An intervention on supporting teachers’ understanding of and mediation of learning of stoichiometry in selected schools in the Zambezi Region
- Authors: Denuga, Desalu Dedayo
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Stoichiometry -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Chemistry -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Participant observation -- Namibia , Constructivism (Education) -- Namibia , Pedagogical content knowledge -- Namibia , Continuing education -- Namibia , Teachers -- In-service training -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/103855 , vital:32315
- Description: This study has been triggered by the results on stoichiometry questions in the Directorate of Namibian Examination Assessment’s (DNEA) scripts. As highlighted in the examiners’ reports, stoichiometry is an ongoing annual problem for most students in Namibia. It is against this background that I decided to explore the possibility of an intervention in the form of continuing professional development (CPD) and collaboration workshops to improve the understanding and the mediation of learning of stoichiometry by Physical Science teachers in the Zambezi Region of Namibia. The study was underpinned by an interpretive paradigm and within this paradigm a qualitative case study approach was adopted. Since this study was in a form of an intervention, a participatory action research (PAR) approach was employed within the community of practice (CoP). I used document analysis, workshop discussions, observations and videotaped lessons, interviews (semi-structured and stimulated recall interviews) and reflections to gather data. The study was carried out at three senior secondary schools and six Physical Science teachers were involved. The study drew on the theory of constructivism as a theoretical framework, namely, Piaget’s cognitive constructivism and Vygotsky‘s social constructivism as well as Shulman’s pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Within PCK, Mavhunga and Rollnick’s Topic Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TSPCK) was used as an analytical lens (Appendix L) in this study. The findings reveal that the use of a diagnostic test on learners made the Physical Science teachers aware of the learners’ challenges and what was difficult for them to understand in stoichiometry. It also helped in their understanding of the use of prior knowledge, one of the tenets of TSPCK, to access what learners knew about stoichiometry. Further findings of the study illuminate that the Physical Science teachers’ subject matter knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and skills had shifted as a result of their participation in the intervention workshops. The findings of this study indicate that the CoP members acquired the professional transformations which were important breakthroughs in their careers. The study thus recommends that teachers should develop effective teacher professional development activities such as study teams, exemplary lessons, cluster teaching, and peer coaching where teachers are expected to examine their assumptions and practices continuously. The implication of my study is that the developed exemplary lesson during the intervention workshops by CoP members could be useful to other Physical Science teachers in the teaching of stoichiometry in all the schools in the Zambezi Region.
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- Date Issued: 2020
An investigation into the emergence of teacher leadership: a case study at an urban state senior secondary school in the Oshana Region, Namibia
- Authors: Nakafingo, Saara Lovisa
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Educational leadership -- Namibia , Action research in education -- Namibia , Active learning -- Namibia , Continuing education -- Namibia , School management and organization -- Namibia , Cultural Historical Activity Theory
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/144645 , vital:38365
- Description: Promoting a collaborative culture and collective leadership in school has the potential to improve school performance. This may be realised through, among others, the development of teacher leadership. Teacher leadership can be referred to as the opportunities that teachers have to exercise leadership in their schools. Teacher leadership has a potential as a mechanism to bring about change in schools (Grant, 2012). Nevertheless, the concept of teacher leadership seems to be a dream, as little or no attention is being given to the phenomenon. The literature on leadership focuses mostly on those in formal leadership positions. This study thus aims to critically investigate the emergence of teacher leadership (a more informal leadership) in a case study school in order to create opportunities for teacher leadership development. As a qualitative case study adopting a formative interventionist approach, the study engaged teachers and SMT members using questionnaires, interviews and observation as data generating tools for a deeper understanding of the concept. Additionally, some documents in the school were analysed for the purpose of crystallisation. The study was guided by five research questions namely: How is the concept teacher leadership understood by teachers and SMT members in the school? What leadership roles do teachers currently fulfil in their school? What are the cultural-historical factors that enable or constrain teacher leadership in a school? How can a series of change laboratory workshops develop teacher leadership in a school? How did the change laboratory workshop sessions benefit the participants? Data was analysed adopting the teacher leadership model as a framework (Grant, 2017b) and the lens of Cultural Historical Activity Theory was also utilised in the analysis which enabled the participants to surface the systemic causes of challenges in the development of teacher leadership. The findings revealed that teachers and SMT members had an understanding of the concept teacher leadership, but their perceptions were different. Furthermore, evidence of teacher leadership existed across the various zones when teacher leaders fulfilled different roles; however, it was evident that teachers led more at the classroom level. Additionally, the study also found that certain factors enabled the practice of teacher leadership. However, it also emerged that challenges constrained the development of teacher leadership in the case study school. Some of these challenges included: the notion of top-down school management structure, time constraints and demanding teacher workloads, limited leadership knowledge, and teachers’ lack of courage and motivation to lead. For this reason, four change laboratory workshops were conducted and findings suggested that the establishment of a Teachers’ Continuous Professional Development club as a transformative agency for teacher leadership development was necessary.
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- Date Issued: 2020