Natural Sciences teachers' conceptualisation of 'science and society' in South African curriculum documents

[摘要] The potential for South African science teachers to become powerfulagents of transformation needs to be explored. Speaking of Fensham's(2002) term 'educo-politics” Aikenhead (2010) argues that, all scienceteachers are constantly engaged in 'educo-politics'” (Aikenhead,2010:615). In this study I attempted to uncover some of the socially criticalaspects of science and society related themes.This study investigated how science and society themes outlined in theNatural Sciences Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS)(Department of Basic Education [DBE], 2011) are understood and valuedby teachers. The study provides an account of how science teachersunder the direction of the curriculum statement conceptualise thepedagogical use, and social value, of Specific Aim 3 in their regularteaching of Grade 9 Natural Sciences. The Science-Technology-Society-Environment (STSE) currents presented by Pedretti & Nazir (2011)provided a theoretical framework from which this inquiry was conductedand structured.This was a qualitative, small-scale study limited to 32 participants. Thetheoretical foundation of this study was influenced by the ideology andpedagogical frameworks which underpin science and society philosophiesand movements in science education. An evaluation of the NaturalSciences CAPS (DBE, 2011) using such frameworks informed thedevelopment of the two research instruments used. A questionnaire wasadministered to 32 Grade 9 Natural Sciences teachers from governmentschools in the Johannesburg-West and Johannesburg-North districts inGauteng. Three of the questionnaire participants were then interviewedusing a semi-structured interview schedule. The participants varied in age,race demographics, distribution of home languages, professionalqualifications and years of teaching experience. The schools whereparticipants teach were varied in terms of demographics and availableresources.The study found that participants did not communicate a clearunderstanding of the principles which form science and society in the Natural Sciences CAPS. Time constraints, deviation from science contentand limited usefulness for science learning were commonly cited to justifylimited science and society practices. Furthermore, participants regularlymade statements which communicated their belief in the superiority ofscience in terms of its explanatory value. In this regard participantsshowed insensitivity to the cultural barriers students may experience whenlearning science.This study has contributed to our understanding of how South Africanscience teachers conceptualise and use science as society themes asoutlined in the Grade 9 Natural Sciences CAPS. The findings of this studyconfirmed that the effects and consequences of the prescriptive elementsand nature of the Natural Sciences CAPS (DBE, 2011) need to be criticallyevaluated. Although curriculum reform in South Africa was intended toempower teachers in their decision-making about what and how to teach,over-reliance on work schedules and Learning Support Materials (LSMs)results in the constriction of teacher agency (Stoffels, 2008). Suchtendencies were observed in this study and hence it is suggested that thisaspect of teacher agency be explored in further research.KEY WORDSScience and SocietyScientific literacyHumanistic science educationCurriculumTeachersScience-Society-TechnologyScience-Society-Technology-EnvironmentSocioscientific Issues

[发布机构] University of the Witwatersrand