Browsing by Author "Zulu, Sphamandla Innocent"

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    Exploring Grade 10 physical science teachers’ pedagogical approaches to the Electricity topic in selected Vryheid rural schools, KwaZulu-Natal Province
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-10) Zulu, Sphamandla Innocent; Nkambule, Thabisile
    In a context often characterised by lack of resources, with its peoples’ agencies often ignored, how do teachers teach difficult yet practical science topics in rural classrooms? This question was asked in a context where teaching is described as a complex task. Without overlooking teachers‘ individual agency, teaching science in rural schools is an arduous undertaking. Science teachers require sufficient and appropriate content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge for enhanced science teaching and learning experiences. Understanding teachers‘ pedagogical knowledge was the interest of this study. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore teachers‘ pedagogical approaches during the Electricity lessons in Grade 10 rural classrooms and examine teachers‘ pedagogical reasoning for the observed teaching approaches. The paucity of physical science education research in rural schools has not been able to offer an account of teachers‘ pedagogical approaches and what influences their pedagogical practices within rural classrooms. Hence, the current study as introductory for other science education researchers in researching physical science teaching and learning in rural schools. The present study used Mavhunga‘s (2012) topic specific pedagogical content knowledge (tsPCK) as a theoretical framework focusing on all five components of the theory. To supplement tsPCK, Scott et al.‘s. (2011) pedagogical link-making (PLM) was also used in identifying and discussing the nuances of teachers‘ pedagogical approaches during electricity lessons. I used a collective case study design and adopted a qualitative research approach and classroom observations, video-stimulated recall interviews (VSRI‘s), and semi-structured interviews as methods of data generation. The case study focused on three teachers from Vryheid rural schools in KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa, to investigate their classroom practices, particularly, pedagogical approaches to Electricity topic and factors that shape their teaching of the topic. The three teachers were purposefully and conveniently selected. To guide this case study investigation, the main research question of the study was: How do Grade 10 rural physical science teachers teach the Electricity topic? The findings of this study revealed that the teaching of Electricity topic requires multiple representations at symbolic, macro, and sub-microscopic levels; and that explicit links of these representations are vital for science knowledge building. Teachers used mostly symbolic level, with some teachers limitedly representing the Electricity topic macroscopically through practical work (hands-on practical work and demonstrations). Important also was the contextualized level of representations including analogies that teachers used to teach the topic. Moreover, teachers constantly worked with learners‘ prior knowledge in their facilitation methods while also considering curricular sequencing and content skills linkage made within and across the lessons. Also, some observed electricity concepts or processes proved to be difficult for teachers to teach, while, I acknowledge the various conceptual teaching approaches that teachers used to ensure deep understanding of the topic of Electricity including those concepts that seemed difficult to teach. Other observable teachers‘ approaches included the dominance of question and answer teaching approach and teacher-centered approach, with some subject-matter centered approach and limited learner-centered approach. All three teachers taught the same topic differently. During VSRI and semi-structured interviews, teachers commented on their teaching for assessment purposes. Teachers‘ pedagogical approaches were influenced by various factors including teachers‘ teaching and learning experiences, learners‘ prior knowledge, teaching for compliance, teaching for assessment (examination), availability and appropriate use of science laboratory apparatus for Electricity topic. Given the findings of this study, I recommend among other things, research intervention intending to equip rural teachers with pedagogical skills for teaching physical science topics including Electricity topic.
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    Exploring Grade 10 rural physical science teachers’ perceptions and usage of everyday words in Acornhoek science classrooms, Mpumalanga Province
    (2018) Zulu, Sphamandla Innocent
    Science is a specialized language on its own and literature has revealed that science learners face conceptual challenges when learning about science concepts and words which are used in both everyday and science classroom with different meanings according to context of use. Science as a language is composed of scientific concepts (technical words) and ordinary words (non-technical words), of which the latter is the focus of this study because of its importance in ensuring sound comprehension of the technical words for effective teaching and learning of science. As such, teachers also need to mediate the non-technical words, especially Everyday Words when used in Science (EWS) classroom context, because they serve as conveyor belts of meanings inside the classroom and if explicitly mediated it can help enhance the teaching and learning of science. The purpose of this study was to explore Grade 10 rural physical science teachers‘ perceptions and usage of everyday words in science context during teaching. The study also sought to understand teachers‘ level of awareness with EWS difficulties in learning science, while it also critically analysed factors shaping physical science teachers‘ perceptions and usage of EWS. To unearth rural teachers‘ language practices, this study used a case study design and qualitative research approach drawing from Vygotsky‘s concept of mediation, Scott, Mortimer and Ametler‘s concept of pedagogical link-making; and Mortimer and Scott‘s concept of social language of science as conceptual framework. Research data was collected through ten classroom observations of Grade 10 physical science lessons and individual interviews with the participant teachers from rural settings of Acornhoek, Mpumalanga Province. The main findings of this study illustrates that greater percentage of classroom talk was teacher talk. In their talk, teachers were explicit in explaining the technical words while either ignoring or implicitly addressing the non-technical words, especially EWS. Additionally, teachers‘ perceptions of the value of addressing non-technical words in their teaching varied. The study also established that the teachers‘ language practices were to some extent influenced by the rural contextual social realities, teacher content knowledge, teacher knowledge of EWS and the importance of science language, and other several personal and contextual constraints. The findings also shown that rural Acornhoek physical science teachers were not aware of the learners‘ difficulties instigated by the use of EWS, and more disturbingly is that some teachers also lack knowledge of the contextual meanings of EWS. The paucity of physical science education research in rural schools has not been able to offer account of teachers‘ perceptions and usage of EWS during teaching in rural schools. Hence, this study as ii introductory for other science education researchers in researching teaching and learning physical science in rural schools, more specifically the understanding of STL, influence LOLT and the LOLTS. The findings of this study demonstrates that teachers are often oblivious of the functional value of EWS due to their negative perceptions hence their lack of explicit explanation of EWS when encountered during teaching and such practice is influenced by various factors. Therefore, this study recommends research intervention intending to equip teachers with skills in noting and dealing with language demands in their classrooms.