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Pedagogical practices in a higher education context : case studies in environmental and science education

Thesis (PhD) -- Stellenbosch University, 2001. / Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: My study investigates opportunities that may currently be available to enable the transformation
of post-apartheid teacher education. I examine two case studies of my own professional practice.
The first case study involves in-service education work that I performed with teachers in a local
community, Grassy Park. The second case study represents work I performed with students in a
pre-service education programme at the University of Stellenbosch. My study aims to:
• Critically examine the implications of social issues, particularly environmental issues, for
pedagogical practices generally and for South African pedagogical work in particular.
• Critically review the changing socio-historical determinants of pedagogical practices in South
African teacher education.
• Investigate changing pedagogical practices by describing and reflecting on work done in my own
professional contexts as a science/environmental teacher educator at a historically Afrikaner
university.
With respect to teacher education, Pendlebury (1998) argues that we are seeing shifts in public
space, evaluative space, pedagogical space and institutional space from insulated space (hidden
from public scrutiny) to a more porous space. In this study I am concerned with pedagogical
space that, in Pendlebury's (1998:345) terms determines 'who may learn (or teach), how and
what they learn (or teach), when and for how long and where'. I use these categories of
Pendlebury (1998:345) together with Turnbull's (1997) perspectives on knowledge production as
conceptual tools to frame my analyses of the cases. Although a significant part of my study
focuses on classroom practices, I take pedagogy to have a much broader meaning that
incorporates in Hernandez's (1997:11) terms 'all spaces in which knowledge is produced and
identities are formed'.
This research report offers a brief insight into the complexities of change at the micro-level of
classroom practices. But, importantly also contextualises these micro-level pedagogical practices
within broader socio-historical determinants and provides praxiological comments on postapartheid
education policies. The research also initiates an investigation into the social
organisation of trust in post-apartheid South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie studie ondersoek ek die geleenthede vir die transformasie van onderwyseropleiding in
die post-apartheidsera. Ek bespreek twee gevallestudies uit my eie professionele praktyk. Die
eerste gevallestudie handel oor die indiensopleiding van onderwysers in Grassy Park, 'n
plaaslike gemeenskap. Die tweede gevallestudie handel oor die werk wat ek met studente in 'n
voorgraadse onderrigprogram aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch gedoen het. Die studie het
die volgende ten doel:
• 'n Kritiese ondersoek na die uitwerking van sosiale aspekte, met die klem op
omgewingsaangeleenthede, op opvoedkundige praktyke in die algemeen en op die Suid-
Afrikaanse opvoedkundige praktyk in die besonder.
• 'n Kritiese oorsig oor die sosio-historiese veranderinge wat deeI vorm van die opleiding
van Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysers.
• 'n Ondersoek na veranderende opvoedkundige praktyke aan die hand van 'n beskrywing
van en refleksie op my eie professionele werk as dosent in die
wetenskap/omgewingsopvoeding aan 'n historiese Afrikaanse universiteit.
Ten opsigte van onderwyseropleiding beweer Pendlebury (1998) dat verskuiwings in die
publieke ruimte, evaluerende ruimte, pedagogiese ruimte en institusionele ruimte, plaasvind van
'n afgesonderde ruimte (verberg vir publieke waarnemimg/evaluasie) na 'n meer deursigtige
ruimte. In hierdie studie fokus ek op die pedagogiese ruimte wat, volgens Pendlebury
(1998:345), bepaal 'who may learn (or teach), how and what they learn (or teach), when and for
how long and where'. Ek gebruik Pendlebury (1998: 345) se kategoriee saam met Turnbull
(1997) se perspektiewe oor kennisproduksie as konseptuele raamwerk vir my analise van die
twee gevallestudies. Alhoewel 'n beduidende gedeelte van my studie op klaskamerpraktyke
fokus, moet die term pedagogie(k) volgens my 'n veel breer betekenis verband gesien word om
ook Hernandez (1997: 11) se 'all spaces in which knowledge is produced and identities are
formed' intesluit.
Hierdie navorsingsverslag lig die komplekse aard van transformasie op die mikro-vlak van
klaskamerpraktyke toe. Van groot belang is ook die kontekstualisering van opvoedkundige
praktyke op mikro-vlak binne die breer sosio-historiese veranderlikes en lewer praktykverwante
kommentaar op die opvoedkundige beleid van die post-apartheidsera. Die navorsing dien ook as
vertrekpunt om sosiale vertroue in die post-apartheids-Suid-Afrika te ondersoek.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/19380
Date07 1900
CreatorsLe Grange, Lesly L. L.
ContributorsSchreuder, D. R., Waghid, Y.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Formatxii, 280 p. : ill.
RightsStellenbosch University

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