This research project, using a qualitative case study methodology, reports on the appropriateness and implications of using group work in promoting cooperative learning in science. In this study, group work is seen as providing a social support mechanism for learning through interactive "hands-on" activities, designed to give learners opportunities to discuss and share ideas so that they can grasp science concepts. The Science Olympiad Project class composed of approximately thirty-six (36) learners formed the case study for this unit. The Science Olympiad Project is a project concerned with the promotion of science in the primary schools in Grahamstown. From this group, twenty two (22) learners (12 girls and 10 boys) were interviewed and kept journals. The Science Olympiad facilitator (a science teacher from one of the schools involved in the project) and two teachers who attended the science classes and whose learners are part of the project were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews, journals kept by the learners and the researcher (who was a participant observer and a co-facilitator), observations and discussions constituted sources of data for the research project. The analysis of data indicated that the learners found science during the Science Olympiad Project classes interesting and challenging. There were many benefits reported by the learners including the use of group work, the effect of "hands-on" activities, their attitudes and perceptions towards science and the role of excursions. Teachers found the learner-centred approaches adopted helped to encourage the learners to be actively involved in their own learning. One concern raised by the teachers was what would happen to those learners who have been identified as enthusiastic in science when they go to secondary schools. The implications of the results to improve and sustain the project are discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:rhodes/vital:1718 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Ngcoza, Kenneth Mlungisi |
| Publisher | Rhodes University, Faculty of Education, Education |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MEd |
| Format | 146 leaves, pdf |
| Rights | Ngcoza, Kenneth Mlungisi |
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