Electronic Theses and Dissertations (PhDs)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/37988

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Has files: YesSubject: search.filters.subject.Organic Chemistry

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    Effectiveness of blended teaching on learning engagement and academic achievement in Organic Chemistry: A case study of South Africa Grade 12 Learners
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Chakawodza, Josphine Munyaradzi; Kizito, Rita N.; Nakedi, Mpunki
    Globally, the use of blended teaching has increased tremendously, particularly at university level. However, there is a dearth of research on the use of blended teaching at high school level and in a developing nation, as well as on the efficacy of blended teaching at high schools, particularly those that are least advantaged. These under-resourced schools where traditional face-to-face teaching is prevalent, cater for the largest learner cohort in South Africa. This study focused on Organic Chemistry, a Physical Sciences topic which most South African learners generally find difficult resulting in poor academic achievement. All this requires that innovative teaching methods be employed. When designed effectively, blended teaching comes with several benefits, such as catering for learner diversity, self-directedness, and flexibility, thereby increasing learning gains (Armellini & Rodriguez, 2021, Halverson & Graham, 2019). The main aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of blended teaching in developing learning engagement and academic achievement in Organic Chemistry in Grade 12 learners at one of the least advantaged High schools of South Africa. A mixed method approach in the form of sequential explanatory design was utilised. Two existing groups (resembling quasi experimental design in which the subgroup sample assignment depicted elements of random sampling), one experimental (n=100), and another control (n=100), comprising Grade 12 Physical Sciences learners from one school participated in this study. Quantitative data collected through surveys and Organic Chemistry test were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics as well as moderated regression analysis while qualitative data (interview data from six boys, six girls, and two teachers) were analysed using thematic, content, and comparative analyses. This showed that blended teaching was significantly more effective in developing learning engagement and improving academic achievement in Organic Chemistry. It was concluded that the ‘blend’ used in this study was effective for the broader South African high school context. Additionally, two out of three learning engagement sub-constructs had significant moderating effects on the relationship between blended (or traditional face-to-face) teaching and academic achievement while the third one did not.
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    The Development and Validation of a Theoretical Construct Describing Content Knowledge for Teaching Science: A Case Study with Organic Chemistry
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-08) Ndlovu, Bongani Prince; Mavhunga, Elizabeth
    The distinction between academic disciplines and school subjects has not found enough attention in teacher education research. Thus, a question about the nature of content knowledge suitable for pre-service teacher education and as a base for PCK development in science was raised. The purpose of this study was to conceptualize and validate a theoretical construct that describes a version of content knowledge appropriate for training secondary school science teachers. This construct was termed Teacher-related Science Content Knowledge (TerSCK). The study followed the traditional two-step process of developing a theoretical construct. The first phase entailed the conceptualization of the envisaged theoretical construct through a systematic literature review. This was followed by the second phase which empirically proved the validity of the conceptualization as a theoretical construct TerSCK. The validation of the conceptualization was located in the methodology class of the 3rd year pre-service science teachers (PSTs), who majored in physical sciences. As such, the study employed a mixed-method research design with a whole class sample of 35 PSTs. The PSTs were exposed to a TerSCK-based intervention to explore various shifts in the quality of their content knowledge for teaching Organic Chemistry. The findings from the systematic review presented TerSCK as a unique construct located between the academic discipline content and the school science content knowledge. The construct is described through three dimensions that describe the relationship between academic discipline and school subjects. These relational dimensions are the “logical, epistemological and social dimensions”. Translating the relational dimensions into the curriculum through Schwab’s three faces yielded five curriculum elements of TerSCK. These are (i) Fundamentals of the discipline on the topic, (ii) Interconnections between the concepts that make up the fundamental concepts, (iii) Tensions emerging from the process of filtering the discipline fundamentals into the school curriculum scope, (iv) Scientific and other modes of inquiry from other disciplines, and (v) Cultivating social agency. Findings emerging from the empirical study presented the TerSCK construct as valid based on the acceptable calculated fit statistics values at 0.5 to 1.5 and -2.0 to +2.0 for MNSQ and ZSTD, respectively. The empirical findings further indicated that participant PSTs experienced a significant improvement in the quality of TerSCK after the intervention. Implications for initial teacher education have been drawn and the recommendations include large-scale research on the nature of TerSCK in organic chemistry and other chemistry curriculum topics.