Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfilment ofthe requirements
for the degree Master ofEducation in the Department ofCurriculum and
Instructional Studies at the University of Zululand, 2000. / Fieldwork is regarded as an educational activity that takes place outside the classroom. It is a learning experience of outdoors which gives reality to the subject and saves it from being arid and theoretical. As such, fieldwork is regarded by most Geographers as being central to their teaching, research and as intrinsic to the very nature of being a Geographer. Through fieldwork Geography learners can become more participative, purposeful, enthusiastic and more positive in their learning.
This study investigates the implementation of fieldwork in Geography teaching in Secondary schools. A broad overview of the literature on fieldwork in general and fieldwork in Geography education in particular, was analysed. Grade 8, 9 and 10 Geography syllabus was analysed to establish the extent to which the syllabus, as a guideline for teachers, promotes fieldwork in the teaching of Geography. Further more 50 questionnaires were distributed to 50 Geography teachers to find the extent to which they understood fieldwork and to establish whether it was implemented in schools or not.
The principal findings of the study were:
1. Qualification did not mean competence - All the respondents were well qualified and they claimed to be knowledgeable about fieldwork and yet their excuses and explanation of their modus operandi clearly showed that few if any of these teachers undertook fieldwork. Amongst other excuses teachers complained about lack of time, ignorance of syllabus and lack of finances to support field excursions.
2. Poor communication between the school and the parents- The research revealed that there was poor support from parents on the activities pertaining to fieldwork. This was as a result of poor communication between the school and the parents. Parents were not part of the planning of the annual school activities and they were only told when money was needed to undertake field-trips. Hence, there was poor support from their side.
From the findings of this research, it is evident that fieldwork in Geography teaching has an important place in the South African curriculum.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uzulu/oai:uzspace.unizulu.ac.za:10530/801 |
| Date | January 2000 |
| Creators | Ngcamu, Richard Nkosingiphile |
| Contributors | Gawe, N. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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