Exploring affordances and hindrances when using Grade 8 Physical Science learners’ home language to mediate learning of chemical bonding
- Authors: Shilongo, Wilhelm Nghidiputate
- Date: 2021-10
- Subjects: Science Study and teaching (Secondary) Namibia , Code switching (Linguistics) , Chemical bonds , Education, Bilingual Namibia , Native language and education Namibia , Socio-cultural theory
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191079 , vital:45056
- Description: It seems code-switching from English to learners’ home language is a regular practice in Namibian schools. That is, science teachers mediate specific challenging science topics such as chemical bonding through code-switching from English to learners’ home languages. Based on anecdotal evidence and on Grade 10 Examiners’ Reports for previous years, chemical bonding is one of the challenging key concepts in Physical Science, and yet it is an important concept in the study of chemistry. Therefore, the purpose of this interventionist study was to investigate how the use of learners’ home language enables and/or constrains Grade 8 Physical Science learners’ sense making of the topic, chemical bonding. The study is a convergent parallel mixed method case study and was underpinned by an interpretive paradigm. It was conducted with 17 Grade 8 learners in a rural school, where I teach, in the Oshana region. I used a diagnostic test to elicit learners’ prior knowledge on this topic, a post-intervention test, observation, reflections, focus group interview and stimulated recall interviews as my data collection methods. I used Vygotsky’s (1978) Socio-Cultural Theory as my theoretical framework to help explain how learners make sense of the concept of chemical bonding when learners’ home language is used in a Physical Science class. To analyse the quantitative data obtained, I used a descriptive statistics and inferential statistics method. In the descriptive statistics, data were compiled into graphs, tables, and other visual representations, while for the inferential statistics, a t-test was used to establish the significant difference of the data collected. On the other hand, a thematic approach to analyse the qualitative data was employed to come up with sub-themes and themes. The findings of the study revealed that learners’ home language stimulates learners’ interest to learn new concepts, and enhances learners’ understanding and participation during the science lessons. Another finding of the study revealed that learners’ prior knowledge in chemical bonding contained some misconceptions. Furthermore, the findings of the study also revealed that learners learn best when their prior knowledge are elicited before they are introduced to new concepts in their science classrooms. The study recommends that learners’ home language should be incorporated into Physical Science lessons, especially when the teachers are teaching challenging concepts such as chemical bonding. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
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In a novel landscape, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, what are the key vegetation resources that support livestock production?
- Authors: Liversage-Quinlan, William Peter
- Date: 2021-10
- Subjects: Mzimvubu River Watershed (South Africa) , Livestock productivity South Africa Mzimvubu River Watershed , Range ecology South Africa Mzimvubu River Watershed , Land degradation South Africa Mzimvubu River Watershed , Vegetation dynamics South Africa Mzimvubu River Watershed , Novel landscapes
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/190053 , vital:44959
- Description: The Tsitsa River is the largest remaining river that is without a dam in South Africa, and so the government has pledged to install two major dams for irrigation and hydroelectricity, under the Mzimvubu Water Project. These dams are intended to supply water and electricity to surrounding communities as well as the large neighbouring urban areas of Mthatha and Tsolo. However, large areas of the Tsitsa Catchment (~494 000 ha) are degraded, posing the possibility that if these dams were to be created, they would inevitably fill with sediment and silt within a few decades. To address these issues, the Tsitsa Project was established in 2014 to co-ordinate actions by government, developers and local communities in order to restore the landscape condition and prevent soil erosion, as well as to improve the livelihoods of the people who live there (Fabricius, Biggs, & Powell, 2016). Research into the landscape condition as well and the environmental interactions with local communities are therefore highly necessary in order to guide restoration practices to their best effect. The economic necessity for livestock production in the catchment indicates its urgent need for a better understanding of its current effects on the catchment landscape and vegetation. The overall goal of this study is to contribute to the knowledge needed to manage the area in a sustainable way. This paper will therefore examine the key vegetation resources that support livestock production in an area of the Tsitsa River Catchment, by describing the various types that exist, and by determining their relative production levels of usable livestock forage. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Institute for Water Research, 2021
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Mobilising stories about cultural beliefs and practices on traditional foods to contextualise the topic on nutrition in a Grade 6 township class
- Authors: Nuntsu, Sipho Nimrod
- Date: 2021-10
- Subjects: Culturally relevant pedagogy South Africa , Science Study and teaching (Elementary) South Africa , Nutrition Study and teaching (Elementary) South Africa , Traditional ecological knowledge South Africa , Storytelling , Reasoning , Contiguity Argumentation Theory (CAT) , South African Curriculum Assessment and Policy Statement (CAPS) , Socio-cultural theory
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/190940 , vital:45043
- Description: The South African Curriculum Assessment and Policy Statement (CAPS) document stipulates that science teachers should integrate indigenous knowledge (IK) into their science teaching. The rationale for this is to contextualise the content and make science accessible and relevant to learners. Despite these ideals, however, CAPS seems to be silent on how science teachers should go about doing this. Instead, it assumes that all teachers know how to integrate IK in their science teaching. As a result, many teachers are still not sure of how to integrate IK into their science classrooms. Such rhetoric and tension between curriculum formulation and implementation triggered my interest to do a study on how to mobilise stories about cultural beliefs and practices of traditional foods to mediate learning of nutrition in a Grade 6 Natural Sciences township class. The study was underpinned by an interprevist paradigm complemented with an Ubuntu paradigm to enhance explanations. Within these paradigms, a qualitative case study research design was adopted. It was conducted at Mdoko Primary school (pseudonym) in a semi-urban community in the Amathole West district of the Eastern Cape. The participants were 34 Grade 6 learners (15 boys and 19 girls), a Grade 6 Natural Sciences teacher who was my critical friend, and two expert community members. To generate data, I used a focus group discussion, group activities, classroom observations, and learners’ reflective journals. Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory and Ogunniyi’s Contiguity Argumentation Theory (CAT) were used as theoretical and analytical frameworks, respectively. A thematic approach to data analysis was employed. That is, data were analysed inductively to identify sub-themes and subsequently similar sub-themes were grouped together to form themes. The two expert community members’ presentations equipped my learners with stories on cultural beliefs and practices that were used in the olden days (past) and how such stories are used in our days (present). For instance, the findings of this study revealed that women during menstruation must not drink amasi as it is believed that it would prolong the menstruation time. The findings also revealed that eating of amaqanda and inside meat by youths should be minimised as it is believed that it can stimulate their sex hormones. It also revealed that there is no relevance to science that men eating imifino would be weak among other men who do not eat them. The implications for this study is that science teachers should make some efforts to integrate IK in their teaching to make science accessible and relevant to their learners. To achieve this, the study thus recommends that science teachers should find ways of tapping into the cultural heritage and wisdom that is possessed by the expert community members to enable learners to cross the bridge from home to school. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
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Physiological winners and losers in an ocean warming hotspot: a Case study on argyrosomus off the Namibian coast, with implications for their future management
- Authors: Pringle, Brett Andrew
- Date: 2021-10
- Subjects: Argyrosomus Benguela Current , Ocean temperature Benguela Current , Sciaenidae Benguela Current , Argyrosomus Physiology Benguela Current , Argyrosomus Geographical distribution Climatic factors Benguela Current , Argyrosomus Effect of temperature on Benguela Current , Sciaenidae fisheries Namibia , Fishery management Namibia , Sustainable fisheries Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Masters theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/188987 , vital:44804
- Description: Anthropogenic-induced climate change is having a profound impact on aquatic ecosystems, and the resilience of fish populations will be determined by how they respond to these impacts. Changes in ocean water temperature is regarded as the most pervasive change, and affects the biological, physiological and distribution response of species, particularly ectotherms. The increasingly variable biological responses to a changing environment suggest that some species and populations will likely prove to be more tolerant than others. The northern Namibian coast is an ocean warming hotspot, with temperatures rising at approximately ten times the global average. These rapid changes are predicted to have a considerable impact on the marine fauna. One recently documented change in distribution is a southern extension of the sciaenid, Argyrosomus coronus, from southern Angola into northern Namibian waters, where it now overlaps with the closely related Namibian species, Argyrosomus inodorus. Understanding how these species perform at current and future temperatures and where they overlap is vital to optimise any adaptive management for the Argyrosomus species, which forms a large component of Namibia’s coastal commercial, recreational and subsistence fisheries. The aim of this study was to quantify the aerobic scope of both species (A. coronus and A. inodorus), to determine which Argyrosomus species will be a winner at the current and future climate predictions and to provide recommendations for the sustainable management of the Namibian Argyrosomus fishery. Intermittent flow-through respirometry was used to quantify standard and maximum metabolic rates for both species across a range of temperatures. Results showed that metabolic rates scaled positively with temperature. It appears that the aerobic scope of A. inodorus was notably higher at most temperatures (12, 15, 18 and 21˚C), while that of A. coronus was only higher at the warmest test temperature of 24˚C. This corresponded with the contemporary biogeographic patterns of each species. Based on these findings, it is likely that the warming ocean conditions in northern Namibia and the cold Lüdertiz upwelling cell south of Walvis Bay will constrain these fish to central Namibia. While both species demonstrated signs of resilience to high temperatures, it is likely that the warming conditions will increasingly favour A. coronus, and that the leading edge of their distribution will shift southward in Namibia. The distribution of A. inodorus is likely to contract, as the energy budget of those on the northern trailing edge will be compromised. To promote the sustainable utilisation of the complex Argyrosomus fishery, adaptive management strategies need to be implemented. This will only be possible with a comprehensive monitoring program, including the collection of genetic data to inform the changing proportions of the two species. To maintain the A. coronus population, the current regulations need to be re-assessed, and harvest slots should be introduced to protect juvenile A. coronus and the fecund large females of both species. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Ichthyology and Fisheries, 2021
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