3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item An analysis of fifth year Paediatric teaching(1987) Skapinker, ReneeMuch teaching in paediatrics is done at the patient's bedside. The clinical ward round should integrate all the pertinent features of the case. A prospective study was undertaken at the Johannesburg Hospital to evaluate such teaching. Twenty-two fifth year medical students and ten paediatric consultants were studied during the students1 first exposure to clinical paediatrics. Analysis of the teaching showed that there were significant differences between ideal objectives set by the Department, what was actually taught during the clinical ward round and what students perceived as having been taught. Futhermore, consultants defined more objectives for the teaching session when this was done prior to the tutorial than after the tutorial. The correlation between objectives considered taught by consultants and those perceived by students as having been taught, was poorer when consultants defined their teaching objectives before the tutorials compared with when consultants defined their objectives after the tutorials. These findings indicate unrealistic expectations in terms of what tutors are able to cover in a ward round when the objectives are pre-defined. Further analysis of the data revealed a bias towards objectives which were inappropriate for students with limited clinical experience.Item The teaching of electrolytic cell and its fundamental concepts: the case of a spiral curriculum(2019) Brighton, MudadigwaThe research explored in-service teachers’ classroom practices in teaching for conceptual understanding with a particular focus on the topic of Chemical Change. The topic is taught at different levels in the FET, being Reactions in aqueous solution at Grade 10; Redox reactions at Grade 11; and Electrolytic cell at Grade 12. The study was inspired by continual reports of South African Grade 12 learners’ failure to adequately answer examination questions that demand a conceptual understanding of scientific knowledge on the topic Chemical Change. The study aimed to understand current teaching and learning processes in real life classrooms as well as to evaluate the spiral nature of the Physical Science curriculum. Special focus was on how Physical Sciences teachers’ teaching approaches foster meaningful learning to enable learner conceptual understanding and access to scientific content. Physical Science curriculum documents were scrutinised for features of a spiral curriculum. The study followed an explanatory interpretative qualitative research paradigm with a case study methodology. The five participating in-service teachers, teaching a total of six classes were drawn from five different schools in three different districts of Gauteng province. Eighteen lessons were audio and video recorded, three lessons from each class and five teacher interviews we done. Scott, Mortimer and Aguiar’s model of pedagogical link-making (PLM) was used to analyse the lessons. PLM comprises three aspects, link making to support continuity, link making to support knowledge building and link making to promote emotional engagement. Pedagogical link-making to support continuity was used both to analyse the spiral nature of the Physical Science curriculum and to analyse how the teachers sequenced the scientific concepts during the teaching and learning process. Pedagogical link making to support knowledge building was used to evaluate how teachers used the five pedagogical teaching tools that enable learners to actively construct knowledge. The Physical Science curriculum was found to be limited in its claims to a spiral nature at least for the topic Chemical Change and its essential concepts from Grade 10 to 12. Fundamental concepts such as Oxidation numbers (Grade 10) and Electrolytes (Grade 11) were not included in the curriculum in the respective grades. The lesson presentations by the teachers showed challenges in macro and meso link-making especially in the introductory lessons which hampered continuity from related past and future chemistry topics. Link-making at the micro level was well executed by all participants while the use of meso link-making increased from the first lesson to the third lesson. As far as link-making for knowledge building is concerned, I found that four of the five teachers used integration more than differentiation between everyday ways and scientific ways of explaining. Also, the use of both integration and differentiation increased from Grade 10 to 12. Two findings emerged with respect to making links between scientific concepts. Firstly, teachers generally illustrated the links between connected concepts very well. However, the second finding was that teachers seldom involved their learners in the linking of scientific concepts. In other words, teachers tended to retain authority in terms of conceptual engagement thus, compromising learning of conceptual understanding. There was hardly any link-making between scientific explanations and real-world phenomena with only one out of five teachers managing this. In terms of modes of representation, teachers successfully got learners to use multiple modes of representation. Finally, there was variation in how teachers moved between different scales and levels of explanation within a continuum in the way the triangle of levels of thought was used by the participants. On the one extreme of the continuum, all 3 levels of explanation were used by both teachers and learners while on the other teachers only used one level of explanation, either the macroscopic or symbolic. For meaningful learning to be a reality in science classrooms, the findings of my study suggest a need for both in-service and pre-service teachers to be introduced to approaches that promote conceptual understanding. The findings of this study recommend that the policy-makers consider the revision of the topic Chemical Change and align it to the features of a spiral curriculum.Item The impact of teach South Africa through experiences of teach alumni: recruitment and support of motivated teacher candidates(2019) Ngwenya, LindiweThe teaching profession suffers from a low social status and public image, as South African teachers are generally considered to have low motivation and commitment. Consequently, the Department of Basic Education struggles to attract young, top achievers and retain quality, experienced teachers. The need for quality teachers is particularly felt in critical subjects and in disadvantaged schools. The NGO, TEACH South Africa (TSA), modelled after Teach for America, has positioned itself as a additional source of teachers and future leaders through its two-year induction and ongoing support programme. By rigorously recruiting, selecting and inducting young, high-achieving graduates with particular characteristics to teach critical subjects in disadvantaged schools, TSA aims to produce future leaders both inside and outside the classroom, committed to improving educational outcomes in the long-term. The study seeks to investigate the impact of the TSA programme on its recruits, called TEACH Ambassadors (TAs), now alumni, by exploring their experiences during the programme and subsequent career paths. It also aims to ascertain the extent to which the programme produces what it intends. This is done through a qualitative study, where semi-structured interviews of three TSA mentors and eleven alumni from the first three cohorts of the TSA programme (2009-2011) were used as a method of data collection. The research reveals that TSA’s strength is in its rigorous recruitment and selection process, which attracts top-tier candidates, who are intrinsically motivated to make a difference in education and who would not normally choose teaching. Furthermore, the career path trajectory of most TAs changed as a result of their experiences during the programme, as at least 60% of TAs decided to remain teachers and others remained in education, outside the classroom. However, the placement of TAs was subject to provincial departments’ needs, which sometimes did not align with TSA and unconducive school environments compromised TAs work. Furthermore, weaknesses in the programme design, strategy and provision of some key services pose a real threat to the quality of the programme, its outcomes and its viabilityItem Teachers’ use of iPads in the classroom in a South African public school(2018) Lupondwana, VuyoThis study examined the use of iPads by teachers in a public school in South Africa. The school is a public school located in a township East of Johannesburg. The majority of the learners are from for the surrounding townships. The school was part of the ‘Paperless Classroom’ project of the Gauteng Department of Education which equipped schools with smartboards in classrooms, iPads for the learners and teachers and additionally laptops for the teachers. The paperless classroom, is an initiative provides devices to learners and teachers, access to online educational content and classrooms are equipped with smart boards and Internet connectivity. The education department of Gauteng’s objectives is to encourage ICT adoption, skills development and improving the quality of education in townships. The project was rolled out in 2015 and schools were selected based on academic performance. The school was included in the project as they had achieved a one hundred percent pass rate of its matric class for three consecutive years. The study sought to explore how the teachers use iPads in the classroom in a township school context. The Affordance framework was applied in exploring how teachers use iPads in the classroom and the associated benefits and challenges. Qualitative data was collected through interviews with the teachers and at a single school. Seven teachers were interviewed including the principal. The findings of the study indicated that overall the effect of iPad use by the teachers has been positive. The use of iPads resulted in the teachers having access to quality multi-media and educational apps to teach their subjects which resulted in learners’ increased class involvement and independent learning. The study revealed that effective use of iPads requires teachers that are adequately trained to use the iPad technically and also on subject specific training. Additionally the study showed that a reliable wireless connection and reliable technical support and mitigation of learners’ distractions increased the effectiveness of using iPads in the classroom.Item The relationship between the philosophy of scientific knowledge and curriculum in Molecular Bioscience teaching at a tertiary learning institution(2018) Legg-E’Silva, Derryn AudreyThe relationship between teacher beliefs about the nature of science and scientific knowledge and pedagogical practice has been well studied. However, this has mainly been for teachers at school level. This study examined this relationship, in lecturers, at a university level where a single course is taught by multiple lecturers, each with their own beliefs and teaching practices. Anecdotal evidence suggests that science students are receiving mixed messages about the nature of science and scientific knowledge, these are contradictory to what they should be learning in order to think and reason like true scientists. Data was collected from four lecturers who lecture across the same Molecular Biosciences course in the form of interviews, classroom observations and text analyses in order to ascertain the relationship between the beliefs, practices and assessment approaches of each lecturer. The findings indicate that coherence exists between lecturers ’ beliefs and practices and is in agreement with previous research. However, this coherence does not occur between the lecturers. One lecturer was found to be positivist, two lecturers transitional and one lecturer reform-based in their beliefs and teaching approaches. An interesting finding with regards to assessment was revealed and provided an explanation for mixed messages science students may be receiving regarding the nature of science and scientific knowledge. It can therefore be concluded that lecturers’ beliefs about the nature of science and scientific knowledge are mirrored in their practices. This information may be useful for lecturer and teacher training and can be included in university and school discussions about views of teaching and assessment.Item A Comparison of Theoretical and Practical Approaches to the Teaching of Anatomy at " Universidade Eduardo Mondlane" in Mozambique(2000) Rodrigues, M,A,F.During the academic year of 1997/98, two randomised groups of second year medical students at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane in Maputo learned gross anatomy of the limbs and the trunk by different teaching approaches. One group (A) dissected the thorax for 5 weeks according to an experimental programme, while the other (group B) worked on the same topic in the traditional way at UEM, which excluded dissection. The groups learned the abdomen by reversing the methods. For the study of the limbs, all the students learned the upper limbs by using the traditional approach while the lower limbs were dissected. Study guides were supplied to the Experimental Group and each of the practical classes started with a ten-minute preparatory tutorial when the structures to be studied were discussed. The same amount of time and the same background were given to both groups. At the end of the semester all students were examined by written and practical tests. The mean differences in the tests were statistically significant (p<0.001) only in the case of the practical test on the anatomy of the limbs, favouring the Experimental Group. Pre-questionnaires and post-questionnaires were completed before and after the experimentation. The combination of lectures, tutorials and dissection was the most preferred teaching approach. The students’ comments indicated that they felt that dissection enhanced the learning despite the short time devoted to it. On the other hand, students felt that dissection can enhance other skills which will be very useful later in pathology and surgery, for example in a way not possible to achieve by means of tutorials, or even prosections. Therefore, these results suggest that dissection could be a useful complementary teaching approach in addition to lectures and tutorials in Anatomy at UEMItem Exploring the teaching of big ideas in teaching for mathematical reasoning while covering content (functions) meaningfully.(2012-03-15) Coetzee, Kurt MichaelAbstract could not load on D Space.Item Lesotho junior secondary science teachers' perceptions and use of past examination papers in teaching.(2009-06-17T07:36:59Z) Majara, Sophia M.Literature has shown that assessment has various purposes in education, ranging from establishing the starting point, to monitoring and evaluation, while the role of assessment in supporting learning is yet to be explored. In this study I explore the influence of assessment on teaching in the Lesotho junior certificate science curriculum. I achieve this by exploring the nature tools of summative assessment, teachers’ views on these tools and how teachers engage the tools once they have served the summative assessment purpose. In exploring the nature of tools of assessment I conducted a documentary analysis of junior certificate science papers written over three years, and obtained teachers’ views on the papers and their uses through a questionnaire and a focus group interview. The study is predominantly qualitative and interpretive and is informed by three theories; curriculum theory; which explains the cyclic relationship of the curriculum elements, Bloom’s taxonomy which guides the drawing of educational objectives and construction of tools of assessment and social theories explaining reflection on and understanding of one’s social practices. Analysis of the past examination papers showed that they are relatively valid for the syllabus for which they are designed, though there are some discrepancies. Teachers find the questions in the examination papers appropriate for use in teaching, though they need to be simplified at times. The question papers also assess the understanding of science in the context of life around the learner. The uses to which teachers put past examination papers range from planning to testing and the most common uses are teaching and testing. According to the findings, past examination papers do have an influence on what teachers select for teaching and how they approach what they have selected. Further recommendations that I can make on the basis of this study are; that teachers can derive themes for action research from which they can build pedagogical content knowledge for various topics. Finally, they can also be used as a source of a variety of tasks for learners.Item "An imperilled profession?" : teachers' perceptions of the significance of remuneration in entering and remaining in the teaching profession.(2009-03-03T10:05:53Z) Sfetsios, NefeliIn view of the rapid decrease in the number of students opting to train as teachers and the increasing numbers of teachers leaving the profession; the teaching profession in South Africa is indeed what Duke (1984) termed “imperilled”. While quantitative research identifies remuneration to be the foremost factor attributed to the dissatisfaction of teachers in South Africa as elsewhere; the main purpose of this study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of remuneration. Nine qualified women teachers aged between 25 and 35 years of age, who had been teaching for at least two years and less than ten, volunteered to take part in this study. The sample was drawn from government schools in a suburban part of Johannesburg. This research was based on the information gathered from a short biographical questionnaire followed by in-depth, semi-structured interviews. A process of language sensitive thematic content analysis was employed in order to analyse the data from the interviews. The research indicates that in the decision to enter the teaching profession, notions of the perception that teaching is a vocation predominate. An emphasis on the related intrinsic rewards to be gained from teaching was found to receive greater focus than monetary concerns on entering the profession. The participants expressed that women are more likely to enter the teaching profession while even though men may share the passion to teach, they are seriously deterred by the poor levels of remuneration. The participants explained that as the contexts of their lives changed, so too did their perceptions of remuneration, often resulting in an increasing emphasis on the importance of better remuneration to meet their and their families’ financial needs. Related to this, it was found that as South African teachers were exposed to an almost overwhelming number of challenges, the participants began to experience fewer intrinsic rewards which seemed to impact negatively on their perceptions of remuneration. Thus of the nine participants, only two indicated their long-term commitment to the teaching profession whereas the remaining seven all had plans to leave the profession in search of better remuneration.Item Teachers' views on the role of context in mathematical literacy(2008-08-29T11:19:18Z) Mthethwa, Themba M.This study focused on teachers’ views on the role of context in Mathematical Literacy. The study falls within a constructivist framework. The research method used was a case study involving two teachers. The data for the study was collected from teachers through semi-structured interviews and was collected from learners through mathematical literacy tasks. In the analysis of the research data, five issues are identified and discussed: They are concerned with (a) the balance between content and context, (b) the relation between context and access to mathematics, (c) links between context and interest, (d) context and language and (e) context as a barrier in mathematics. The study concludes that real life context is very important and useful in teaching and learning mathematics. However, teachers need be careful in selecting context because inappropriate context can become a barrier to learning. The report concludes with recommendations for classroom practice, teacher education and further research.