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The classroom implementation of indigenous knowledge in the science curriculum by science teachers in the Western Cape province, South AfricaJacobs, Keith Ronald January 2015 (has links)
Includes bibliographical references / The South African policy document of the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) for Natural Science (Department of Education, 2002), the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) for Life Science (Department of Education, 2003), and the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) for Natural Science and Life Science (Department of Education, 2011) recognises and affirms the critical role of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in science education. These policy documents expect the science teachers to integrate indigenous knowledge in their lessons. This study strove to establish how selected high school science teachers in the Western Cape Province responded to the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in their teaching. The present study employed a multi-method approach, involving different research methods used in parallel or sequence but are not integrated until inferences are made (Johnson, Onwuegbuzie & Turner, 2007). This study took place in two main sequential data collection phases, namely, the quantitative data collection phase ((QUAN) and the qualitative data collection phase (qual). This contemporary approach was employed in order to provide credible and trustworthy answers to the following research questions, namely, 1) To what extent are the science teachers in the Western Cape Province integrating scientific and indigenous knowledge, as required by the Department of Education? If not, what are their reasons for this? 2) What are the teachers' views about and understanding of the nature of science and indigenous knowledge as well as their views on how the two worldviews can be integrated in the classroom? 3) How effective was the treatment in enhancing the teachers' ability to integrate science and indigenous knowledge in the classroom? 4) To what extent can the model of Snively and Corsiglia (2001) be useful for measuring change as the teachers implement the integration of indigenous knowledge in the science classroom? For the QUAN phase, the researcher adapted a questionnaire and a new questionnaire, the Nature of Indigenous Knowledge Questionnaire (NOIKQ), was developed. The purpose of this questionnaire was to obtain a detailed description of high schools science teachers' understanding of scientific and indigenous knowledge, as well as the problems the teachers encounter in their implementation of Learning Outcome 3 of Life Sciences and Natural Science. After the pilot study of the questionnaire and subsequent modifications to it, data were collected. Convenience sampling and purposeful sampling characterised the samples of respondents and schools. This sampling strategy ensured a total sample of 370 high school science teachers in 80 public schools, represented by urban and township schools in the Western Cape Province. The results of the QUAN phase indicated that the teachers did not receive training on how to integrate science and indigenous knowledge, and that they did not have sufficient knowledge of indigenous knowledge to teach this aspect confidently to their learners. An inquiry was embarked on in order to train the science teachers in how to integrate indigenous knowledge in the science classrooms. A workshop was chosen as an intervention to improve the teaching skills of the teachers and to develop new methods of teaching. A quasi-experimental design was chosen to establish how effective the intervention was. In this quasi-experimental design, one group of five teachers was assigned to the intervention, whilst the other group of six teachers received no intervention at all. This intervention was based on the model of Snively and Corsiglia (2001) for integrating IK in the science curriculum. These teachers had participated in the survey and were selected for their particular interest in the research study. Classroom observations and three teacher and six learner interviews were used for collecting qualitative data to establish the effectiveness of the intervention. A finding from this study is that the worldviews that the teachers bring into the classroom have implications for approaches they take to include IKS in their lessons. The results of the qualitative phase indicated that, given the teachers background (i.e., cultural, political and social), teachers interpreted and implemented IKS in different ways in the curriculum. The teachers who attended the workshop and were trained to integrate indigenous knowledge in the science curriculum were more confident than those teachers who were not trained to integrate IK in the science curriculum. This increased confidence resulted from the workshop which enhanced the teachers' IK content knowledge and made them less dependent on the learners for examples of IKS. The study offers important implications and recommendations to teachers and policy- makers regarding the implementation of the integration of IKS in the science curriculum, as well as fruitful avenues for further research.
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Capturing cultural glossaries: Case-study IMadiba, M, Mphahlele, L 03 September 2003 (has links)
Abstract
This article is a presentation of a brief cultural glossary of Northern Sotho cooking terms. The glossary is mainly composed of names for utensils and ingredients, and action words for the processes involved in the preparation of cultural dishes. It also contains names of dishes tied to some idiomatic expressions in a way eliciting cultural experiences that can lead to an under-standing of indigenous knowledge systems. The article seeks to explore ways of capturing cultural glossaries to feed into the national dictionary corpora by using a case-study approach to investigate the processes that led to the generation of this specific school-based project. A number of issues that surfaced in this project, can possibly serve as models for the collection of authentic glossaries that can support dictionary making in African languages.
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The integration of indigenous knowledge systems into the main stream senior phase Natural Science Curriculum at Uthungulu district schoolsMkhwanazi, Mhlonipheni Evans January 2014 (has links)
A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Education in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in the Department of Maths, Science and Technology Education at the University Of Zululand, South Africa, 2014 / There has recently been a renewed interest emanating from the Department of Basic Education in the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in the mainstream science curriculum. The aims and principles of the new curriculum statement seek to realign themselves with those of the Constitution of the Republic, which highlight inclusivity, valuing indigenous knowledge and the environment, and social justice for all. In an attempt to address some of the glaring fundamental oversights in the curriculum statement. To this end, the Department of Basic Education has identified indigenous knowledge that can be integrated into the science curriculum and be taught at school. The challenge that baffles many interested and affected parties in education is the absence of clear guidelines as to what aspect of IK can be integrated into the science classroom, as there was never any curriculum training for teachers in this regard. This study was conducted within the community of Emacekane in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, to explore the feasibility of integrating indigenous knowledge within the science curriculum. The following objectives were established to answer the research questions. The first was to determine whether or not IK can be integrated within the science subjects as taught in Empangeni schools. The second was to explore whether or not effective partnerships exist between schools and the surrounding indigenous communities in the development and authentication of IK for the purposes of integration within the school curriculum. The third was to examine the contribution of socio-cultural practices towards the preservation of indigenous knowledge. The results of this study reveal that the Department of Basic Education should invest more resources and underscore the importance of extending thinking about IK-science integration beyond aspects that suit science content, to considering more fruitful and comprehensive methods of teaching and learning science, as well as their relevance to community needs.
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An Evaluation of a Science and Indigenous Knowledge Systems Project at a Western Cape UniversityA. Anga’ama, Daniel January 2021 (has links)
Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study was an evaluative case study of a Science and Indigenous Knowledge Systems Project
on the Project (SIKSP) at a Western Cape University, South Africa. It was an internal evaluation from
the perspectives of the project participants, with the aim of assessing (1) the opportunities and
challenges faced by the participants (in-service teachers), (2) the effectiveness of an argumentationbased
strategy (DAIM) used by some of the in-service teachers to integrate science and IKS, (3) the
manner in which the trained teachers actually taught using the DAIM, and (4) the impact of SIKSP on
the participants’ professional development and research capacities. I used a hybridised version of
Stufflebeam’s (2003) context, input, process, product (CIPP) as well as Guba and Lincoln’s (1989)
Constructivist evaluation models to guide the study, within a constructivist-pragmatist paradigm. I
used a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, reflective diaries, and document analyses to collate
the data from 22 in-service participants, as well as from the project director. The analyses were done
using mixed methods, though largely dominated by qualitative approaches.
The results suggest that: through the use of multiple sources of engagement in conceptual,
practical, and discursive activities, SIKSP enabled the participants to change their views about science
and IKS – from a largely positivist to a more dualistic worldview that considered IKS as a source of
valid knowledge in science classrooms. SIKSP activities also enabled the participants to acquire the
largely student-centred, discursive, interactive DAIM approach of teaching and learning to effect an
inclusive science-IK curriculum. The teachers used DAIM to teach science, mathematics as well as
socio-scientific topics, each teacher applying it differently. SIKSP had many positive impacts on the
participants – psychological, social, intellectual, pedagogical and professional. Through SIKSP, many
participants obtained higher degrees, advanced professionally, and some have become researchers in
science and IKS; with two of the postdoctoral fellows now carrying on similar research at other
universities in South Africa and beyond. An unanticipated outcome of SIKSP was the creation of the
African Association for the Study of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (AASIKS) which is now
pursuing an inclusive science-IKS vision at a much larger scale. Overall, in the view of the participants,
SIKSP was very successful project, and its DAIM approach, though difficult to master, has many
advantages that could be explored in-and-out of science classrooms.
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Ligalelo letilwane etinganekwaneni TeSiswatiMdhluli, Nontokozo Gladys 18 September 2017 (has links)
MA (eSiswati) / Sikhungo I-MER Mathivha Sefitwilimi Tendzabu, Buciko Nemasiko
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An exploration into the effects of traditional medicine on reproductive health of rural women in Allandale Village, Mpumalanga ProvinceMdhuli, Ophilile 20 September 2019 (has links)
MAAS / Department of African Studies / This study explored into the effects of traditional medicine on reproductive health of rural women. Negative reports associated with traditional medicine due to bogus traditional practitioners expose most women to the harmful consequences of concoctions supplied and administered on them. However, factors such as people’s great confidence in traditional medicine and high costs associated with conventional Western medical treatments lead most rural women to traditional medicine usage. The study examined women’s perspectives on traditional medicine, factors which led rural women to use traditional medicine, meanings that people make about women and reproductive health, reproductive health implications of using traditional medicine as well as remedies for ensuring that traditional medicine is safe for women’s reproductive health. The study was grounded on the critical and socio-cultural theory. An explorative qualitative research was used. Data was collected through open-ended questions, observation as well as focus group interviews and then analysed using the thematic analysis method. The study participants consisted of rural women, traditional healers, elderly people and Western-trained doctors who were all sampled using non-probability sampling methods. The findings of the study showed that African traditional medicine plays a pivotal role in reproductive health care by offering readily available, cheap, culturally-oriented and accessible health care for most rural women. However, it was noted that the use of African traditional medicine by unqualified practitioners and the incorrect usage of the medicine by patients resulted in negative results that could lead to death or barrenness. Thus, the study recommends an introduction of a regulatory framework on the production, storage, use and trade of African traditional medicine. / NRF
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Sepedi cultural views on Autism Spectrum DisorderVan der Merwe, Adriana January 2020 (has links)
Cultural views are known to play a critical role in the identification, diagnosis and intervention of developmental disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Indigenous views regarding the nature and causes of ASD have often been overlooked. Based on the paucity of research on indigenous perspectives on ASD in South Africa, as well as the alarming rise in the incidence of ASD, the purpose of the study is to investigate the views held by members of the Sepedi group in South Africa regarding ASD. Research relating to ASD has mostly been conducted in other countries or according to Western or conventional scientifically proven positions. The study attempts to answer the following primary research question: “What are Sepedi cultural views regarding the nature, cause/s as well as intervention of Autism Spectrum Disorder?”
The theoretical framework that was utilised during the study was that of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS). Furthermore, the study was approached from a phenomenological paradigm. A qualitative approach as well as case study design were followed, and purposive sampling was used. The first method of data collection was a focus group and subsequently, semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis to pinpoint recurring themes. These five themes are (1) Indigenous African Views, (2) Participants’ views of causes, (3) Circumstances surrounding diagnosis, (4) Personally coping with ASD, and (5) Intervention with a child with ASD. Results obtained from the study could be utilised within a diagnostic, intervention and educational approach that is uniquely South African. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted
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Voice, text, film; producing multimedia texts in South Africa – a case study of ‘The Medicine Bag’Louw, Elizabeth 28 February 2007 (has links)
Student Number : 8707660F -
MA research report -
School of Literature and Language Studies -
Faculty of Humanities / This paper considers the interaction between the process of producing a documentary
video film ‘The Medicine Bag’ and an indigenous knowledge system from the Northern
Cape where herbalists or traditional healers are known as ! aixa (Qaiga). These healers
use indigenous plants and other raw materials, sounds, rubbing or massaging
techniques, incisions and other methods to heal or to harm members of the community.
The Schwartz family, Namas who hail from this region, have for many years passed the
knowledge and the skills for healing on from generation to generation. For as long as
the family can remember, members of each generation, specially gifted and interested in
acquiring these skills, have been selected and trained to recognise and harvest medical
plants, prepare medicines and apply the various skills required to heal the sick. The raw
herbs, potions and medicines have been kept in a medicine bag, made from a tanned
springbuck hide.
Research for a documentary video to record oral accounts and practices attached to the
medicine bag, revealed various themes related to the interaction between oral accounts
and the process of recording and transcribing these narratives. These themes included
the absence of a fixed storyline or a single ‘correct’ text as is often assumed when one
engages with written literature; shifts in meaning that occur when the physical forms of
the accounts change as each recording or re-editing acquires a ‘performative aura’ and
issues such as the importation of cultural authority and resources on the participants,
their active participation in the process of memory and archive creation as well as the
impact of the process on the filmmaker/researcher that included an enriched
understanding of the scope and possibilities of working with oral texts
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Knowledge-based integration of Zimbabwean traditional medicines into the National Healthcare System: A case study of prostate cancerChawatama, Brighton Itayi January 2017 (has links)
>Magister Scientiae - MSc / This study sought to identify the bottlenecks in the promotion of Zimbabwean Traditional Medicines (ZTMs) towards improving the national healthcare delivery system. The indigenous medicines lost value and recognition to the Conventional Western Medicines introduced by the British colonialist since 1871 and is still dominating the national healthcare delivery system. There are growing challenges to ensure accessibility of affordable drugs especially for primary healthcare. The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations (UN) is in support of re-engaging indigenous medical interventions to achieve the Millennium development goals. Indigenous Traditional Medicine Knowledge-Based Systems (ITMKS) form the basis of the main source of health care for about 80% of the population in the developing countries. The implementation of the Zimbabwe Traditional Medicines Policy (ZTMP) has been at a stand-still since inception in 2007.
The research used mixed methods involving qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data was collected through desk and field research. Questionnaires and focus group discussions were used to record perceptions and attitudes of key informants. The stakeholders included Traditional Health Practitioners (THPs), Medical Doctors, Pharmacists, Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe (MRCZ) staff, Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ), Traditional Medical Practitioner’s Council (TMPC), Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers Association (Zinatha), Ministry of Health and Childcare, WHO, Higher Education Institutions (UZ School of Pharmacy staff and students), Christian Groups, NGOs and Prostate Cancer Patients in Harare CBD. The stakeholders sampling framework was obtained from the list of registered practitioners. The stakeholder mapping involved selection of 5 key informants from each focus group obtained through random selection. The Snowball sampling technique was used to follow the closest 5 key informants in each focus group.
The key findings established that 80% of respondents agreed to the integration of ZTM. The major bottlenecks were lack of modern dosage forms and standardization to determine quality, safety and efficacy of the ZTM.
The study suggests that in order to fast track the integration process, a bottom up implementation strategy providing ZTM advocacy, capacity building in the institutionalization and training of ZTMPs, pharmacists and CMP need to be engaged for a favorable and quick buy-in. The study also recommends further analysis of the Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) areas of specialization in pharmaceutical practice in order to improve treatment outcomes.
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“We monitor by living here”: actualization of a social-ecological monitoring program grounded in Gitga’at harvesters’ observations and knowledgeThompson, Kim-Ly 24 December 2018 (has links)
The academic community and government agencies are increasingly recognizing how Indigenous knowledge can enrich environmental monitoring and inform adaptation in complex social-ecological systems. Indeed, Indigenous peoples have been monitoring, managing, and adapting to their environments for thousands of years. Despite the impacts of ongoing colonialism, many Indigenous peoples continue to monitor and exert their knowledge and governance systems through ongoing use and relationship with their traditional territories. This Master’s research grew from the Gitga’at First Nation’s Oceans and Lands Department desire to formally include the knowledge and observations of their land and sea users as part of contemporary stewardship initiatives.
The primary objective of this research was to provide a framework for an ongoing monitoring system based in the observations and knowledge of Gitga’at harvesters. In order to meet this objective, I asked three main research questions: 1. How has Indigenous knowledge interacted with environmental monitoring initiatives, and what are characteristics of effective and self-sustaining monitoring initiatives that engage Indigenous knowledge?; 2. What methods of Indigenous knowledge documentation and communication are best suited to the needs and objectives of the Gitga’at First Nation?; and 3. How does ongoing use and occupancy of Gitga’at territory inform community-based monitoring?
I first conducted a review of the literature on Indigenous knowledge and environmental monitoring to explore the ways in which Indigenous peoples and their knowledges have been engaged in other monitoring initiatives. I found that Indigenous knowledge has been engaged in a number of ways ranging from traditional land-based activities providing holistic social-ecological monitoring indicators, to the employment of Indigenous field technicians for externally-drive monitoring initiatives. Effective projects involved high degrees of community participation or direction; were built on partnerships based on trust and respect for various knowledge systems; used multiple methods to document and communicate Indigenous knowledge; and had institutional links between monitoring and management bodies.
To answer my second research question, I followed a participatory case study approach in partnership with Gitga’at co-researchers. We began with informal interviews with 36 knowledge holders to gauge interest in the project and to establish monitoring objectives. These were followed by two community meetings and 12 workshops to design methods for documenting their observations. We then iteratively designed and tested these methods over the course of two traditional harvest seasons. We interviewed 23 participants following the spring 2017 harvest season and 27 after the fall/winter 2017 harvest season. We also conducted 4 semi-structured interviews with department leaders to ensure that the information gathered was meeting the needs of the Gitga’at Oceans and Lands Department, Treaty Negotiators, the Hartley Bay School and the Gitga’at Health Department. Key outcomes are a harvest logbook, and an interview guide to be administered by community researchers following each harvest season.
To answer my third research question, I conducted a conceptual framework analysis on the notes and transcripts taken while designing and testing a monitoring program based in the observations and knowledge of Gitga’at land and sea users. An interconnected set of social-ecological concepts and indicators that are monitored by Gitga’at harvesters emerged. The framework I developed based on conversations about Gitga’at monitoring through harvesting activities highlights the importance of maintaining and revitalizing Indigenous knowledge and harvesting practices in order to continue social-ecological monitoring, as well as opportunities for scientific approaches to situate themselves within Indigenous frameworks and priorities.
This research provides the Gitga’at First Nation with foundations from which to pursue ongoing documentation of observations and knowledge produced through harvesting activities as a form of social-ecological monitoring. It also serves as a guide for other Indigenous nations that wish to embark on similar initiatives. Amidst discussions of marine and coastal resource co-management in British-Columbia and Indigenous resurgence, this research adds to the literature that re-enforces the importance of Indigenous governance and access to their lands and waters, and the continuation of Indigenous relationships to the land and sea in order to inform social-ecological monitoring for the benefit of all. / Graduate
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