyelwa ukuxoxisana nomcwaningi kwathi abafundi abangama- 24 batholakaliselwa ukugxila emakilasini e-NS ebangeni le- 8. Ukutholwa kwalolu cwaningo kuveze ukuthi kunokuntuleka kolwazi mayelana nokunakekela imvelo okukhona kuyo ukungqubuzana phakathi kwemihlahlandlela ye-EE nezinqubomgomo ezinikezwe nguMnyango Wezemfundo (DoE) nemikhuba yokufundisa yabothisha. Yize imfundo ibonwa njengethuluzi elibalulekile kulondolozo lwendalo ngokuthuthukiswa kolwazi, amandla, izimfanelo nokucabanga okubucayi kweningi labantu kodwa akubonakali kunje, ngale ndlela sakwazi ukuqonda ukuthi abafundi nothisha bayayibona imvelo. Lolu cwaningo lugcizelela ukuthi kunendima ebalulekile yokuzibandakanya kwabanye ababambiqhaza. Kuze kube manje, kuyahlongozwa yilolu cwaningo ukuthi ikharikhulamu ye-EE iphinde iphindwe futhi ukugcizelela ukubaluleka kokuqeqeshwa okuphelele kothisha madondana nokuhlanganiswa. Inhloso yalolu cwaningo bekukuthola ukuthi othisha kanye nabafundi ezikoleni ezintathu ezikhethiwe esikhungweni sezemfundo sase Ugu babona kanjani ukuhlanganiswa kwe-EE emakilasini. / Omgewingsopvoeding (EE) is jare gelede by die skoolkurrikulum geintergeer. Volgens hierdie studie moet integrasie gevolg word deur implementering, daarom is de implementeringsproses suksesvol wanneer intagrasie suksesvol uitgevoer is. Hierdie studie het ten doel om te verstaan hoe onderwysers voldoen aan die kurrikulumbehoeftes van leeders voldoen om effektiewe onderrig en leer van EE te implementeer en om leeder voldoende kennis van EE te verwerf. Die metodologie wat by hierdie studie gebruik is, was ‘n kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetode, meervoudige gevallestudie- ontwerp en die teoriee wat gebruik is om hierdie studie te lei, was sosiale leerteorie en sosiale konstruktivisme teorie. Hierdie studie het ‘n doelgerigte steekproefnemingstegniek gebruik en drie sekondere skole is gemonster vir waarnemings, drie onderwysers in Natural Science (NS) in grad 8-klasse is geneem vir onderhoude en 24 leerders is gemonster vir fokusgroepe in grad 8-klasse. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie het aan die lig gebring dat daar ‘n gebrek aan kennis is met betrekking tot die versoging van die omgewing, en daar is ‘n teenstrydigheid tussen die EE- riglyne en –beleide wat deur die Departement van Onderwys (DvO) en die onderwyspraktyke van onderwysers aangebeid word. Alhoewel onderwys beskou word as ‘n noodsaaklike instrument in die bewaring van die natuur deur die ontwikkeling van inligting, aanleg, kwaliteite en kritiese denke deur die algemene bevolking, maar dit lyk nie meer so nie, kon ons op hierdie manier vestaan hoe leerders en onderwysers sien die omgewing waar. Hierdie studie impliseer dat die betrokeenheid van ander belanghebbendes ‘n belangrike rol speel. Tot dusver is deur hierdie studie aanbeveel dat die EE-kurrikulum herbesoek moet word en dit beklemtoon die belangrikheid van deeglike onderwyseropleiding met betrekking tot die integrasie. Die doel van hierdie studie was om te ondersoek hoe onderwysers en leerders in drie geselekteerde hoerskole in the UGU-onderwysdrik die integrasie van EE in die klaskamers waarneem. / Adult Basic Education (ABET) / M. Ed. (Environmental Education)

The mandate from the government is for schools to integrate Environment Education (EE) in all subjects. However, some Life Sciences teachers in the Vhembe District still fail to integrate EE into their lessons. This qualitative case study, hence, investigated how Life Sciences teachers in Vhembe District of Limpopo Province are supported by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to integrate EE into their lessons. The purpose of this study was to develop guidelines to enhance the support given by DBE, to Life Sciences teachers, in their attempts to integrate EE into their lessons. Studies have been conducted about factors that inhibit the integration of EE in school subjects. However, little has been written about how the DBE supports teachers to integrate EE in their lessons. This study contributes knowledge to this gap. This study was based on interpretivism, followed a qualitative approach and a phenomenological case study design. Three schools in Vhembe District in Limpopo Province were conveniently selected and one Life Sciences teacher was purposively selected from each school to get rich-information about the research topic. One subject advisor was also purposely selected as a participant from the Vhembe District under, Mutshindudi circuit. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews with the teachers and the subject advisor. Before the interviews, the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) document, pacesetter and textbooks were first analysed. Findings from the CAPS document analysis show support for teachers towards integrating EE in Life Sciences, although, the pacesetter does not provide such support. The teachers, however, do not take advantage of the offered support from the documents because they do not read these curriculum documents. Further, the findings reveal that the subject advisor was not doing enough to support the teachers as the limited support that the teachers received was only reactive. This study also found that lack of training for teachers and the subject advisor, lack of understanding of EE and lack of resources were still challenges in the integration of EE in the research context. This study recommends that there should be a more proactive support for to integrate EE into their lessons so as to produce environmentally informed learners. Thus, the DBE must take responsibility of providing teachers with necessary trainings and resources for EE to support them to integrate it into the lessons. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Specialisation in Environmental Education)