- Title
- Connecting culture and science: Utilising Oshikundu and Ombidi in biology lessons on diffusion and osmosis
- Creator
- Shilomboleni, Helena Ilena Ndilimeke
- ThesisAdvisor
- Ngcoza, K.
- ThesisAdvisor
- Mutanho, C.
- Subject
- Uncatalogued
- Date
- 2024-10-11
- Type
- Academic theses
- Type
- Master's theses
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/463636
- Identifier
- vital:76427
- Description
- Various science curricula including that of Namibia recommend that teaching and learning should start with the knowledge and experiences of learners from their homes and communities. These experiences are the learners’ Indigenous Knowledge (IK) which should be integrated to make science accessible and relevant to learners from diverse sociocultural backgrounds. This suggests that science teachers are encouraged to integrate IK into their teaching to help learners grasp abstract concepts and construct their own understanding of phenomena. However, much literature has revealed that many teachers find it difficult to integrate IK into their science teaching. Some scholars further argue that teachers lack the pedagogical content knowledge to effectively integrate IK. I assume this could be because the science curriculum is not explicit on how IK should be integrated into science teaching. It is against this backdrop that in this study I mobilised the Indigenous technologies of making oshikundu and preserving ombidi to support Grade 10 Biology learners in talking and making sense of diffusion and osmosis. This study was underpinned by the interpretivist and Indigenous research paradigms. Within the Indigenous research paradigm, I focused on Ubuntu as a perspective. A qualitative case study was employed and conducted at a certain school in the northern part of Namibia, in the Ohangwena region. I worked with a group of 35 Grade 10 learners, two Indigenous Knowledge Custodians (KCs) who are the custodians of cultural heritage and one Biology teacher (critical friend) as participants in this study. Qualitative data were collected using a focus group interview (sharing circle), group activity, participatory observation, and learners’ journal reflections. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory together with Ogunniyi’s Contiguity Argumentative Theory were used as lenses to analyse data. The findings of the study revealed that during the IKCs’ practical demonstrations learners were able to identify science concepts embedded in the cultural practices of making oshikundu and preserving ombidi. The findings further revealed that the practical demonstrations enhanced active participation and interactions among learners. I thus recommend that teachers should tap into IKCs’ cultural heritage by inviting them into their classrooms to make science relevant, accessible and meaningful to learners.
- Description
- Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Secondary and Post-School Education, 2024
- Format
- computer, online resource, application/pdf, 1 online resource (135 pages), pdf
- Publisher
- Rhodes University, Faculty of Education, Secondary and Post-School Education
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Shilomboleni, Helena Ilena Ndilimeke
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike" License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/)
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RU Department of Education
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | SHILOMBOLENI-MED-TR24-133.pdf | 2 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |