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Learning to make a difference: Small-scale women farmers in social learning spaces for climate action

  • Authors: Chanyau, Ludwig
  • Date: 2023-10-13
  • Subjects: Social learning South Africa Amathole District Municipality , Value creation , Environmental education South Africa Amathole District Municipality , Climatic changes Study and teaching South Africa Amathole District Municipality , Communities of practice , Crops and climate South Africa Amathole District Municipality , Women farmers South Africa Amathole District Municipality , Farms, Small South Africa , Agricultural ecology South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/402944 , vital:69908 , DOI 10.21504/10962/402944
  • Description: How do women farmers in Africa learn about climate change? What is quality climate change learning for farmers? How do farmers interface new knowledge with their long-held and trusted traditional knowledge? How do we evaluate learning at farm level and beyond? Using Okoli’s theory mining review, I untangled a tripartite knot of social learning literature to find Social Learning Theory (SLT) suitable for a study to explore my practical and scholarly curiosity as reflected in the above questions. Wenger’s theory of Social Learning emerged as the most appropriate for my research. The second phase of my study explored the climate change learning and practice terrain for small-scale women farmers, analysing the connection between learning, practice, and the resultant value in two case study areas, municipalities in the Amathole District of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. In addition to a paper on SLT mining review that unravels and chooses between the strands of social learning, the two case studies resulted in three articles that responded to the study’s objectives and the research questions. The thesis is introduced and synthesised through five 'book-end' chapters, as well as through these four articles. What were my findings? In the first case study, in the drought-stricken Raymond Mhlaba Municipality, I gathered the data through individual semi-structured interviews with farmers, extension officers and representatives of the involved organisations. I also conducted a group interview with farmers and analysed documents to supplement interview data. I analysed the data using concepts of Communities of Practice (CoP) and SLT to map out the learning and practice landscape. I discovered a constellation of CoPs interconnected by the shared drive for adaptive water management. The constellation is made up of tertiary institutions, government departments, non-governmental organisations and farmers of varying experiences and competencies, with women emerging as the more proactive gender, and state-led extension services being willing but overstretched and under-resourced. SLT effectively traced the apparent fragmented learning within and outside the CoPs and the sudden and extensive shifts in the CoP boundaries, especially in the context of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and the increased adoption of digital learning platforms. Despite the richness and diversity brought by the emergent new learning networks that involve participants in the province and further afield, the adoption of digital learning platforms worsened the existing generational digital divide among farmers. iii In the second case study, in the water scarce Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, I adopted the Value Creation Framework (VCF) to conduct an ethnographic evaluation that used semi-structured interviews, participant observation and document analysis of the learning experiences of women farmers in a social movement on agroecology. I found that the farmer-centred learning approach of the movement has created value for the farmers involved, evidenced by the adoption of agroecology by over 2700 members (including new urban farmers who are occupying open spaces typically used as dumpsites). The learning approach has facilitated expansive learning, enhanced resource mobilisation, new collaborations, partnerships, and seed sharing networks. Additionally, it necessitated context-appropriate and transformative changes to intersectional justice issues associated with historical inequalities in access to land and water and gender discrimination, leading to improved practices, new access to markets and improved quality yields. These are examples of immediate, potential, applied, realised, orienting, enabling and transformative as well as strategic value, as defined by the VCF. In reflecting on how women farmers learn in these social learning spaces I elucidate the learning impact pathways and local contextual influences in shifting CoP boundaries, domains, and practices during the climate crisis as it intersects with other compounding factors. I generated insights that could be useful for stakeholders in the agricultural (extension) sector to build better pathways for emancipatory and empowering expansive social learning in contexts characterised by resource constraints, but also by strong women-led agency. Such learning could make a difference and cushion small-scale farming from collapse especially in times of unprecedented changes. The agroecology movement and associated communities of practice explored in this study create transformative social learning spaces that are able to respond to climate change, and hence a model that state-led extension might want to adopt in other resource-constrained contexts. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2023
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  • Date Issued: 2023-10-13

Social Learning and Regenerative Sustainability: Unlocking value created in sustainability projects in higher education

  • Authors: Royle, Carlene
  • Date: 2023-10-13
  • Subjects: Social Learning South Africa Makhanda , Sustainability South Africa Makhanda , Education, Higher Social aspects South Africa Makhanda , Social accounting South Africa Makhanda , Education, Higher Activity programs South Africa Makhanda , Value creation , Agent (Philosophy) , Sustainable Development Goals
  • Language: English
  • Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/402981 , vital:69911
  • Description: This qualitative study considers two bodies of theory, regenerative sustainability and social learning theory, within a tertiary education context. Universities offer unique opportunities, across both the formal and informal curriculum, that engage with the two-fold socioeconomic and environmental crises. The study explores both the promise of unlocking value in an ex-linear economy; and the healing and regenerative benefits in moving toward greener practices. Through an embedded case study at Rhodes University, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, this research explores the value that is being unlocked in campus-based sustainability projects, when considered through a social learning lens (Lave and Wenger, 1991). Invitations to participate in this study were extended to project-leads of sustainability initiatives originating from Rhodes University campus. Six projects, which have been active on campus in recent years, were selected and, through semi-structured interviews, the insights of 12 participants were captured and analysed using the associated Value Creation Framework (VCF) developed by Wenger, Trayner and De Laat (Wenger, Trayner, de Laat, 2011) and later Wenger-Trayner and Wenger Trayner (2014, 2015, 2020). The VCF consists of value cycles that interconnect dynamically, including Orientating, Strategic, Enabling, Immediate, Potential, Applied, Realised and Reframed or Transformative value cycles. The study identified instances of all these value cycles, within and across the six embedded case studies (project). Drawing on social learning theorists the analysis further focused on instances of collaboration, agency and boundary crossing. Additional themes that emerged across the majority of the embedded study projects, were a convergence of socio and eco; a whole-systems perspective shared by project leads; the importance of the social commons; language as an enabler; and problem solving for system change. A recommendation is proposed to further unlock the unbounded value created through such projects by reframing the informal curriculum opportunities offered on university campuses as social learning spaces where students can practice agency. To do so, would require formalizing various forms of system support, thus facilitating expanded learning in regenerative sustainability activities, for the common social and planetary good. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2023
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  • Date Issued: 2023-10-13

An investigation into the extent to which grade 12 Mechanical Technology (MT) curriculum practices relate to the Green Economy: A case study of two Eastern Cape technical high schools

  • Authors: Mkaza, Mcebisi W
  • Date: 2021-10-29
  • Subjects: Technology Study and teaching South Africa Eastern Cape , Environmental education South Africa Eastern Cape , Curriculum evaluation South Africa Eastern Cape , Teachers In-service training South Africa Eastern Cape , Mechanical Technology , Green Economy , Practice Architecture Theory
  • Language: English
  • Type: Master's theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191997 , vital:45186
  • Description: South Africa’s transition towards a green economy presents opportunities to create resourceful jobs that promote sustainable living in the long term. The country’s educational sector is mandated to integrate a green economy component in curricula from primary schools to tertiary levels. However, green jobs within such an economy require green skills which are not necessarily being developed effectively through the school curriculum. This interpretive study investigated how curriculum practices in the Grade 12 Mechanical Technology (MT) stream offered by technical high schools prepare learners to participate in green economy opportunities in the Eastern Cape. Guided by Practice Architecture theory, the study analysed curriculum documents relevant to the Grade 12 MT stream. Teachers and past learners were interviewed to investigate the Cultural-Discursive, Material-Economic and Socio-Political arrangements that enable or constrain teachers in their intentions to prepare learners to participate in the green economy. Teachers’ material-economic arrangements constrained teaching and learning within the school premises. Learners did not have exposure to real-life fieldwork or job shadowing. Inflexible and restrictive socio-political arrangements in most subjects of the MT stream also constrained green economy learning opportunities. This hindered diversified learning in some subjects. The research further revealed that there is a need for updated pedagogical practices that are aligned with current educational practices. The research found that teachers had very little understanding of the green economy and broader environmental content in their subjects. Consequently, successful implementation of environmental content could not be achieved. The research highlights the importance of advocating for the inclusion of green economy content in the curriculum practices of subjects in the Mechanical Technology stream. This could begin during teacher in-service training as this could enhance teachers’ limited knowledge of environmental content. For practising teachers, workshops, seminars and possibly conferences are necessary to augment knowledge they have, including their awareness of local green economy opportunities in the Eastern Cape. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
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  • Date Issued: 2021-10-29

Sustainability focus in water management and curriculum practices in an agricultural college: a case study of Fort Cox Agriculture and Forestry Training Institute

  • Authors: Ramphinwa, Azwindini Edson
  • Date: 2021-10-29
  • Subjects: Water-supply Management South Africa Ixesi , Water-supply Management Study and teaching (Higher) South Africa Ixesi , Curriculum planning South Africa Ixesi , Environmental education Activity programs South Africa Ixesi , Agricultural colleges Curricula South Africa Ixesi , Sustainable development South Africa Ixesi , Educational change South Africa , Fort Cox Agriculture and Forestry Training Institute , Practice Architectures Theory (PAT)
  • Language: English
  • Type: Master's theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192030 , vital:45189
  • Description: This case study of Fort Cox Agriculture and Forestry Training Institute explored the sustainability focus in water management and curriculum practices. I was inspired to develop a deeper understanding of current water management and curriculum practices at Fort Cox with fellow academics involved in the teaching of water dependent curricula, students who were enrolled in water dependent subjects, and support staff involved in water management practices around campus. My initial assumption was there was a practice disconnect or mismatch between water management practices and the stated curriculum requirements at Fort Cox. To develop a deeper understanding and possible responses, the study adopted the Practice Architectures Theory (PAT) developed by Kemmis (2009) and Kemmis, McTaggart and Nixon (2013). A supportive theory was also considered in the form of the action learning process developed by Marquardt (2007), which was aimed at bringing people together in an attempt to respond to water management practice concerns in their context. Practice Architectures Theory was used with the view to understand the ‘sayings, doings, and relatings’ regarding water management and curriculum practices at Fort Cox, in particular around Irrigation, Soil and Water Conservation subjects and the other water dependent subjects. Kemmis et al. (2013) suggested that practices come into being because people do not act alone but as a collective, and bring them into being. In practice, individual understanding and action are orchestrated in collective social-relational projects. A qualitative case study approach was used to solicit data using different techniques namely workshops, semi-structured interviews, document analysis, observations and Unit-Based Sustainability Assessment Tool questionnaires. Data collected through all these techniques was triangulated in the form of analytical memoranda which helped to develop analytical statements aligned with the research goals. The findings confirmed the evident practice disconnect between water management and curriculum practices which was found to be problematic at Fort Cox. The findings also suggest that there were inadequate water management topics across the curriculum. The findings lead to recommendations including future research recommendations for possible implementation. One notable recommendation is staff development on current sustainable water management and curriculum practices to address the challenges of both Fort Cox and the region. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
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  • Date Issued: 2021-10-29

A study on reporting and learning in three natural resource management programmes in South Africa

  • Authors: Mushwana, Vhutshilo Mudau
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Natural resources -- Management -- South Africa -- Case studies , Working for Water Programme , South African National Parks , Kruger to Canyon , Association for Water and Rural Development (South Africa) , RESILiM-Olifants Programme , Active learning -- South Africa , Environmental reporting , Environmental reporting -- South Africa -- Case studies
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/167586 , vital:41494
  • Description: This is a case study that focuses on three Natural Resource Management programmes, namely: the Department of Environmental Affair’s Working for Water Programme, the Kruger to Canyon SANParks Biodiversity Social Projects as well as AWARD’s programme for Resilience in the Limpopo-Olifants Basin. All three programmes are being implemented in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces of South Africa. As a monitoring and evaluation officer at AWARD, I was part of the team that developed a strategy to enable learning through monitoring, evaluation and reporting, and this sparked my interest in understanding how other programmes might be approaching this. The focus of the study is on the role of reporting, as part of programme monitoring and evaluation, as a means to support learning of both programme implementers and organisations. An in-depth description of each case has been provided to enable an understanding of the overall reporting system, how reporting may play a role in supporting individual and organisational learning, and what factors enable or constrain learning in association with reporting. The research was descriptive and interpretive as the first phase of a possible extended study engaging organisations in exploring how to strengthen reporting for learning. The participants and organisations were sampled using both purposive and convenience sampling. Data was collected through 17 key informant interviews; observations during two learning events; and, the collection and review of numerous documents (guides, reports, templates etc.). The data was analysed through qualitative content analysis using two frameworks: Argyris’ three loops of learning (1974;1978) and the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) lens (Engeström, 1987). The former was useful for bounding the types of learning to identify, and the latter for surfacing contradictions that can be explored in organisational development processes. Through the analysis of the data and literature, the following insights were gained:  All three programmes have been ‘thinking’ about learning, but only in the case of AWARD was reporting associated with learning; in all three programmes, additional spaces have been designed to facilitate learning.  Although programmes might not necessarily focus on reporting for learning, their reports do indicate a potential for facilitating reflection and thus learning. The organisational culture in government-based reporting systems is, however, strongly geared to performance management, accounting for resources spent, meeting targets and eliminating mistakes. Reports are used to guide planning, to account to the funder and to release further funding.. In this context only single and double loop learning is in evidence.  Programme participants did raise ‘triple loop’ questions about whether the programme or system overall was working, but there did not seem to be space for such questions, in the reporting or the learning events, and there was no evidence that they were addressed.  In the case of AWARD, spaces were created through reporting to encourage learning. This worked sometimes to enable learning but not always due to, for example, time constraints and competing responsibilities.  There are certain aspects to consider when designing reporting that seem to support learning (see below). The process of using reporting for learning takes time and organisations might not get this right the first time around.  Reflection opportunities are only experienced as enabling if participants have the space and power to act on the reflections, or see others acting on them to address issues, otherwise they get frustrated. Steps that could assist programmes in improving reporting to enable learning are:  Adding to reporting templates a space for reflections to ensure that while the programme reports on the quantitative data needed for accountability purposes, it also creates additional space (without unduly increasing reporting responsibilities) for implementers’ learning.  Encouraging discussion about ‘mistakes’ such as failures to meet targets, why they occur, and what we can learn from them.  Allowing programme implementers to give feedback on their reporting challenges and take measures to support them, e.g. make adjustments to templates.  Understanding the programme’s definition of learning, and the diverse learning needs that may be involved, which can contribute to a working strategy that the organisation can build on when initiating learning spaces.  When learning events are organised, taking the inputs of participants seriously and developing ways in which these could be taken further into actions from which further learning can stem; reflecting on and raising issues without an opportunity for action is frustrating.  The process of enabling reporting for learning takes time and organisations might not get it right the first time around (trial and error) and a strategy that worked for one organisation might not necessarily work for the next. When designing a learning strategy as part of a monitoring, evaluation and reporting framework, it is therefore important to consider the needs of the organisation and to work with implementers to develop and refine this over time. The thesis concludes with comments on the limitations of the study, the methodology and the analytical frameworks used, and finally, provides recommendations for further research.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Developing social indicators for the evaluation of natural resource management programmes using a capability approach in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

  • Authors: Human, Johanna Susanna
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Environmental education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Natural resources -- Management -- Study and teaching (Continuing education) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- Study and teaching (Continuing education) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Environmental economics -- Study and teaching (Continuing education) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Subsistence farming -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Watersheds -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Capabilities approach (Social sciences) , Tsitsa River Catchment (Eastern Cape, South Africa)
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/147348 , vital:38628
  • Description: The dissertation investigates how the capability approach can be used to develop social indicators for a natural resource management (NRM) programme. The study aimed to develop an understanding of what the beneficiaries of the programme value being and doing to guide the development of social indicators that will take into consideration their personal development aspirations. These valued beings and doings were then overlaid with the programme goals and objectives to identify and select the final indicators. The study was situated in the Tsitsa catchment in the Eastern Cape, South Africa and was part of a natural resource management programme, focused on land restoration and avoided degradation. Methods used to collect data for this study and develop an understanding of what the residents’ valued beings and doings were, included semi-structured interviews, workshops and document analysis. The research population was non-homogenous. I tried to include voices representing different prominent groups of land users in the study. This included established commercial farmers, emerging commercial farmers, commercial forestry, residents residing in communal areas and engaged with subsistence farming and residents from these communal areas who are now residing elsewhere but continue to have connections to the catchment. Understanding the voices of these different groups who reside in the catchment was important to develop an inclusive understanding of what residents of the catchment valued beings and doings were. The research process was supported by participatory approaches. This process, and the lessons learnt during the research process, were valuable for the further development and implementation of the planned participatory monitoring evaluation reflection and learning (PMERL) framework. The research process involved learning from the research participants about their valued beings and doings and what was important for the programme implementers. Some of the research participants from the Rhodes University implementation team (RUIT) were also involved in selecting the indicators they thought the programme should monitor. Overall, using the capability approach helped me to gain insight and understanding with regard to what the valued beings and doings are for the residents of the catchment and what they would like development programmes, such as the Tsitsa Project, to address. It was surprising to find many areas of overlap between the valued beings and doings of the different residents in the catchment, as well as the similarities between these and the goals and objectives of the Tsitsa Project. In conclusion, using the capability approach was useful to learn what was important for the residents of the catchment to help develop the social indicators but also to learn how to guide and steer participatory monitoring and evaluation processes in the future.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

'Environmental policy to community action': methodology and approaches in community-based environmental education programmes in Uganda

  • Authors: Babikwa, Daniel J
  • Date: 2004
  • Subjects: Environmental education -- Uganda -- Case studies Education and state -- Uganda Community development -- Uganda -- Case studies Sustainable development -- Uganda -- Case studies Environmental policy -- Uganda -- Case studies
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: vital:1518 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003400
  • Description: This research was conducted in Luwero, a rural district in central Uganda, over a period of three years, half of which entailed fulltime engagement in a participatory action research process with VEDCO, an indigenous NGO. The study focuses on the educational processes involved in the translation of Uganda's environmental policy into action at community level. It looks at community-based education and development activities run by VEDCO among smallholder farmers. The study addressed four objectives. For the first objective I developed a conceptual framework through a review of theories informing education in general and environmental education, adult education, community education, and community development in particular. The second objective was to conduct a situational analysis to identify contextual issues related to policy implementation at community level. The third objective was to engage in a participatory action research process with the NGO in the farming community in response to the identified contextual issues, and the fourth was to explore and comment on environmental education methods used within a community context. PRA techniques, interviews, and other participatory data collection methods were used to generate the data. The study reveals contradictions that limit NGO capacity to make appropriate use of participatory education processes in implementing policy-related training at community level. Elements in the National Plan for the Modernisation of Agriculture, for example, conflicted with the principle of sustainable development underlying the policy. VEDCO itself was changing from a social-welfare-oriented organisation into a commercial enterprise pursuing economic goals, which conflicted with its social goals. The capitalist development ideology of the donor was being adopted by VEDCO, which contradicted the goals of people-centred development. This was exacerbated by VEDCO's dependency on donor funds for its activities. Contextual issues like people's history; poverty, gender and inconsistent land policies further complicated the policy implementation processes. There were also inconsistencies in the epistemological assumptions and didactic approaches evident in the implementation. The study shows that the intended emancipatory education processes are more often supplanted by technicist methodologies. Thus, it exposes the underlying historical, ideological and epistemological tensions and contradictions within the field of education, particularly in relation to the `paradigmatic' orientations (neo-classical, liberal and socially critical/emancipatory) outlined in the literature. Conclusions are made at two levels: in relation to the study goals, of examining policy implementation at community level and in terms of the study's contribution to the understanding of current education theory in the context of sustainable development among communities.
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  • Date Issued: 2004

Towards qualifications for environmental practitioners: a study of roles and competencies of entry level environmental managers

  • Authors: Dingela, Mcebisi Sidwell
  • Date: 2002-04
  • Subjects: Environmental management South Africa , Environmental policy South Africa , Environmental education South Africa , Vocational qualifications South Africa , Educational equalization South Africa , Occupational training South Africa , Training needs South Africa , National Qualifications Framework (NQF)
  • Language: English
  • Type: Master's thesis , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/245616 , vital:51388
  • Description: The decision by the previous apartheid governments to deprive the black population of quality education and training has dealt both the people (student and workers) and the economy of this country a severe blow. That blow is demonstrated by the current lack of skills among the majority of people of this country, particularly the black workers who constitute the majority of the workforce. The post-apartheid government is making a strong attempt at redressing the past injustices in all its forms, of particular interest in this research project, the endeavours in the education and training sphere, specifically developments associated with the National Qualifications Framework. The passing into law of the South African Qualifications Act of 1995 and the formulation of the National Qualification Framework represent significant milestones towards redressing current education and training imbalances. In order to actualise the promises of these policies and laws, new qualifications will have to be developed. This research project explores training needs of environmental practitioners in three different contexts employing a combination of research methods, i.e. Case Study and a Survey. The research project sought to identify the roles and training needs of environmental management practitioners in fulfilling their job demands as well as for career advancement. The research also sought to identify through a survey training courses currently on offer in South Africa in the environmental management field. The cases revealed a range of roles and competencies required by 'entry-level' environmental managers. Of note was the observation that these roles were broader than what the traditional perspectives on environmental management might suggest, and competencies required included several social skills, in addition to various technical skills. The survey revealed a strong leaning towards technical competence among the majority of available training courses in environmental management; and that technical emphasis remained the case even among those courses that appeared to include at least one 'social' dimension. It thus seems that this emphasis on technical competence is not consistent with the job demands of the three studied environmental management practitioners. The research identified a need for an encompassing (broad) course or qualification at 'entry level' that would take into account the realities on the ground as they confront these practitioners on a daily basis. Such training will provide practitioners with the necessary competencies to function in this seemingly evolving field of environmental management. Suggestions to inform the development of an entry-level qualification or training programme are made as part of the recommendations flowing from the research findings. The suggested qualification 'framework' is based on generic areas identified among the research participants. More work is needed though in order to translate the suggestion into an accredited qualification. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2002
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  • Date Issued: 2002-04

The implementation of environmental education policy in Namibia: perceptions of a range of decision-makers

  • Authors: Katoma, Loini-Nyanyukweni
  • Date: 2002
  • Subjects: Environmental education -- Namibia , Education and state -- Namibia
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1563 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003445 , Environmental education -- Namibia , Education and state -- Namibia
  • Description: This study is the first cycle of an action research project that focuses on the implementation of the Environmental Education Policy in Namibia. Perceptions of Namibian decision-makers were sought with regard to their understanding of the concepts ‘environment’ and ‘environmental education’, as well as to identify environmental problems and obstacles to the implementation of the Environmental Education Policy. The approach of coming up with options to address the identified problems/obstacles/constraints, was employed in this study. To this effect, interviews, a workshop, observations and reflections on the process of implementation resulted in a wealth of data. The findings shed light on possible solutions to address the identified problems and obstacles. The results revealed that community participation, skills development and the proper co-ordination of environmental education activities are imperative in addressing the obvious policy-practice gap. Decision-makers uncovered the fact that the socio-economic situation of our people necessitated pulling our resources together and working as a team. The overall perceptions are that the environment is everyone’s business and that we should zealously use it and carefully guard it, not only for ourselves but also, for the benefit of coming generations.
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  • Date Issued: 2002

Environment as integrating organiser: a case study of curriculum 2005 in KwaMhlanga, South Africa

  • Authors: Khumalo, Four-Ten Enock
  • Date: 2001
  • Subjects: Competency-based education -- Research -- South Africa Curriculum planning -- South Africa Environmental education -- Curricula -- South Africa -- Mpumalanga Environmental education -- Curricula
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1511 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003393
  • Description: Curriculum 2005 is an attempt by the South African government to create and implement a strategic plan to change the formal school curriculum. The new curriculum has 'integration' as one of its focal features. This study is an investigation of the use of' environment' as an integrating' organiser' in the senior phase of Curriculum 2005 in a selection of schools in the Mpumalanga province. While the Curriculum 2005 framework encourages curriculum integration, this is an area which might be neglected during implementation, because there is so little experience among teachers of working in an 'integrated' way. Environmental education is an approach to education which requires and facilitates curriculum integration. This study has the potential to contribute to our understanding of the integration of environmental learning across the new curriculum. Questionnaires and vignettes based on document analysis, follow-up interviews and classroom observations, involving a small group of teachers, were used in conducting the study. The investigation has revealed that participating teachers show a limited understanding of the constructs 'environment' and 'phase organiser'. Teachers do not take or introduce a critical perspective on the nature and causes of environmental issues. They treat the construct 'environment' and associated issues quite superficially when working with learners. Participating teachers generally misunderstood the concept 'phase organisers' and tended to interpret it in concepts associated with the curriculum framework they were used to. Curriculum 2005 also requires teachers to take on a more active curriculum development role. This study looked at four teachers' attempts to develop learning programme units, and at the way in which two teachers implement their curriculum plans focussing on 'environment', in the classroom. It was found that participating teachers do not always follow the same sequence or steps when developing a learning programme. Learning programme units were not considered in developmental sequence, they lacked some form of continuity and links between intended learning outcomes and teaching activities were also lacking. There was inadequate integration between learning areas. Furthermore, integration between knowledge, skills, values and attitudes was also not quite clear among the teachers, and they tended to deal with environmental knowledge in a rather limited way, focussing instead on the awareness and attitudes. These findings are of concern, and they are in keeping with the Curriculum 2005 Review Report, which highlighted the danger of inadequate focus on curriculum content. On overall teachers seem to be struggling with the whole notion of 'integration', even though environment as a phase organiser is meant to assist with curriculum integration. The thesis ends with recommendations on how teachers might be assisted to achieve meaningful curriculum integration, through using learning outcomes as well as content knowledge relevant to environmental learning.
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  • Date Issued: 2001

Education for environmental literacy : towards participatory action research in the secondary school science curriculum in Lesotho

  • Authors: Mokuku, Tsepo
  • Date: 2000
  • Subjects: Environmental education -- Lesotho , Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Lesotho
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: vital:1503 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003385 , Environmental education -- Lesotho , Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Lesotho
  • Description: The dependency of educators in Lesotho on externally developed curriculum theories and concepts is fundamental to issues of relevance of the school curricula. This study set out to develop the meaning of environmental literacy in the context of three secondary schools and to explore appropriate teaching methods for the development of this concept in the science curriculum. The participatory action research process involved a team of four science teachers, including the researcher, in partnership with an environmental centre. We progressively developed the meamng of environmental literacy by monitoring teaching innovations in the classroom, holding meetings and workshops and attending conferences where we shared classroom findings and reflected on our emerging understandings based on classroom experiences. Data collection involved: audio-recording of classroom lessons, interviews with teachers and students, audio-visual recording, classroom observations and students' questionnaires. The research process made apparent the complex nature of the process of clarifying and developing environmental literacy in this context. Classroom actiyities planned to inform the team's understanding of the meaning of environmental literacy and develop appropriate teaching methods encountered constraints associated with the education system and the legacy of colonialism. These contextual constraints crystallised the need for the education system to be transformed in order to make schools more conducive environments for the gevelopment of students' environmental literacy. While initially teachers were reluctant to engage in critical reflection, the research process did encourage the team to revise and expand their understandings of both environmental literacy in the science classroom, and the action research itself. The emerging meaning of environmental literacy in this context and how it may be developed among students does not involve a definition with prescriptive, effective teaching methods, but provides insights and understandings gained by the participants in their engagement with a reflective process of reconslructing meaning. I have come to understand environmental literacy during the study to be a process that should draw strongly on the local knowledge and understandings into the science curriculum, through participatory process-based curriculum development models.
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  • Date Issued: 2000

Environmental youth clubs in Namibia : what role do, could or should they play in environmental education?

  • Authors: Botma, Connie
  • Date: 2000
  • Subjects: Environmental education -- Namibia Environmental education -- Study and teaching -- Namibia Youth -- Societies and clubs Youth -- Namibia
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1519 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003401
  • Description: Although the existence of wildlife clubs in Africa dates back to the start of the environmental movement in the 1970s, youth involvement through environmental clubs only commenced in Namibia in 1992. I became involved with the clubs in 1995 when I was employed by the Rossing Foundation Environmental Education Project to encourage, support and coordinate environmental clubs in Namibia. During the last three years the number of Namibian clubs has increased from 20 to ±85, and they are now established in most geographical regions of the country. During my involvement with the clubs I became increasingly interested in the philosophical underpinnings of youth movements like clubs and started questioning what we could expect from the youth and what could be achieved through the clubs. One of my main concerns was whether youth could make a significant improvement to the quality of their lives and their environment through these clubs. The aim of my research was therefore to describe and reflect critically on the role of environmental youth clubs in environmental education in Namibia. My study was guided by a socially critical orientation which emphasises the construction of meaning through social dialogue and critical reflection. I chose an interpretative research strategy and generated data mainly through semi-structured interviews, participant observation, a focus-group discussion and a workshop. Due to the focus of the research I purposefully selected the sample of existing youth clubs to be included in the study. The iterative strategy of gathering and interpreting data in successive cycles allowed for continuous reflection throughout the research process. It also allowed me to identify key patterns and trends in analysing and interpreting the data. The study findings suggest that environmental clubs do playa role in learning about environmental issues; in developing personal and social identity, confidence and a sense of purpose in society; in establishing new and supportive relationships between teachers and learners and with other community resourde people; in creating opportunities and enabling exposure to diverse learning environments, options and alternatives; and ih fostering the orientation and skills needed to effect meaningful d1'inges in the environment. The findings also suggest that environmental clubs could make a significant contribution to environmental education, providing that they incorporate a socially critical orientation, gain greater recognition from significant adults and education officials, collaborate with other projects and organisations, and use guidelines of models such as the action research framework to ensure relevant and effective action projects. The main challenges to environmental clubs in Namibia include changing perceptions that youth do not have much to contribute; improving relationships between clubs, schools and communities; dealing with the tension between the possible disempowering effect of central control and the need for more formalised structures in order to gain official recognition; and developing strategies to ensure the clubs' sustainability in the future.
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  • Date Issued: 2000

Exploring the making of meaning: environmental education and training for industry, business and local government

  • Authors: Jenkin, Nicola Pat
  • Date: 2000
  • Subjects: Environmental education Corporations -- environmental aspects Local government -- environmental aspects Managerial economics -- environmental aspects
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1543 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003425
  • Description: The aim of this research was to explore how participants made meaning in an environmental education and training course for people from industry, business and local government in South Africa, and to identify and comment on any constraints to this meaning-making. I used a Symbolic Interactionist theoretical framework to explore and comment on the meaning-making process. I started my research by conducting a questionnaire to select participants for interviews. During the course the selected participants were interviewed, as well as the two course co-ordinators. Data was also gathered during the course from participant observation field notes ('captured talk'), photographs, participants' assignments and course evaluations. The data was analysed using an adapted form of discourse analysis and matrices. The research highlights that the opportunities provided on the course were adequate for encouraging meaning-making amongst both the co-ordinators and participants. However, recorded instances of meaning-making were low, which indicated that there were certain constraints during the meaning-making process. This research highlights and comments on identified constraints such as time and workplace support. The research supports similar findings which emerged from research conducted on the Gold Fields environmental education course for teachers and also offers recommendations for further research and practice into meaning-;making within the field of environmental education and industry, business and local government in South Africa.
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  • Date Issued: 2000

Master of Education portfolio

  • Authors: Morrison, Paula
  • Date: 2000
  • Subjects: Environmental education -- South Africa -- Kwazulu Natal
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1671 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003554
  • Description: This report is the culmination of a six year process during which emerged the need to establish a meeting or indaba place for the collaborative 'People and Parks' partnership of the KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service (NCS) in Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park (HUP) and stake-holder communities adjacent to the Park. Comprising two parts which compliment each other, the report has been developed to inform, guide and advise the NCS in the planning and development of an education centre in Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park. Part I documents the processes of engagement and interaction between the NCS in HUP and neighbouring communities during this period, which led to the need for an education centre, whilst placing and contextualizing the process within historical, socio-political and organisational processes. This is taken further with a description of the research process and an analytical narrative of four key programmes. Part I concludes with a summary of the outcomes of the planning process which shows how through local community input and partiCipation, and through networking with other EE practitioners, a conceptual development plan for the Mambeni Education Centre emerged. The second part of this report (Part 2) is the conceptual development plan which has emerged out of the processes described in Part 1. This plan constitutes practical guidelines for the NCS on how to develop and manage the Mambeni Education Centre. More specifically the plan provides ideas about: what type of centre it should be and where it should be located; who the stake-holders are, their educational neees and ideas for possible programmes; the physical and logistical requirements; managemynt and staffing structures and a detailed business plan. The report intends to draw the reader into understanding the complex social and environmental issues that the collaborative partnership of 'People and Parks' are engaging with, so that the Mambeni Environmental Education Centre can playa [more] meaningful and responsive role in contributing to processes of social transformation. In sharing this environmental education re(search) story which represents a unique approach to centre development, it is hoped that the notion of environmental education centres might be viewed by environmental educators through a different set of lenses. Through having the participants' views represented, I wish the report to reflect the richness of the research process.
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  • Date Issued: 2000

Materials in flexible learning teacher education courses in environmental education : an evaluative case study

  • Authors: Molose, Vivian Innotantia
  • Date: 2000
  • Subjects: Environmental education -- Study and teaching Environmental education -- Study and teaching -- Evaluation Environmental education -- South Africa -- Study and teaching
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1672 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003555
  • Description: The study aimed at researching the role of materials in flexible learning teacher education courses, specifically looking at the Eastern Cape Teacher Course as a case study. The research aimed at exploring how courses and materials were developed, selected, used and adapted or redeveloped so as to support the course orientation and the intended outcomes. I did this with the hope that my research might inform the process of improving the role of course materials in flexible learning teacher education courses. I did a naturalistic enquiry within which I interviewed 39 participants (teachers and teacher educators) and two course co-ordinators. I also analysed documents such as the course materials, nine participants' journals and seven of their assignments. The observation notes compiled during the early days of the course were not used as a main source of data but as support to data sources mentioned above. Questionnaires were handed out to all the course participants, i.e. course co-ordinators, tutors and student participants. The questionnaires were intended as a means for pre interview and post interview reflection for interviewees. Through this research, I have learnt a lot about the role of materials in professional development courses, including the importance of mediation of materials and their overt use during course sessions, the importance of providing and encouraging a culture of reading through time allocation during contact sessions, through discussions on materials, and also through providing orientating comm~nts on materials rather than just handing them out to participants. Readings that are more focussed do better to motivate participants to interact with them.
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  • Date Issued: 2000

Professional development in environmental education in Zanzibar, Tanzania: distances encountered in a semi-distance learning course

  • Authors: Heylings, Phillippa Frances
  • Date: 2000
  • Subjects: Environmental education -- Tanzania -- Zanzibar Distance education -- Tanzania -- Zanzibar Environmental education Distance education
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1715 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003598
  • Description: In Zanzibar, in 1995, opportunities for professional development in environmental education were minimal. Yet the demand for professional development was high, especially because of an emphasis on formal qualifications in the country. Credibility was afforded to forms of professional development, aimed at creating more ‘experts’. Ongoing environmental education practice was not achieving its objectives. Into this setting, which was culturally and socio-politically different from the South African context where it was developed, I introduced the Rhodes University Certificate and Gold Fields Participatory Course in Environmental Education (RU/GF); a non-formal, counter-hegemonic course which encouraged critical reflection on the dominant orientations to environmental education practice – including professional development. I used critical ethnographic and action research methods to explore my praxiological interest, the adaptation of the RU/GF curriculum to the Zanzibar context. During the research process, a decision was made to formally accredit the RU/GF course. This decision did not alter the course orientation or the learning process but opened up possibilities for future curriculum development processes. It allowed the students both a formal qualification necessary for status and promotion, and participation in a learning process that challenged the dominant paradigm on professional development and status from within the socio-political context. The research took on a reflexive orientation to research and environmental education. Through a dialectical development of theory, method and results, several important issues emerged. These deal with the ‘distances’ encountered in attempting to address some of the perceived dichotomies in professional development in environmental education through semi-distance learning: the distances between status and learning; the need for career upgrading and the type of learning considered appropriate for professional development in environmental education; the non-quantifiable aims associated with a reflexive orientation to professional development and formal assessment demands for measurable criteria; the democratisation of open-entry courses and the elitism of restricted access; the focus on individual growth and the attainment of a normative grade; theory and practice; and finally distances between learner, text and language. The research supports similar findings emerging from evaluation of the RU/GF course in South Africa and resonates with, and contributes to, issues concerning professional development in environmental education being considered internationally.
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  • Date Issued: 2000

Research portfolio

Research Projects Portfolio.

  • Authors: Schudel, Ingrid Joan
  • Date: 2000
  • Subjects: Environmental education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:2015 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016368
  • Description: This collection of research projects tells a story of the time I have spent with members of the Albany Working for Water team; including preparations made, lessons learned and insights gained. My first project was to analyse the methodology of a research paper. I chose the paper by Arjen Wals because I intended, like him, to examine people's perceptions of environmental issues. From this paper I gained ideas for a qualitative research process and learnt the importance of theoretical and methodological consistency. My next project was to present a report on my research into the perceptions of workrelated environmental issues among the Albany Working for Water workers. From this research I gained insight into the knowledge of the workers and also some of the misconceptions that they have about social and ecological issues. I made educational recommendations based on these insights. This experience inspired me to initiate a play with a group of the workers about alien plant eradication. The process of developing this play formed the basis for a research paper that I have submitted as another research project. Concurrent with the development of the play, I conducted a fourth research project that was a situational analysis of the Albany Workingfor Water Project. I hoped that this analysis would provide useful insight into the context of the above two projects. Overall, I hope the story reflects how I have grown through the learning experiences I shared with the Albany Working for Water team. I would like to extend to my thanks to all those who assisted and shared my journey with me.
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  • Date Issued: 2000

The use of indigenous plants as food by a rural community in the Eastern Cape : an educational exploration

  • Authors: Shava, Soul
  • Date: 2000
  • Subjects: Plants, Edible -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Wild plants, Edible -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Human-plant relationships -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Endemic plants -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1813 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003699
  • Description: Looking at the use of plants as food reflects how humankind has fashioned nature. There has been a significant change in production patterns from hunter-gathering through subsistence agriculture to technologically advanced commercial agriculture with a subsequent reduction in the diversity of plants used as food. A parallel trend in consumption patterns has occurred, from home-based food processing for subsistence through small- scale production to large-scale industrial processing and the commodification of food. The overall result of such trends is a narrowing of the food resource base and an increasing reliance on processed foods at the expense of traditional diets, accompanied by increasing diet-related health risks. This research is an ethnographic case study on the use of indigenous food plants by the community of Tuku A village in the Eastern Cape using interviews and observations as the main data collecting strategies. A nutritional analysis of some wild food plants was also carried out. An inventory of more than 70 food plant species was compiled, with the knowledge of such plants found among both the elderly and the youth. The incorporation of this knowledge into education systems is recommended. Of the wild food plants documented, some were non-indigenous indicating the dynamic nature of indigenous knowledge. Some wild spinach were left to grow amongst cultivated food plants, hinting at some form of ‘domestication’ in process. This observation together with the observation that wild fruit trees were selectively conserved highlights the possibility of the continued use of wild food contributing to conservation of botanical diversity. Community use of indigenous food was found to be diminishing. Stigmatisation of indigenous food plants, urbanisation, formal education, changes in lifestyle, and media were some of the factors possibly influencing this dietary shift. The community made links between diet and health, which correspond to modern scientific knowledge, with modern diet being lamented for ill health. The nutritional analysis revealed that wild food plants do contain essential dietary nutrients, an area recommended for further research.
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  • Date Issued: 2000

Dramatic learning : a case study of theatre for development and environmental education

  • Authors: Burt, Jane Caroline
  • Date: 1999
  • Subjects: Drama in education -- South Africa Environmental education -- Study and teaching (Elementary)
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1501 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003383
  • Description: The aim of my research was to introduce drama, in the form of theatre for development processes, to local Grahamstown Primary School teachers, and to work closely with one teacher to explore theatre for development in the classroom, as a means of introducing both environmental education and learner-centred, constructivist teaching methodologies. I started my research by interviewing Primary School principals as well as sending out questionnaires to teachers, to survey their understanding and practice of drama and environmental education in the school curriculum and to invite them to participate in the research project. In collaboration with Educational Drama and Theatre students, I developed two workshops to introduce theatre for development processes such as image theatre and role-play to the teachers. Nine teachers attended this workshop which was video-taped. After the workshop I gave two lessons at a local school, in partnership with a teacher. Throughout this process I kept a research journal. All action components of the research were followed up with individual interviews, group discussions and a focus group. Although the study gave rise to multiple themes, I chose to highlight two: Firstly, Curriculum 2005 advocates a move towards more learner-centred,constructivist and process-orientated pedagogies. All of the participants in this study, including myself, had intentions of adopting a new approach tq education and teaching but found that we often reverted back to earlier learnt roles of product-orientated, text-based, authoritarian approaches to education which we originally had rejected. Secondly, I reflect on how we set out viewing environmental education, education, drama and research as a process and yet all the participants, including myself, continually tried to 'put on' the perfect performance in the form of a drama, a learning experience and research. This project was a participatory research project. The textwork of the research reflects a post-structural orientation. It has been written in the form of a drama to represent the many voices of the participants, but also to question the role of research in society and make research more accessible to non-academic readers. I also intend to perform the research process at a later stage.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 1999
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