A social realist study of employability development in engineering education
- Authors: Nudelman, Gabrielle
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Critical realism , Electrical engineering -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa -- Cape Town , Employability , Career education -- South Africa -- Cape Town , School-to-work transition -- South Africa -- Cape Town
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62884 , vital:28307
- Description: This qualitative case study of a course pairing offered to final-year electrical engineering students at the University of Cape Town in 2015 was undertaken in order to better understand the ways in which participation in undergraduate courses can prepare engineering students for the workplace. The course pairing consisted of New Venture Planning and Professional Communication Studies. While the former aimed to expose students to the knowledge relating to starting a new business, the latter focused on teaching students how to create written and oral texts to support such an endeavour. Using Roy Bhaskar’s critical realism as a theoretical underlabourer, the study develops understandings regarding the generative mechanisms at work during the two courses. In support of this, the study posits an understanding of employability that moves beyond the acquisition of discrete workplace skills. Rather, employability is conceptualised as discursive transformation, with students being deemed “work-ready” when they develop discursive identities as engineers. Data generation took place by means of focus group and individual interviews, ethnographic observation and documentary research. Margaret Archer’s social realist tools – in particular, analytical dualism and the morphogenetic framework were used to trace the students’ transformations over the course pairing. It was argued that those students who developed discursive identities of engineers were those who, in Archer’s terms, emerged as social actors at the end of the course pairing. Two characteristics of the courses were found to enable this transformation: those parts that promoted deepened understanding of what the role of “engineer” entailed and the parts that provided spaces for students to develop their own personal identities. The findings of the study indicated that discursive identities as engineers were more likely to be developed through the group work and spaces for reflection engendered by the courses than as a result of the formal curriculum. The implications of the research are that, while a focus on employability in engineering education is valid and productive, this needs to be supported by opportunities for authentic learning experiences which afford students the opportunity to engage in learning that promotes real-life application of knowledge. , Thesis (PhD)--Rhodes University, Faculty of Education, Education, 2018
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Nudelman, Gabrielle
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Critical realism , Electrical engineering -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa -- Cape Town , Employability , Career education -- South Africa -- Cape Town , School-to-work transition -- South Africa -- Cape Town
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62884 , vital:28307
- Description: This qualitative case study of a course pairing offered to final-year electrical engineering students at the University of Cape Town in 2015 was undertaken in order to better understand the ways in which participation in undergraduate courses can prepare engineering students for the workplace. The course pairing consisted of New Venture Planning and Professional Communication Studies. While the former aimed to expose students to the knowledge relating to starting a new business, the latter focused on teaching students how to create written and oral texts to support such an endeavour. Using Roy Bhaskar’s critical realism as a theoretical underlabourer, the study develops understandings regarding the generative mechanisms at work during the two courses. In support of this, the study posits an understanding of employability that moves beyond the acquisition of discrete workplace skills. Rather, employability is conceptualised as discursive transformation, with students being deemed “work-ready” when they develop discursive identities as engineers. Data generation took place by means of focus group and individual interviews, ethnographic observation and documentary research. Margaret Archer’s social realist tools – in particular, analytical dualism and the morphogenetic framework were used to trace the students’ transformations over the course pairing. It was argued that those students who developed discursive identities of engineers were those who, in Archer’s terms, emerged as social actors at the end of the course pairing. Two characteristics of the courses were found to enable this transformation: those parts that promoted deepened understanding of what the role of “engineer” entailed and the parts that provided spaces for students to develop their own personal identities. The findings of the study indicated that discursive identities as engineers were more likely to be developed through the group work and spaces for reflection engendered by the courses than as a result of the formal curriculum. The implications of the research are that, while a focus on employability in engineering education is valid and productive, this needs to be supported by opportunities for authentic learning experiences which afford students the opportunity to engage in learning that promotes real-life application of knowledge. , Thesis (PhD)--Rhodes University, Faculty of Education, Education, 2018
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
A critical analysis of how the potential of Dynamic Geometry Software as a visualisation tool may enhance the teaching of Mathematics
- Authors: Mavani, Beena Deepak
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Computer-assisted instruction , Geometry -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa -- Mthatha , Manipulatives (Education) -- South Africa -- Mthatha , Information visualization , Mathematics teachers -- Training of -- South Africa -- Mthatha , GeoGebra Literacy Initiative Project (GLIP) , Dynamic Geometry Software (DGS)
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177192 , vital:42798 , 10.21504/10962/177192
- Description: Visualisation in the mathematics classroom has its own pedagogical value and plays a significant role in developing mathematical intuition, thought and ideas. Dynamic visualisation possibilities of current digital technologies afford new ways of teaching and learning mathematics. The freely available GeoGebra software package is highly interactive and makes use of powerful features to create objects that are dynamic, and which can be moved around on the computer screen for mathematical exploration. This research study was conceptualised within the GeoGebra Literacy Initiative Project (GLIP) – an ICT teacher development project in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The focus of this study was on how GeoGebra could be used as a teaching tool by harnessing its powerful visualisation capacity. In the study, selected GLIP teachers collaboratively developed GeoGebra applets, then implemented and evaluated them. The research methodology took the form of action research cycles in which the design, implementation and evaluation of successive applets determined the data gathering and analysis process. My data consisted mainly of recorded observations and reflective interviews. The underlying theoretical foundation of this study lies in constructivism, which aligned well with the conceptual and analytical framework of Kilpatrick et al.’s (2001) description of teaching proficiency. An in-depth analysis of my classroom observations resulted in multiple narratives that illuminated how teachers harnessed the visualisation capabilities inherent in the software. My findings showed that dynamic visualisation and interactivity afforded by the use of technology are key enabling factors for teachers to enhance the visualisation of mathematical concepts. My analysis across participants also showed that technical difficulties often compromised the use of technology in the teaching of mathematics. The significance of this research is its contribution to the ongoing deliberations of visualisation and utilisation of technological resources, particularly through the empowerment of a community of teachers. The findings recognised that the integration of technology required appropriate training, proper planning and continuous support and resources for the teaching of mathematics. This action research provided insightful information on integrating Dynamic Geometry Software (DGS) tools in mathematics classrooms that could be useful to teachers and curriculum planners. , Thesis (PhD) -- Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Mavani, Beena Deepak
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Computer-assisted instruction , Geometry -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa -- Mthatha , Manipulatives (Education) -- South Africa -- Mthatha , Information visualization , Mathematics teachers -- Training of -- South Africa -- Mthatha , GeoGebra Literacy Initiative Project (GLIP) , Dynamic Geometry Software (DGS)
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177192 , vital:42798 , 10.21504/10962/177192
- Description: Visualisation in the mathematics classroom has its own pedagogical value and plays a significant role in developing mathematical intuition, thought and ideas. Dynamic visualisation possibilities of current digital technologies afford new ways of teaching and learning mathematics. The freely available GeoGebra software package is highly interactive and makes use of powerful features to create objects that are dynamic, and which can be moved around on the computer screen for mathematical exploration. This research study was conceptualised within the GeoGebra Literacy Initiative Project (GLIP) – an ICT teacher development project in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The focus of this study was on how GeoGebra could be used as a teaching tool by harnessing its powerful visualisation capacity. In the study, selected GLIP teachers collaboratively developed GeoGebra applets, then implemented and evaluated them. The research methodology took the form of action research cycles in which the design, implementation and evaluation of successive applets determined the data gathering and analysis process. My data consisted mainly of recorded observations and reflective interviews. The underlying theoretical foundation of this study lies in constructivism, which aligned well with the conceptual and analytical framework of Kilpatrick et al.’s (2001) description of teaching proficiency. An in-depth analysis of my classroom observations resulted in multiple narratives that illuminated how teachers harnessed the visualisation capabilities inherent in the software. My findings showed that dynamic visualisation and interactivity afforded by the use of technology are key enabling factors for teachers to enhance the visualisation of mathematical concepts. My analysis across participants also showed that technical difficulties often compromised the use of technology in the teaching of mathematics. The significance of this research is its contribution to the ongoing deliberations of visualisation and utilisation of technological resources, particularly through the empowerment of a community of teachers. The findings recognised that the integration of technology required appropriate training, proper planning and continuous support and resources for the teaching of mathematics. This action research provided insightful information on integrating Dynamic Geometry Software (DGS) tools in mathematics classrooms that could be useful to teachers and curriculum planners. , Thesis (PhD) -- Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
An analysis of intrasemiotic and intersemiotic relations of textual and visual modes in Namibian school science textbooks
- Authors: Mateus, Venasius
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Semiotics , Force and energy , Visual learning , Verbal learning , Functionalism (Linguistics) , Science -- Textbooks
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177203 , vital:42799
- Description: Although science education in Namibia receives much attention, learners’ performance is low in subjects such as Physical Sciences. The topic of Forces is among the topics in Physical Sciences where learners perform poorly. The provision of basic education in Namibia faces many challenges. One of these is that many teachers are not fully qualified for teaching the subjects they currently teach. Another (possibly related) challenge is that the majority of teachers in Namibian schools rely heavily on school textbooks when planning their lessons. In addition, learners use school textbooks as learning aids. The textbooks are developed and published in the private sector and based on the national curriculum statements. Quality of education has been amongst the major goals of education in Namibia. For quality assurance purposes, school science textbooks have to undergo a formal evaluation process. School textbooks, especially science textbooks, are multimodal. This means that they are designed with various modes, such as the textual and visual, often used in expressing scientific meanings. Literature reveals the textual and visual as individual modes having their own affordances, however, when integrated in school science textbooks contribute to strengthened meanings. No study published was found in Namibia or elsewhere that focused on analysing the intrasemiotic and intersemiotic sense relations of the textual and visual modes in Namibian school Physical Sciences textbooks. This study therefore aimed at contributing to filling this knowledge gap. The research is a qualitative case study and employed the interpretive paradigm. The selected Physical Sciences textbooks that constitute the data in this study were explored in depth via document analysis. Related textual and visual modes in the Physical Sciences textbooks were analysed in order to help answer the research questions of the study. Systemic Functional Linguistics was employed as the theoretical underpinning for this study. In this study, the sense relations were explored in terms of the sense relation themes which were coded and developed from common features of scientific discourse. The results reveal that scientific knowledge within the textual mode in the topic of Forces is communicated mostly through synonymy and repetition while within the visual mode it is mostly through antonymy, collocation, and synonymy. This contributed to meaning potential in the topic of Forces for the three Physical Sciences textbooks. The results further indicated that the overall cohesion within the textual and visual modes in the topic of Forces is achieved since repetition, which is the most direct form of lexical cohesion together with synonymy, collocation, and antonymy which are aspects of cohesion, occurred most frequently within these modes. This result further indicates that meaning potential in the topic of Forces in the three Physical Sciences textbooks were strengthened. While some sense relations occurred most frequently within individual modes, they were less frequent in other modes and vice versa. This indicates that different modes have different affordances. Finally, it was found that combining the textual and visual modes in the topic of Forces contributes to intersemiotic complementarity being achieved through the sense relations of collocation, hyponymy, and meronymy. , Thesis (MEd) -- Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Mateus, Venasius
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Semiotics , Force and energy , Visual learning , Verbal learning , Functionalism (Linguistics) , Science -- Textbooks
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177203 , vital:42799
- Description: Although science education in Namibia receives much attention, learners’ performance is low in subjects such as Physical Sciences. The topic of Forces is among the topics in Physical Sciences where learners perform poorly. The provision of basic education in Namibia faces many challenges. One of these is that many teachers are not fully qualified for teaching the subjects they currently teach. Another (possibly related) challenge is that the majority of teachers in Namibian schools rely heavily on school textbooks when planning their lessons. In addition, learners use school textbooks as learning aids. The textbooks are developed and published in the private sector and based on the national curriculum statements. Quality of education has been amongst the major goals of education in Namibia. For quality assurance purposes, school science textbooks have to undergo a formal evaluation process. School textbooks, especially science textbooks, are multimodal. This means that they are designed with various modes, such as the textual and visual, often used in expressing scientific meanings. Literature reveals the textual and visual as individual modes having their own affordances, however, when integrated in school science textbooks contribute to strengthened meanings. No study published was found in Namibia or elsewhere that focused on analysing the intrasemiotic and intersemiotic sense relations of the textual and visual modes in Namibian school Physical Sciences textbooks. This study therefore aimed at contributing to filling this knowledge gap. The research is a qualitative case study and employed the interpretive paradigm. The selected Physical Sciences textbooks that constitute the data in this study were explored in depth via document analysis. Related textual and visual modes in the Physical Sciences textbooks were analysed in order to help answer the research questions of the study. Systemic Functional Linguistics was employed as the theoretical underpinning for this study. In this study, the sense relations were explored in terms of the sense relation themes which were coded and developed from common features of scientific discourse. The results reveal that scientific knowledge within the textual mode in the topic of Forces is communicated mostly through synonymy and repetition while within the visual mode it is mostly through antonymy, collocation, and synonymy. This contributed to meaning potential in the topic of Forces for the three Physical Sciences textbooks. The results further indicated that the overall cohesion within the textual and visual modes in the topic of Forces is achieved since repetition, which is the most direct form of lexical cohesion together with synonymy, collocation, and antonymy which are aspects of cohesion, occurred most frequently within these modes. This result further indicates that meaning potential in the topic of Forces in the three Physical Sciences textbooks were strengthened. While some sense relations occurred most frequently within individual modes, they were less frequent in other modes and vice versa. This indicates that different modes have different affordances. Finally, it was found that combining the textual and visual modes in the topic of Forces contributes to intersemiotic complementarity being achieved through the sense relations of collocation, hyponymy, and meronymy. , Thesis (MEd) -- Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
An investigation into the role of lesson study in developing teachers’ mathematics content and pedagogical content knowledge
- Authors: Kgothego, Naomi Ntsae
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa -- Bojanala Platinum District Municipality , Pedagogical content knowledge , Lesson planning -- South Africa -- Bojanala Platinum District Municipality , Mathematics teachers -- Training of -- South Africa -- Bojanala Platinum District Municipality , South Africa. Department of Basic Education , Kokusai Kyōryoku Jigyōdan
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/178019 , vital:42899
- Description: Results of international assessments conducted with South African learners, both in primary and secondary schools, suggest that South African learners underperform in mathematics (Spaull, 2013). While there are numerous explanations for this, one of the key explanations is that teachers are deemed to have inadequate knowledge of both mathematics content and pedagogy. Poor content and pedagogical knowledge are indications that teachers are not adequately trained to teach mathematics (Green, 2011). To improve teachers' content and pedagogical knowledge, well-planned and researched professional development programmes need to be put in place. Current professional development opportunities that centre on workshops are not working as they provide little opportunity for teachers to connect the workshop content to the contexts in which they teach. Through a collaboration between the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA), the Lesson Study approach is being introduced to support teachers' professional development. This research seeks to research this approach within the context of Foundation Phase mathematics education. The research asks: How does Lesson Study contribute to the development of teachers' mathematics content and pedagogical content knowledge? Two sub-questions were developed to support the main question: • What mathematics content knowledge do teachers develop as the engage in LS? • What pedagogical content knowledge do teachers develop as they engage in LS? Using a qualitative interpretivist case study approach, I worked collaboratively with four Grade 1 teachers from two schools. Data was generated through observations, semi-structured interviews and document analysis as we engaged in the Lesson Study process. The Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching (Ball, Thames & Phelps, 2008) and the Knowledge Quartet (Rowland, Turner, Thwaites & Huckstep, 2009) frameworks were used as analytic and explanatory tools in this research. This study's findings showed that participation in the interactive cycles of Lesson Study developed the teachers’ confidence, their pedagogical content knowledge and skills and provided them with the opportunity to collaborate and reflect on their knowledge. The study's findings suggest that lesson study can be used as a strategy for improving teacher professional development. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Kgothego, Naomi Ntsae
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa -- Bojanala Platinum District Municipality , Pedagogical content knowledge , Lesson planning -- South Africa -- Bojanala Platinum District Municipality , Mathematics teachers -- Training of -- South Africa -- Bojanala Platinum District Municipality , South Africa. Department of Basic Education , Kokusai Kyōryoku Jigyōdan
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/178019 , vital:42899
- Description: Results of international assessments conducted with South African learners, both in primary and secondary schools, suggest that South African learners underperform in mathematics (Spaull, 2013). While there are numerous explanations for this, one of the key explanations is that teachers are deemed to have inadequate knowledge of both mathematics content and pedagogy. Poor content and pedagogical knowledge are indications that teachers are not adequately trained to teach mathematics (Green, 2011). To improve teachers' content and pedagogical knowledge, well-planned and researched professional development programmes need to be put in place. Current professional development opportunities that centre on workshops are not working as they provide little opportunity for teachers to connect the workshop content to the contexts in which they teach. Through a collaboration between the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA), the Lesson Study approach is being introduced to support teachers' professional development. This research seeks to research this approach within the context of Foundation Phase mathematics education. The research asks: How does Lesson Study contribute to the development of teachers' mathematics content and pedagogical content knowledge? Two sub-questions were developed to support the main question: • What mathematics content knowledge do teachers develop as the engage in LS? • What pedagogical content knowledge do teachers develop as they engage in LS? Using a qualitative interpretivist case study approach, I worked collaboratively with four Grade 1 teachers from two schools. Data was generated through observations, semi-structured interviews and document analysis as we engaged in the Lesson Study process. The Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching (Ball, Thames & Phelps, 2008) and the Knowledge Quartet (Rowland, Turner, Thwaites & Huckstep, 2009) frameworks were used as analytic and explanatory tools in this research. This study's findings showed that participation in the interactive cycles of Lesson Study developed the teachers’ confidence, their pedagogical content knowledge and skills and provided them with the opportunity to collaborate and reflect on their knowledge. The study's findings suggest that lesson study can be used as a strategy for improving teacher professional development. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
Exploring how Grade 9 Physical Science teachers mediate learning of the topic of chemical changes
- Likando, Orrice Munukayumbwa
- Authors: Likando, Orrice Munukayumbwa
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Chemistry -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Culturally relevant pedagogy , Pedagogical content knowledge , Prior learning -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177918 , vital:42890
- Description: The examiners’ reports for 2013-2018 indicated that learners consistently perform poorly in questions based on chemical changes. My assumption is that the reason why learners are challenged with understanding the topic of chemical changes could be due to the way this topic is taught. It is against this background that this study explored how grade 9 Physical Science teachers mediated learning of the topic of chemical changes. The study is underpinned by an interpretive paradigm. Within the interpretive paradigm, a qualitative case study research design was employed. It was conducted at two different schools in the Otjozondjupa region with two Physical Science teachers. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, lesson observations, stimulated recall interviews, and teachers’ reflections. The study is informed by Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory together with Shulman’s pedagogical content knowledge as the theoretical frameworks. A thematic approach to data analysis was adopted. That is, qualitative data were analysed inductively to come up with sub-themes to form themes. Moreover, validation and trustworthiness were completed through data triangulation, member checking, and watching videotaped lessons with the participants. The findings of this study revealed that the topic of chemical changes has many examples which can be used during mediation. Teachers seemed to be aware of integrating learners’ experiences into their lessons. Furthermore, they were aware that they should improvise resources during mediation of learning. In contrast, during lesson observations, the findings revealed an imbalance between this awareness and the actual knowledge of using easily accessible materials, and the elicitation and integration of prior knowledge throughout the science lessons. Moreover, hands-on practical activities were lacking in the mediation process and instead, traditional methods of teaching tended to dominate. Nonetheless, teachers’ reflections influenced them to analyse and strengthen their lessons. Thus, the study recommends that there is a need for teachers to have mentorships and platforms which can expose them to the knowledge of different types of easily accessible materials. This might strengthen their PCK. Teachers are also encouraged to do some reflections after very lesson as these have a potential to influence their pedagogical practices. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Likando, Orrice Munukayumbwa
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Chemistry -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Culturally relevant pedagogy , Pedagogical content knowledge , Prior learning -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177918 , vital:42890
- Description: The examiners’ reports for 2013-2018 indicated that learners consistently perform poorly in questions based on chemical changes. My assumption is that the reason why learners are challenged with understanding the topic of chemical changes could be due to the way this topic is taught. It is against this background that this study explored how grade 9 Physical Science teachers mediated learning of the topic of chemical changes. The study is underpinned by an interpretive paradigm. Within the interpretive paradigm, a qualitative case study research design was employed. It was conducted at two different schools in the Otjozondjupa region with two Physical Science teachers. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, lesson observations, stimulated recall interviews, and teachers’ reflections. The study is informed by Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory together with Shulman’s pedagogical content knowledge as the theoretical frameworks. A thematic approach to data analysis was adopted. That is, qualitative data were analysed inductively to come up with sub-themes to form themes. Moreover, validation and trustworthiness were completed through data triangulation, member checking, and watching videotaped lessons with the participants. The findings of this study revealed that the topic of chemical changes has many examples which can be used during mediation. Teachers seemed to be aware of integrating learners’ experiences into their lessons. Furthermore, they were aware that they should improvise resources during mediation of learning. In contrast, during lesson observations, the findings revealed an imbalance between this awareness and the actual knowledge of using easily accessible materials, and the elicitation and integration of prior knowledge throughout the science lessons. Moreover, hands-on practical activities were lacking in the mediation process and instead, traditional methods of teaching tended to dominate. Nonetheless, teachers’ reflections influenced them to analyse and strengthen their lessons. Thus, the study recommends that there is a need for teachers to have mentorships and platforms which can expose them to the knowledge of different types of easily accessible materials. This might strengthen their PCK. Teachers are also encouraged to do some reflections after very lesson as these have a potential to influence their pedagogical practices. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
Exploring Social Learning within the Context of Community-Based Farming : Implications for Farmers’ Agency and Capabilities
- Authors: Dirwai, Crispen
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Crops and climate -- Zimbabwe -- Mutasa District , Livestock -- Climatic factors -- Zimbabwe -- Mutasa District , Social learning -- Zimbabwe -- Mutasa District , Community-supported agriculture -- Zimbabwe -- Mutasa District , Environmental education -- Zimbabwe -- Mutasa District , Climatic changes -- Social aspects -- Zimbabwe -- Mutasa District , Critical realism
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/174526 , vital:42485 , https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/174526
- Description: This thesis, ‘Exploring social learning within the context of community-based farming: Implications for farmers’ agency and capabilities’, provided an opportunity to investigate how community-based farmers engaged a social learning process in adjusting their practices to the observed climate change and variability risks and vulnerabilities. The social learning and pedagogic trajectory towards climate change adaptation, involved a multi-sectoral approach in a community of practice that was inclusive of extension service, developmental agencies, a university, climate change activists, a primary school, a university, the agro-industrial community, the urban open market and the local standards association. Social learning, in this community of practice, took place during field days, field tours, focus groups and observations in a multi-case study approach. The main research question addressed in this thesis was ‘How can and does social learning facilitate or constrain the conversion of resources into functionings and new adaptation capabilities of communal farmers in Muchena village in the face of increasing climate change and associated climate variability related socio-ecological risks and vulnerabilities?’ In order to address this main research question and its corresponding sub-questions, two main categories of climate change adaptive agricultural practices, crop and non-crop, were studied in the context of social learning and collective and individual capabilities and agency. The research ontology and epistemology were grounded in critical realism, with the epistemic work in the multiple case study being drawing on a constructivist approach where eleven Farmers’ Case Stories [FCS] from crop and non-crop community-based farmers were purposively followed throughout this thesis journey, while the ontological dynamics were pursued through critical realist depth ontological enquiry. The theoretical framework for this thesis encompassed Bhaskar’s (1998; 2016) dialectical critical realist MELD schema, which underlabours conversion factors from Sen’s (1993; 2005) capabilities theory mobilised via the six sequential moments of the pedagogic practice of social learning as articulated by Wals (2007). This gave the theoretical framework a multi-dimensional facet. In this multi-dimensional theoretical framework, the ontologically influential generative mechanisms identified at 1M, were droughts, food insecurity, economic poverty, poor farming methods, floods, pests, socio-political stress, socio-cultural and intergenerational knowledge transfer, government policies and market forces. Effort was made to absent these ills at 2E, through knowledge co-creation within the communities of practice, through individual and collective reflexivity and was guided by the six sequential moments of Wals’ (2007) social learning pedagogic trajectory and by the three capabilities conversion factors; personal, environmental and social. At 3L’s totalities (laminated) and false totalities and compromises, the community-based farmers came to realise, appreciate and utilised the benefits of individual and collective agency as knowledge generation. In the theoretical framework, the social learning process was a product of collective and individual agency, a product of co-creation, co-sharing and co-monitoring and mentoring of each other’s work in a non-linear process towards transformation at 4D. The thesis identified the following capability sets and their corresponding functionings: education with the new achieved functionings of knowledge on market oriented economy with more functionings such as apiary, dendrology, aqua-culture and horticultural practices, partnerships including contract farming and company registration; health as a capability set had the new functionings of improved people’s and soil’s health from organic and conservation production practices; nutrition as a capability set with new functionings of organic and conservation farming as well as, through testing of products and soils to ascertain nutritional parameters, nutritional functionings. These identified capability sets as valued beings and doings all attempted to absent climate change induced droughts, food insecurity and economic poverty through the social learning process. The new achieved functionings of knowledge on related market oriented economy, were used for food security as farmers were able to buy maize, the staple food, which has been constrained by climate change induced droughts and pests. The new capability sets and achieved functionings in alternatives to maize crop farming could be viewed in this thesis as a positive emancipatory cyclic movement in the community-based farmers from non-being to agency [1M to 4D]. The thesis found that for the social learning process to be transformative, the community-based farmers had to reflect as individuals and collectively as a community from T1 [social learning layer 1] to T00 [social learning as multi-layered and infinite]. Learning starts from T1 by engaging the ontological and epistemological question ‘what?’ and the pedagogical question, ‘how?’, in order to understand existing ills and how best to absent them. Tensions existed as the community still take maize meal as their staple food and yet maize production is less resilient to droughts in the absence of water harvesting for irrigation. Despite realising the nutritional value of small grains, the research findings claimed that small grains were difficult to process into a mealie-meal and so, could not replace maize as a staple food. Theoretical contributions from this thesis entailed both epistemological and ontological implications as the community-based farmers started to question positivism as the only benchmark for organic standards by sending what they self-perceived as ‘organic’ products and soils, for verification from observed laboratory tests. This might have indicated a recognised shift in the epistemology of the poor community-based farmer, who are widely viewed in literature, as non-being and subsistence, towards an organised transformative market oriented practice. In this regard, transformative social learning catalysed by the thesis, contributed towards an organic practice characterised by absenting synthetic fertilisers and certain heavy elements from the soils and from the products, thereby adapting and mitigating to global climate change at a micro-scale. The study, though small scale, might be viewed as having global policy implications. For SGD:2 FCS 1, VS absented hunger by transforming from zero tonnage in 2012 to an estimated harvest of four tonnes in 2017. For SDG:3, FCS 3, LN produced close to a tonne of organic peas that passed through laboratory testing for nutritional parameters and testing against heavy metals during the 2018 and 2019 farming season. SDG: 1 could be assessed and reflected through improved livelihoods from income raised under market gardening as shown in FCS 3, LN; FCS, 4 SM2; FCS 5 SS and FCS 6 JM2. Also from SDG 1, were alternatives to maize crop farming and climate change adaptation market oriented apiary practiced by FCS 7, LM2 & FCS 8, LM3 and market oriented dendrology from FCS, 10, VC & FCS 11, JC. FCS 10, VC, managed to register a small company while FCS 11, JC managed to get contracts from reputable tobacco companies in the country and he also managed to access bank loans to purchase a small truck to absent the transport ills that constrained the youths who finally moved out of the achieved functioning of dendrology. FCS, 3, LN and the group of youths valued sending their products and soils for laboratory tests, an indicator of the quality of education that they attained through Social learning process’ communities of practice engagement. By supplying part of their products as raw materials to an agro-industry, the newly achieved functioning of market oriented agriculture from FCS 3, LN and FCS 4, SM2 could be viewed as a move towards SDG: 9. In terms of SDG: 12, the farming practices studied in this thesis were deemed environmentally friendly, green and so were adaptations to climate change which could be read along with SDG: 13. The thesis findings thus could be viewed as those that could open up some ways of assessing and providing practical implementation pathways for some of the sustainable development goals as well as providing a platform to interrogate other ways of understanding critical realism’s underlying generative mechanisms as enablers and constrainers to shaping social learning and people’s measurable functionings in the context of education for sustainable development and the global action programme (GAP) and its immanent successor, the ESD Agenda 2030 framework. The research is therefore well poised to inform this agenda. The study concludes that in order to enhance community-based farmers’ social learning and agency towards climate change adaptation, extension service, the standards association institution, agro-industry, the university as well as the media, might need to engage pro-actively with the farmers’ capabilities and agency. The thesis also attempted to inform the university institution’s community engagement, thereby giving practical meaning to the whole institution approaches to ESD as promoted in the UNESCO ESD Global Action Programme, and the emerging ESD 2030 Agenda. The thesis therefore has potential to inform pedagogic practices at the formal, non-formal and the informal learning sectors. The thesis concludes that the social learning process, when coupled with critical realism and the capabilities theories, could facilitate the conversion of resources into new adaptive functionings. The social learning process is transformative, reflexive and recursive, but might have to start from 1M to 4D and from T1 to T00. Moreover, the thesis concludes that poverty remained one of the major disablers of the farmers’ capabilities and agency in this thesis. , Thesis (PhD)--Rhodes University, Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Dirwai, Crispen
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Crops and climate -- Zimbabwe -- Mutasa District , Livestock -- Climatic factors -- Zimbabwe -- Mutasa District , Social learning -- Zimbabwe -- Mutasa District , Community-supported agriculture -- Zimbabwe -- Mutasa District , Environmental education -- Zimbabwe -- Mutasa District , Climatic changes -- Social aspects -- Zimbabwe -- Mutasa District , Critical realism
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/174526 , vital:42485 , https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/174526
- Description: This thesis, ‘Exploring social learning within the context of community-based farming: Implications for farmers’ agency and capabilities’, provided an opportunity to investigate how community-based farmers engaged a social learning process in adjusting their practices to the observed climate change and variability risks and vulnerabilities. The social learning and pedagogic trajectory towards climate change adaptation, involved a multi-sectoral approach in a community of practice that was inclusive of extension service, developmental agencies, a university, climate change activists, a primary school, a university, the agro-industrial community, the urban open market and the local standards association. Social learning, in this community of practice, took place during field days, field tours, focus groups and observations in a multi-case study approach. The main research question addressed in this thesis was ‘How can and does social learning facilitate or constrain the conversion of resources into functionings and new adaptation capabilities of communal farmers in Muchena village in the face of increasing climate change and associated climate variability related socio-ecological risks and vulnerabilities?’ In order to address this main research question and its corresponding sub-questions, two main categories of climate change adaptive agricultural practices, crop and non-crop, were studied in the context of social learning and collective and individual capabilities and agency. The research ontology and epistemology were grounded in critical realism, with the epistemic work in the multiple case study being drawing on a constructivist approach where eleven Farmers’ Case Stories [FCS] from crop and non-crop community-based farmers were purposively followed throughout this thesis journey, while the ontological dynamics were pursued through critical realist depth ontological enquiry. The theoretical framework for this thesis encompassed Bhaskar’s (1998; 2016) dialectical critical realist MELD schema, which underlabours conversion factors from Sen’s (1993; 2005) capabilities theory mobilised via the six sequential moments of the pedagogic practice of social learning as articulated by Wals (2007). This gave the theoretical framework a multi-dimensional facet. In this multi-dimensional theoretical framework, the ontologically influential generative mechanisms identified at 1M, were droughts, food insecurity, economic poverty, poor farming methods, floods, pests, socio-political stress, socio-cultural and intergenerational knowledge transfer, government policies and market forces. Effort was made to absent these ills at 2E, through knowledge co-creation within the communities of practice, through individual and collective reflexivity and was guided by the six sequential moments of Wals’ (2007) social learning pedagogic trajectory and by the three capabilities conversion factors; personal, environmental and social. At 3L’s totalities (laminated) and false totalities and compromises, the community-based farmers came to realise, appreciate and utilised the benefits of individual and collective agency as knowledge generation. In the theoretical framework, the social learning process was a product of collective and individual agency, a product of co-creation, co-sharing and co-monitoring and mentoring of each other’s work in a non-linear process towards transformation at 4D. The thesis identified the following capability sets and their corresponding functionings: education with the new achieved functionings of knowledge on market oriented economy with more functionings such as apiary, dendrology, aqua-culture and horticultural practices, partnerships including contract farming and company registration; health as a capability set had the new functionings of improved people’s and soil’s health from organic and conservation production practices; nutrition as a capability set with new functionings of organic and conservation farming as well as, through testing of products and soils to ascertain nutritional parameters, nutritional functionings. These identified capability sets as valued beings and doings all attempted to absent climate change induced droughts, food insecurity and economic poverty through the social learning process. The new achieved functionings of knowledge on related market oriented economy, were used for food security as farmers were able to buy maize, the staple food, which has been constrained by climate change induced droughts and pests. The new capability sets and achieved functionings in alternatives to maize crop farming could be viewed in this thesis as a positive emancipatory cyclic movement in the community-based farmers from non-being to agency [1M to 4D]. The thesis found that for the social learning process to be transformative, the community-based farmers had to reflect as individuals and collectively as a community from T1 [social learning layer 1] to T00 [social learning as multi-layered and infinite]. Learning starts from T1 by engaging the ontological and epistemological question ‘what?’ and the pedagogical question, ‘how?’, in order to understand existing ills and how best to absent them. Tensions existed as the community still take maize meal as their staple food and yet maize production is less resilient to droughts in the absence of water harvesting for irrigation. Despite realising the nutritional value of small grains, the research findings claimed that small grains were difficult to process into a mealie-meal and so, could not replace maize as a staple food. Theoretical contributions from this thesis entailed both epistemological and ontological implications as the community-based farmers started to question positivism as the only benchmark for organic standards by sending what they self-perceived as ‘organic’ products and soils, for verification from observed laboratory tests. This might have indicated a recognised shift in the epistemology of the poor community-based farmer, who are widely viewed in literature, as non-being and subsistence, towards an organised transformative market oriented practice. In this regard, transformative social learning catalysed by the thesis, contributed towards an organic practice characterised by absenting synthetic fertilisers and certain heavy elements from the soils and from the products, thereby adapting and mitigating to global climate change at a micro-scale. The study, though small scale, might be viewed as having global policy implications. For SGD:2 FCS 1, VS absented hunger by transforming from zero tonnage in 2012 to an estimated harvest of four tonnes in 2017. For SDG:3, FCS 3, LN produced close to a tonne of organic peas that passed through laboratory testing for nutritional parameters and testing against heavy metals during the 2018 and 2019 farming season. SDG: 1 could be assessed and reflected through improved livelihoods from income raised under market gardening as shown in FCS 3, LN; FCS, 4 SM2; FCS 5 SS and FCS 6 JM2. Also from SDG 1, were alternatives to maize crop farming and climate change adaptation market oriented apiary practiced by FCS 7, LM2 & FCS 8, LM3 and market oriented dendrology from FCS, 10, VC & FCS 11, JC. FCS 10, VC, managed to register a small company while FCS 11, JC managed to get contracts from reputable tobacco companies in the country and he also managed to access bank loans to purchase a small truck to absent the transport ills that constrained the youths who finally moved out of the achieved functioning of dendrology. FCS, 3, LN and the group of youths valued sending their products and soils for laboratory tests, an indicator of the quality of education that they attained through Social learning process’ communities of practice engagement. By supplying part of their products as raw materials to an agro-industry, the newly achieved functioning of market oriented agriculture from FCS 3, LN and FCS 4, SM2 could be viewed as a move towards SDG: 9. In terms of SDG: 12, the farming practices studied in this thesis were deemed environmentally friendly, green and so were adaptations to climate change which could be read along with SDG: 13. The thesis findings thus could be viewed as those that could open up some ways of assessing and providing practical implementation pathways for some of the sustainable development goals as well as providing a platform to interrogate other ways of understanding critical realism’s underlying generative mechanisms as enablers and constrainers to shaping social learning and people’s measurable functionings in the context of education for sustainable development and the global action programme (GAP) and its immanent successor, the ESD Agenda 2030 framework. The research is therefore well poised to inform this agenda. The study concludes that in order to enhance community-based farmers’ social learning and agency towards climate change adaptation, extension service, the standards association institution, agro-industry, the university as well as the media, might need to engage pro-actively with the farmers’ capabilities and agency. The thesis also attempted to inform the university institution’s community engagement, thereby giving practical meaning to the whole institution approaches to ESD as promoted in the UNESCO ESD Global Action Programme, and the emerging ESD 2030 Agenda. The thesis therefore has potential to inform pedagogic practices at the formal, non-formal and the informal learning sectors. The thesis concludes that the social learning process, when coupled with critical realism and the capabilities theories, could facilitate the conversion of resources into new adaptive functionings. The social learning process is transformative, reflexive and recursive, but might have to start from 1M to 4D and from T1 to T00. Moreover, the thesis concludes that poverty remained one of the major disablers of the farmers’ capabilities and agency in this thesis. , Thesis (PhD)--Rhodes University, Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
Exploring the influences of an intersemiotic complementarity teaching approach on Grade 9 Namibian learners’ sense-making of chemical bonding
- Aikanga, Frans Paulus Shintaleleni
- Authors: Aikanga, Frans Paulus Shintaleleni
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Physical sciences -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Chemical bonds , Semiotics , Cognition in children , Communication in education , Language and education -- Namibia , Visual learning , Verbal learning
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/178281 , vital:42927
- Description: Anecdotal evidence from my 10 years’ experience teaching Grade 9 Physical Science in Namibian schools revealed learners’ difficulty with making sense of chemical bonding. The Junior Secondary examiners’ reports in recent consecutive years (2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017) also revealed this challenge among Grade 10 learners (Namibia. Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture [MoEAC], 2017). The language of learning and teaching (LoLT) for most school subjects (including Physical Science) in Namibia is English, which is taken as a second language by most learners (Kisting, 2011). The results of the English Language Proficiency test written by all principals and teachers in Namibia show that most are not proficient in this language (Kisting, 2011). This has raised concern as to how teaching of content subjects may be undertaken effectively with English as the LoLT. In Namibia, chemical bonding is part of the chemistry section of Physical Science, taught as a sub-topic under the Matter section, where the nature, characteristics, and behaviour of three states of matter are explained. The difficulty students have with chemical bonding is identified as being due to complex chemical concepts (Chittleborough & Mamiala, 2006), and the specialised language of the topic these concepts involve (Gilbert & Treagust, 2009). Additionally, this difficulty may be ascribed to lack of suitable pedagogic approaches, which is linked to science teachers not being fluent in the LoLT. Despite this link, Johnstone (1982) posits that addressing the challenge of teaching and learning chemical knowledge requires teachers’ understanding of three levels of representation: macroscopic, sub-microscopic, and symbolic. Addressing this challenge may be accomplished by using multimodality in teaching, which is achievable via intersemiosis of different semiotic modes, drawing from Systemic Functional Linguistics. This is due to non-linguistic modes also having the potential to make meaning as language does, and the fact that language alone cannot fully enable effective meaning-making in discourses that are inherently multimodal, such as science. Some studies have suggested that the intersemiosis of visual and verbal semiotic modes has the potential to enable more meaning-making of scientific discourse than either of these two alone. The study reported on in this thesis has built on such previous studies in order to explore the influences of a visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity teaching approach on Grade 9 Namibian learners’ sense-making of chemical bonding. No studies from Namibia exploring these influences on Grade 9 learners could be found. This revealed the knowledge gap that this study aimed to contribute to filling. I accomplished this goal by embarking on a two-cycle action research study. The first cycle followed a traditional teaching approach and assessment, whereas the second cycle, the intervention, included a visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity teaching approach and assessment. I achieved visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity teaching and assessment by coordinating spoken and written language with visuals in the form of diagrams and physical models. The critical paradigm was adopted to explore the influences of this pedagogic approach, with the underlying aim of exploring the intervention approach for bringing about a change in learners’ sense-making of chemical bonding, compared to traditional approaches that do not consider intersemiosis. This study is informed by Vygotsky’s (1978) social constructivism to account for learning as a product of social construction, and Halliday’s (1978) Systemic Functional Linguistics to account for the role played by semiotic modes in making meanings. This study involved collecting qualitative data that were accessed via document analysis, structured lesson observation, the teacher’s and learners’ reflective journals, and the pre- and post-test. Collecting these data was facilitated by a critical friend. The results reveal a positive influence of the visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity teaching approach on Grade 9 Namibian learners’ sense-making of chemical bonding. This influence was realised in the noticeable shift from the learners’ discourse (use of talk and visuals) being perceptual (which is less scientific) to being idea-based (which is more scientific). Learners were also found to be self-motivated and keen to learn complex chemical bonding concepts after the intervention – another sign of their making sense of the topic. The implications of this study include that visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity should be considered a pedagogic approach to chemical bonding by curriculum developers and reviewers, teacher training institutions, and science textbook authors. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Aikanga, Frans Paulus Shintaleleni
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Physical sciences -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Chemical bonds , Semiotics , Cognition in children , Communication in education , Language and education -- Namibia , Visual learning , Verbal learning
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/178281 , vital:42927
- Description: Anecdotal evidence from my 10 years’ experience teaching Grade 9 Physical Science in Namibian schools revealed learners’ difficulty with making sense of chemical bonding. The Junior Secondary examiners’ reports in recent consecutive years (2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017) also revealed this challenge among Grade 10 learners (Namibia. Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture [MoEAC], 2017). The language of learning and teaching (LoLT) for most school subjects (including Physical Science) in Namibia is English, which is taken as a second language by most learners (Kisting, 2011). The results of the English Language Proficiency test written by all principals and teachers in Namibia show that most are not proficient in this language (Kisting, 2011). This has raised concern as to how teaching of content subjects may be undertaken effectively with English as the LoLT. In Namibia, chemical bonding is part of the chemistry section of Physical Science, taught as a sub-topic under the Matter section, where the nature, characteristics, and behaviour of three states of matter are explained. The difficulty students have with chemical bonding is identified as being due to complex chemical concepts (Chittleborough & Mamiala, 2006), and the specialised language of the topic these concepts involve (Gilbert & Treagust, 2009). Additionally, this difficulty may be ascribed to lack of suitable pedagogic approaches, which is linked to science teachers not being fluent in the LoLT. Despite this link, Johnstone (1982) posits that addressing the challenge of teaching and learning chemical knowledge requires teachers’ understanding of three levels of representation: macroscopic, sub-microscopic, and symbolic. Addressing this challenge may be accomplished by using multimodality in teaching, which is achievable via intersemiosis of different semiotic modes, drawing from Systemic Functional Linguistics. This is due to non-linguistic modes also having the potential to make meaning as language does, and the fact that language alone cannot fully enable effective meaning-making in discourses that are inherently multimodal, such as science. Some studies have suggested that the intersemiosis of visual and verbal semiotic modes has the potential to enable more meaning-making of scientific discourse than either of these two alone. The study reported on in this thesis has built on such previous studies in order to explore the influences of a visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity teaching approach on Grade 9 Namibian learners’ sense-making of chemical bonding. No studies from Namibia exploring these influences on Grade 9 learners could be found. This revealed the knowledge gap that this study aimed to contribute to filling. I accomplished this goal by embarking on a two-cycle action research study. The first cycle followed a traditional teaching approach and assessment, whereas the second cycle, the intervention, included a visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity teaching approach and assessment. I achieved visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity teaching and assessment by coordinating spoken and written language with visuals in the form of diagrams and physical models. The critical paradigm was adopted to explore the influences of this pedagogic approach, with the underlying aim of exploring the intervention approach for bringing about a change in learners’ sense-making of chemical bonding, compared to traditional approaches that do not consider intersemiosis. This study is informed by Vygotsky’s (1978) social constructivism to account for learning as a product of social construction, and Halliday’s (1978) Systemic Functional Linguistics to account for the role played by semiotic modes in making meanings. This study involved collecting qualitative data that were accessed via document analysis, structured lesson observation, the teacher’s and learners’ reflective journals, and the pre- and post-test. Collecting these data was facilitated by a critical friend. The results reveal a positive influence of the visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity teaching approach on Grade 9 Namibian learners’ sense-making of chemical bonding. This influence was realised in the noticeable shift from the learners’ discourse (use of talk and visuals) being perceptual (which is less scientific) to being idea-based (which is more scientific). Learners were also found to be self-motivated and keen to learn complex chemical bonding concepts after the intervention – another sign of their making sense of the topic. The implications of this study include that visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity should be considered a pedagogic approach to chemical bonding by curriculum developers and reviewers, teacher training institutions, and science textbook authors. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
How selected Grade 7 participants develop conceptual understanding in solving algebraic problems as a result of participating in a screencast intervention
- Authors: Wienekus, George Renier
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Algebra -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa , Problem solving in children , Algebra -- Ability testing , Algebra -- Computer-assisted instruction
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176833 , vital:42763
- Description: This research project is an interventionist case study, oriented in the interpretive paradigm, which aims to investigate how selected Grade 7 participants develop conceptual understanding in solving algebraic problems as a result of participating in screencast interventions. The aim of my screencast intervention programme, which lies at the heart of this study, is to develop practices, inter alia, of how such devices and software may be “used to develop conceptual rather than procedural or decorative knowledge” (Larkin & Calder, 2015:1) in solving linear equations. The planned intervention was delivered in the form of a series of screencasts: these take the form of audio-video lessons with an emphasis on the visual impact, and were recorded using an application called Explain Everything. The screencast interventions were delivered via Google Classroom and included animations supported by such conceptual explanations of early algebra as are relevant to Grade 7 students, and in line with the South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements - Department of Education, 2011. The fundamental components of an early algebraic equation that would be relevant to a Grade 7 student were considered and used to develop an analytic framework. This was based on a taxonomy designed according to four identified “clusters” in order to analyse the workings of the purposefully selected Grade 7 participants who were video recorded and questioned in a talk-aloud interview while they completed a post-intervention pencil-and-paper test. What emerges from this research project is that there is a significant need for specific and concentrated technology-based techniques, such as the interventions undertaken here, and that exploration and development in the field could benefit the delivery of a pedagogy for algebra. The pedagogical methods implemented and studied in the form of screencasts proved to be successful and were well received by the learners particularly in relation to the conceptualisation of “symbol sense” and transformation in early algebra. The structure and design of the screencast interventions were important in supporting the acquisition of these concepts and were demonstrated to be worthwhile tools for an epistemological application in a classroom or teaching context. , Thesis (MEd) -- Rhodes University, Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Wienekus, George Renier
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Algebra -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa , Problem solving in children , Algebra -- Ability testing , Algebra -- Computer-assisted instruction
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176833 , vital:42763
- Description: This research project is an interventionist case study, oriented in the interpretive paradigm, which aims to investigate how selected Grade 7 participants develop conceptual understanding in solving algebraic problems as a result of participating in screencast interventions. The aim of my screencast intervention programme, which lies at the heart of this study, is to develop practices, inter alia, of how such devices and software may be “used to develop conceptual rather than procedural or decorative knowledge” (Larkin & Calder, 2015:1) in solving linear equations. The planned intervention was delivered in the form of a series of screencasts: these take the form of audio-video lessons with an emphasis on the visual impact, and were recorded using an application called Explain Everything. The screencast interventions were delivered via Google Classroom and included animations supported by such conceptual explanations of early algebra as are relevant to Grade 7 students, and in line with the South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements - Department of Education, 2011. The fundamental components of an early algebraic equation that would be relevant to a Grade 7 student were considered and used to develop an analytic framework. This was based on a taxonomy designed according to four identified “clusters” in order to analyse the workings of the purposefully selected Grade 7 participants who were video recorded and questioned in a talk-aloud interview while they completed a post-intervention pencil-and-paper test. What emerges from this research project is that there is a significant need for specific and concentrated technology-based techniques, such as the interventions undertaken here, and that exploration and development in the field could benefit the delivery of a pedagogy for algebra. The pedagogical methods implemented and studied in the form of screencasts proved to be successful and were well received by the learners particularly in relation to the conceptualisation of “symbol sense” and transformation in early algebra. The structure and design of the screencast interventions were important in supporting the acquisition of these concepts and were demonstrated to be worthwhile tools for an epistemological application in a classroom or teaching context. , Thesis (MEd) -- Rhodes University, Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
Motivation to learn science and make sense of the concept of malleability through the traditional blast furnace in a grade 9 Physical Science class
- Authors: Kudumo, Wilfred Peter
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia -- Kavango West , Metals -- Effect of high temperatures on , Blast furnaces , Ethnoscience -- Namibia -- Kavango West , Ubuntu (Philosophy) , Culturally relevant pedagogy , Motivation in education -- Namibia -- Kavango West , Continuity Argumentative Theory (CAT)
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177262 , vital:42804
- Description: The current situation of teaching and learning science in Namibia is of great concern since it does not seem to take into consideration learners’ socio-cultural backgrounds. As a result, learners are finding that science is not relevant to their everyday life experiences and hence are not motivated to learn it. This is compounded in part by the fact that the Namibian curriculum seems to be silent on how science teachers should include learners’ socio-cultural backgrounds, for example, local or indigenous knowledge in their teaching repertoires. It is against this background that in this study I explored how mobilising the cultural practice of a traditional blast furnace (mudukuto) as an approach enables and/or constrains learners’ motivation to learn science and make sense of the concept of malleability. This is a qualitative case study underpinned by a combination of interpretive and Ubuntu paradigms. It was carried out in a rural school in Namibia, Kavango West Region, where I am currently teaching. The participants in the study were grade 9 learners and one expert community member. Focus group interviews, participatory observation, learners’ reflections, and stimulated recall interviews were used to gather qualitative data. Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory was used as a theoretical framework and Ogunniyi`s Continuity Argumentative Theory (CAT) was used as analytical framework or lens to analyse the data. A thematic approach to analyse data was employed. That is, qualitative data were analysed inductively to come up with sub-themes and themes. The findings of the study revealed that the traditional furnace motivated the learners involved in this study to learn science and learners were able to extract science concepts on malleability from the traditional practice. The implication for this study is that when science is related to learners’ daily life or real-world experiences, they are enabled to bridge the gap from what they learn at home or in the community with school science. The study thus recommends that teachers should make an effort to integrate local or indigenous knowledge and practices to make science accessible and relevant in their classrooms. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Kudumo, Wilfred Peter
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia -- Kavango West , Metals -- Effect of high temperatures on , Blast furnaces , Ethnoscience -- Namibia -- Kavango West , Ubuntu (Philosophy) , Culturally relevant pedagogy , Motivation in education -- Namibia -- Kavango West , Continuity Argumentative Theory (CAT)
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177262 , vital:42804
- Description: The current situation of teaching and learning science in Namibia is of great concern since it does not seem to take into consideration learners’ socio-cultural backgrounds. As a result, learners are finding that science is not relevant to their everyday life experiences and hence are not motivated to learn it. This is compounded in part by the fact that the Namibian curriculum seems to be silent on how science teachers should include learners’ socio-cultural backgrounds, for example, local or indigenous knowledge in their teaching repertoires. It is against this background that in this study I explored how mobilising the cultural practice of a traditional blast furnace (mudukuto) as an approach enables and/or constrains learners’ motivation to learn science and make sense of the concept of malleability. This is a qualitative case study underpinned by a combination of interpretive and Ubuntu paradigms. It was carried out in a rural school in Namibia, Kavango West Region, where I am currently teaching. The participants in the study were grade 9 learners and one expert community member. Focus group interviews, participatory observation, learners’ reflections, and stimulated recall interviews were used to gather qualitative data. Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory was used as a theoretical framework and Ogunniyi`s Continuity Argumentative Theory (CAT) was used as analytical framework or lens to analyse the data. A thematic approach to analyse data was employed. That is, qualitative data were analysed inductively to come up with sub-themes and themes. The findings of the study revealed that the traditional furnace motivated the learners involved in this study to learn science and learners were able to extract science concepts on malleability from the traditional practice. The implication for this study is that when science is related to learners’ daily life or real-world experiences, they are enabled to bridge the gap from what they learn at home or in the community with school science. The study thus recommends that teachers should make an effort to integrate local or indigenous knowledge and practices to make science accessible and relevant in their classrooms. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
The development of grade one teachers’ mathematics and pedagogical content knowledge through participation in a collaborative intervention
- Authors: Mutlane, Kedisaletse Stella
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa -- Northern Cape , Pedagogical content knowledge , Mathematics teachers -- Training of -- South Africa -- Northern Cape , Lesson planning -- South Africa -- Northern Cape , Teaching teams -- South Africa -- Northern Cape , Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT)
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177370 , vital:42815
- Description: The “South African education system is grossly inefficient, severely underperforming and egregiously unfair” (Spaull, 2013, p.3). In particular, grave concerns with learner performance in mathematics in South Africa are well documented (e.g., Taylor, 2008; Spaull, 2013; Venkat & Spaull, 2015). There are various explanations for the poor state of learner performance in mathematics in South Africa. Two of the explanations that relate closely to my research interest are teachers’ insufficient mathematics content and pedagogical knowledge, and inappropriate professional development. This study aims to ascertain how a collaborative intervention can develop teachers’ mathematics and pedagogical content knowledge as they focus on developing learners’ foundational number sense. Cultural Historical Activity Theory, together with Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching (Ball et al., 2008) and the Knowledge Quartet (Rowlands & Turner, 2007) frameworks, provide the explanatory and analytic tools for the research. The research is a qualitative case study underpinned by an interpretivist orientation. The study was conducted at a township public primary school in the Northern Cape. Three Grade One teachers participated in the research. Data was collected through interviews, classroom observations, and videos of collaborative lesson planning and reflection sessions. A key finding emerging from this research is that the teachers had the necessary mathematics content knowledge to teach Grade One mathematics. Despite this and in contrast to it, they lacked adequate pedagogical content knowledge required to develop learners’ number sense. To develop their pedagogical content knowledge, they required the intervention of a ‘more knowledgable other’ (Vygotsky, 2008). Several contradictions and tensions emerged from the research. For example, the teachers expressed that the opportunity to work collaboratively was beneficial, but it was evident that they were familiar with and accomplished in planning and working together. The contradictions emerging from this research provide an opportunity and basis for expansive learning for future collaborative teacher endeavours. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Mutlane, Kedisaletse Stella
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa -- Northern Cape , Pedagogical content knowledge , Mathematics teachers -- Training of -- South Africa -- Northern Cape , Lesson planning -- South Africa -- Northern Cape , Teaching teams -- South Africa -- Northern Cape , Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT)
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177370 , vital:42815
- Description: The “South African education system is grossly inefficient, severely underperforming and egregiously unfair” (Spaull, 2013, p.3). In particular, grave concerns with learner performance in mathematics in South Africa are well documented (e.g., Taylor, 2008; Spaull, 2013; Venkat & Spaull, 2015). There are various explanations for the poor state of learner performance in mathematics in South Africa. Two of the explanations that relate closely to my research interest are teachers’ insufficient mathematics content and pedagogical knowledge, and inappropriate professional development. This study aims to ascertain how a collaborative intervention can develop teachers’ mathematics and pedagogical content knowledge as they focus on developing learners’ foundational number sense. Cultural Historical Activity Theory, together with Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching (Ball et al., 2008) and the Knowledge Quartet (Rowlands & Turner, 2007) frameworks, provide the explanatory and analytic tools for the research. The research is a qualitative case study underpinned by an interpretivist orientation. The study was conducted at a township public primary school in the Northern Cape. Three Grade One teachers participated in the research. Data was collected through interviews, classroom observations, and videos of collaborative lesson planning and reflection sessions. A key finding emerging from this research is that the teachers had the necessary mathematics content knowledge to teach Grade One mathematics. Despite this and in contrast to it, they lacked adequate pedagogical content knowledge required to develop learners’ number sense. To develop their pedagogical content knowledge, they required the intervention of a ‘more knowledgable other’ (Vygotsky, 2008). Several contradictions and tensions emerged from the research. For example, the teachers expressed that the opportunity to work collaboratively was beneficial, but it was evident that they were familiar with and accomplished in planning and working together. The contradictions emerging from this research provide an opportunity and basis for expansive learning for future collaborative teacher endeavours. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
Using the indigenous technology of dyeing and weaving African baskets as a cultural tool to mediate learning of chemical and physical changes
- Authors: Kakambi, William Mafelezo
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Chemistry -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Ethnoscience -- Namibia , Culturally relevant pedagogy , Traditional ecological knowledge -- Namibia , Basket making -- Namibia , Dyes and dyeing -- Namibia , Pedagogical content knowledge
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177268 , vital:42805
- Description: Literature has revealed that indigenous learners, especially in many African nations are subjected to learning school science in unfamiliar contexts. Learners in Namibia where this study was conducted are no exception. In consequence, learners experience cognitive conflict between school science and the experiences learnt at home and in the community. This is exacerbated, in part, by the fact that science teachers do not seem to know how to integrate indigenous knowledge in their science teaching. As an attempt to address this problem, some scholars call for the integration of indigenous knowledge into the science curriculum to provide a much needed context for learning science. It is against this background that this study sought to use the indigenous technology of dyeing and weaving baskets as a cultural tool to mediate learning of chemical and physical changes. Underpinned by the interpretivist and Ubuntu paradigms, the study employed a qualitative case study research design. The study was conducted in the Zambezi region in Namibia. Four grade 8 Physical Science teachers, an expert community member, and a critical friend were involved as participants in this study. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews, workshop discussions, participatory observation, and journal reflections. Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory and Mavhunga and Rollnick’s topic specific pedagogical content knowledge were used as theoretical and analytical frameworks, respectively. A thematic approach to data analysis was employed to come up with sub-themes and themes. The findings of the study revealed that all the participating teachers in this study had never been exposed to ideas on how to integrate indigenous knowledge in their science teaching. As a result, they all embraced and valued the indigenous technology of dyeing and weaving as relevant and useful in the teaching and learning of chemical and physical changes. This study recommends that there is a need to empower science teachers on how to integrate indigenous knowledge in their science teaching in order to make science accessible and relevant to their learners’ lived worlds. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Kakambi, William Mafelezo
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Chemistry -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Ethnoscience -- Namibia , Culturally relevant pedagogy , Traditional ecological knowledge -- Namibia , Basket making -- Namibia , Dyes and dyeing -- Namibia , Pedagogical content knowledge
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177268 , vital:42805
- Description: Literature has revealed that indigenous learners, especially in many African nations are subjected to learning school science in unfamiliar contexts. Learners in Namibia where this study was conducted are no exception. In consequence, learners experience cognitive conflict between school science and the experiences learnt at home and in the community. This is exacerbated, in part, by the fact that science teachers do not seem to know how to integrate indigenous knowledge in their science teaching. As an attempt to address this problem, some scholars call for the integration of indigenous knowledge into the science curriculum to provide a much needed context for learning science. It is against this background that this study sought to use the indigenous technology of dyeing and weaving baskets as a cultural tool to mediate learning of chemical and physical changes. Underpinned by the interpretivist and Ubuntu paradigms, the study employed a qualitative case study research design. The study was conducted in the Zambezi region in Namibia. Four grade 8 Physical Science teachers, an expert community member, and a critical friend were involved as participants in this study. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews, workshop discussions, participatory observation, and journal reflections. Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory and Mavhunga and Rollnick’s topic specific pedagogical content knowledge were used as theoretical and analytical frameworks, respectively. A thematic approach to data analysis was employed to come up with sub-themes and themes. The findings of the study revealed that all the participating teachers in this study had never been exposed to ideas on how to integrate indigenous knowledge in their science teaching. As a result, they all embraced and valued the indigenous technology of dyeing and weaving as relevant and useful in the teaching and learning of chemical and physical changes. This study recommends that there is a need to empower science teachers on how to integrate indigenous knowledge in their science teaching in order to make science accessible and relevant to their learners’ lived worlds. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
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