Die potensiaal van die TRAC-program om verskillende rolspelers se behoeftes ten opsigte van natuur-en skeikunde-onderwys aan te spreek

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE POTENTIAL OF THE TRACPROGRAMMEIN ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF DIFFERENTSTAKEHOLDERS IN PHYSICAL SCIENCE EDUCATIONFor South Africa to be competitive at international level, it is important to deliver learners thatwill meet the standards set by industry and tertiary institutions. Most of the current SouthAfrican schoolleavers do not meet these needs.Learners, educators, education departments, tertiary institutions and industry are jointlyresponsible for the outcomes of the education process. However, each of these role playershas specific needs regarding scientific knowledge and skills of learners. An integrated,interactive educational approach is therefore necessary to address the needs of all of these roleplayers successfully.This study specifically focuses on identifying both the needs of the role players in physicalscience education in the Western Cape and how TRAC SA, a national, non-governmentalorganisation, can assist in addressing these needs, with the help of computer basedtechnology.The following role players were included in this study: tertiary institutions, industry,education department, educators and learners. Information on the needs of these role playerswas mainly collected through interviews and questionnaires, while workshops were held todetermine the needs of learners and educators.It is significant that the information derived from the empirical study (questionnaires andinterviews) is in many ways in agreement with the literature findings. One of the mostimportant conclusions of the empirical study is that the different role players have distinctive,as well as corresponding needs regarding the preparation of learners at school level. Theindustry expects learners to be sufficiently equipped with the necessary skills to facilitateintegration into the workplace. Tertiary institutions emphasise the need for theoretical as wellas practical basis of the science subject content. Learners expressed the need for extracurricularprogrammes, focusing on simplifying difficult concepts. Educators identified theneed for adapting the syllabus and for regular refresher courses. The Department of Educationneeds funds for pilot education programmes, and also puts in a plea for the more structuredinvolvement of tertiary institutions and non-governmental organisations as well as the supportoftheir education initiatives, such as outcomes-based education. Data collected shows that there is a significant gap between the current state of identifiedskills of learners and of what is deemed important by the other role players.In addressing the needs identified, the contribution of non-governmental organisations (withspecific reference to TRAC SA), the OBE approach as well as input from tertiary institutionsand the industry are emphasised. The TRAC-programme focuses on the understanding ofbasic and complicated physical science concepts by using computer-supported experimentsand worksheets.To enhance the development of skills at school level, the education approach as a whole willhave to be revised, with the co-operation of all relevant role players. For an education systemto be effective, mutual communication between the different role players is imperative.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University