Obstacles to initiating an action research study at a former Department of Education and Training (DET) school : the case of Kayamandi High School

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The initial aim of the study was to begin a participatory process of teacherinvolvement in investigating the possibilities of integrating a local environmentalissue (polluted river) into ecology teaching using the Schools' Water Action Project(SWAP) as an environmental education process. I had decided to do this in the formof an action research study with biology and geography teachers at Kayamandi HighSchool. The school is situated in Kayamandi, a black township of Stellenbosch in theWestern Cape Province, South Africa.My decision to do this action research study with teachers of Kayamandi, aimed atadapting ecology teaching to address a local environmental issue, was prompted bymy involvement with SWAP at the school from September 1998. Having realised thecapacity of the project to stimulate not only an interest in the polluted river but also abroader environmental awareness, I decided to involve teachers in order to make theproject accessible to as many pupils as possible.Problems that arose in my efforts to implement the study caused me to change itsfocus. As my problems turned out to be largely problems of access, I changed thestudy into an investigation of obstacles to access. The issues that emerged includedthe relevance of the study to the needs of teachers, the educational background of theteachers (which, in part impacted on the culture of the school), my position as anoutsider with no clear understanding of the context, and my flawed assumptions aboutaction research as a change process.My frustrating but rich experiences during this research journey not only contributedto my understanding of the complex nature of both research and change, but also tomy growth and professional development.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University