Using Topic Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge to Study Indigenous Knowledge Integration in Grade 11 Physical Science Lessons: Teachers’ Perspectives
- Authors: Mdleleni, Sinethemba , Ngcoza, Kenneth M
- Date: 2025
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/484360 , vital:78899 , https://doi.org/10.1080/18117295.2024.2444791
- Description: Many learners seem to struggle to grasp the concepts of forces and Newton’s law of motion, possibly owing to decontextualised teaching pedagogies used in science classrooms. This study investigates Grade 11 Physical Sciences teachers’ perspectives in South Africa on integrating Indigenous Knowledge (IK) to improve learners’ understanding of science, particularly in relation to forces and Newton’s laws of motion. It adopts a qualitative case study approach, grounded in interpretive and Indigenous research paradigms, and framed by the Ubuntu perspective, which emphasises community and collective well-being. Purposive sampling was used to select three voluntary participants, and data were generated through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was based on Mavhunga and Rollnick’s Topic Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge framework, focusing on learners’ prior knowledge, curricular saliency, difficulties in understanding, and teaching strategies. Key themes included learners’ prior knowledge, content prioritisation, challenges in integrating IK and conceptual teaching strategies.
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Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Participation in Science Expos: A South African Case Study
- Authors: Ngcoza, Kenneth M , Sewry, Joyce D , Chikunda, Charles , Khenge, Wendy
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/484346 , vital:78898 , https://doi.org/10.1080/18117295.2016.1192238
- Description: Science Expos are intended to develop and empower learners to identify local problems and hence find solutions thereof using scientific processes. Science Expos are perceived as spaces for sharing experiences of science which engender love for science so that learners may ultimately pursue science-related careers. Despite these ideals, there is still poor participation in Science Expos by teachers and learners alike, especially from historically disadvantaged schools in South Africa. A qualitative case study underpinned by a community of practice theory was conducted in four disadvantaged schools in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The purpose of the study was to understand stakeholders’ perceptions of participation in Science Expos. The data were generated using individual semi-structured interviews with two Expo organisers, three teachers and five learners from disadvantaged schools. Additionally, two focus group interviews were conducted with learners. The data were analysed inductively. The findings of the study revealed that following their participation in the Science Expo, learners were more motivated to study science at school. Although teachers with Science Expo experience encouraged their learners to participate, the support provided by several other teachers was seen as inadequate. It emerged that there were some challenges encountered such as lack of resources and travel opportunities.
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Development of Teachers’ PCK for a Scientific Inquiry-based Teaching Approach in Namibia’s Rural Schools
- Authors: Shinana, Esther , Ngcoza, Kenneth M , Mavhunga, Elizabeth
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/484319 , vital:78896 , https://doi.org/10.1080/18117295.2021.1913375
- Description: Research findings show that inquiry-based science education has positive effects in improving learning of both science content knowledge and scientific inquiry (SI) skills. As a result, various science curricula, including that of Namibia, recommend the use of an inquiry-based approach in science teaching. However, the implementation of an inquiry-based teaching approach remains a concern in Namibian science classrooms, particularly in poorly resourced schools. This paper reports the outcome of a small-scale interventionist research project which involved three experienced Life Science teachers. The teachers were exposed to an intervention that explicitly focused on supporting them with the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) needed to facilitate inquiry-based learning in their classrooms. An indigenous technology, the production of a traditional non-alcoholic beverage (oshikundu) was used in the intervention. The Topic-Specific PCK model by Mavhunga and Rollnick provided the analytical framework for this study. Additionally, the principles of classroom inquiry together with the model of inquiry-based science instruction predict–explain–explore–observe–explain were used to scaffold teachers towards the PCK for inquiry-based teaching.
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Exploring the Mediation of Learning of Chemical Equilibrium to High-achieving Students in a Selected Senior Secondary School in Namibia
- Authors: Chani, Fungisisai M , Ngcoza, Kenneth M , Chikunda, Charles , Sewry, Joyce D
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/484335 , vital:78897 , https://doi.org/10.1080/18117295.2018.1528031
- Description: Chemical equilibrium is one of the most important yet difficult topics to teach. The purpose of this study was to examine how two science teachers experienced the mediation of and how they mediated learning of this topic, chemical equilibrium, to high-achieving students. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, lesson observations and stimulated recall interviews. The five topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (TSPCK) components, namely, teacher knowledge of student prior knowledge, curricular saliency, what is difficult to understand, representations and conceptual teaching strategies, were used as conceptual tools to analyse the data. The findings revealed that the two science teachers struggled to mediate learning of chemical equilibrium concepts to high-achieving students and therefore the approaches used to teach them should not necessarily be any different from those used for average-ability students. Similarly, the teacher’s role as a mediator of meaningful learning is equally important for high-achieving students. We thus recommend that there is a need for continuing professional development for science teachers focussing on the development of materials and strengthening of their TSPCK components.
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An Exploratory Study of the Relationship between Learners’ Attitudes Towards Learning Science and Characteristics of an Afterschool Science Club
- Authors: Agunbiade, Esther , Ngcoza, Kenneth M , Jawahar, Kavish , Sewry, Joyce
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/483279 , vital:78739 , https://doi.org/10.1080/18117295.2017.1369274
- Description: The Khanya Maths and Science Club (KMSC) is an afterschool science/maths enrichment programme for learners in Grades 7–12 supported by postgraduate students and academic staff volunteers. This research seeks to explore the relationship between participating learners’ attitude toward learning science and the characteristics of this afterschool science club. The study draws from Wenger’s community of practice model to explore the features. Six learners participating in the KMSC were interviewed and their journal entries were analysed inductively, resulting in three themes. The study revealed that learners’ attitudes towards learning science were associated with the club’s instructional characteristics, facilitators/environmental characteristics and the level to which science was connected with everyday life. These characteristics are also related to the community of practice elements. It was concluded that incorporating the community of practice model in structuring afterschool science activities could have a positive influence on learners’ attitude towards learning science.
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Integrating Afrocentric approaches for meaningful learning of science concepts
- Authors: Chikunda, Charles , Ngcoza, Kenneth M
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/436248 , vital:73252 , ISBN 978-3-319-45989-9 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45989-9_
- Description: Economic and social development in any modern country re-lies heavily on a sound scientific and technological base. Es-sentially, science constitutes an area of any nation’s education system where many of the skills that are needed to stimulate development are learned, such as securing good health, fighting diseases, protecting the environment, farming and de-veloping agriculture and developing new industries and tech-nologies and even building resilience to climate change. There is a need therefore for a country to harness the intellectual and scientific capacity of its young people. Ironically, however, sci-ence (especially physical sciences) is one of the least popular areas within the educational system of most developing countries. Research shows that students’ and especially girls’ low interest in science and their relatively negative attitudes are at least partially attributed to the way science is taught at school.
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