The major purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using animal organ
dissection in general, and its use specifically in problem-solving as a teaching strategy in
Grade 11 Life Sciences education. A multiple methods research design was used for this
study.
The data collection methods for the quantitative approach were the pre-test, post-test and a
questionnaire. The pre-test and post-test had predominantly problem-solving questions. The
questionnaire and the tests were administered to 224 learners from four Pretoria East
secondary schools from different environments. The data collection methods for the
qualitative approach were the interviews with the Grade 11 Life Sciences teachers of the
selected schools, lesson observations and relevant document analysis. The interviews were
conducted with six Grade 11 Life Sciences teachers teaching at the four selected schools.
Findings from both the quantitative and the qualitative approaches were integrated to give an
in-depth understanding of the study. The findings show that there were significant differences
between the means of the pre-test and the post-test for the total for the whole group of 224
learners. The variables in which the tests were categorised were the rote learning,
problem-solving and three learning outcomes of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS).
The way in which the learners answered the questions in terms of terminology they used, the
confidence they displayed, the level of answering and the explanations they gave when they
wrote the post-test were significantly different from when they wrote the pre-test. The
significant differences between the means of the pre-test and the post-test may possibly have
been due to the intervention. This showed the effectiveness of the intervention which was
animal organ dissection in problem-solving. The study also showed that most teachers are not
well-acquainted with problem-solving strategies which made it challenging for them to use
animal organ dissections to develop problem-solving skills in learners. The attitudes of the
teachers and learners towards animal organ dissection and its use in problem-solving as a
teaching strategy were predominantly positive with less than a quarter of the whole group
being negative due to a variety of reasons which include: moral values, religion, culture,
blood phobia, squeamishness and being vegetarian. The majority of learners acknowledged
the importance of animal organ dissections in developing skills like investigative, dissecting and problem-solving skills. This acknowledgement resulted in them being positive towards
the use of animal organ dissections in problem-solving.
One can conclude that animal organ dissections can be used in problem-solving as a teaching
strategy in Life Sciences education. The level of learner engagement with animal organ
dissections can determine the level of development of problem-solving skills as was
evidenced by the differences between the mean scores of the four schools. The study
recommended that the teachers should be encouraged to use animal organ dissections more
frequently where it is applicable to develop problem-solving skills in learners and not merely
let the learners cut, draw and label the organ. Teachers should also focus on problem-solving
in general and develop this as a prime strategy. All activities should be prepared by the
teacher and implemented in class to encourage and develop problem-solving skills. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / restricted
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:up/oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/40228 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Kavai, Portia |
| Contributors | De Villiers, J.J.R. (Rian), alcide22@yahoo.com, Fraser, William John |
| Publisher | University of Pretoria |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | © 2013 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
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