The integration of natural resource management into the curriculum of rural under-resourced schools : a Bernsteinian analysis
- Authors: Nsubuga, Yvonne Nakalo
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Conservation of natural resources -- Study and teaching -- South Africa Environmental education -- Curricula -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Bernstein, Basil B Nature conservation -- Study and teaching
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:4762 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007157
- Description: This study was motivated by the need to improve curriculum relevance in poor rural schools through contextualised teaching and learning based on the management of local natural resources. It involved four schools which are located in the Ngqunshwa Local Municipality of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The study's aim was to provide insight into and better understanding of the curriculum implementation process regarding natural resource management (NRM) education in a poor rural education context. This was done by analysing the extent of NRM integration in pedagogic texts, activities and practices in the different fields which constitute the structure of the pedagogic system in this education sector. The study adopted an interpretivist approach to the analysis, which was based on indicators of the extent of NRM integration, and was informed by Bernstein's concepts of classification and curriculum recontextualisation, and his model of the structure of the pedagogic system. The items which were analysed included national and provincial Grade 10 Life Sciences curriculum documents, Grade 10 Life Sciences textbooks, in-service training workshops for Life Sciences teachers, and various school documents, activities and practices. The analysis also involved interviews with educators, and classroom observations of Grade 10 Life Sciences lessons. The results revealed a very high overall level of NRM integration in the Grade 10 Life Sciences curriculum documents produced at national and provincial levels. The overall level of NRM integration was also found to be very high in the Grade 10 Life Science textbooks that were analysed, but very low in the in-service teacher training workshops, and in the schools' documents, activities and practices, especially in the Grade 10 Life Sciences lessons, and in schools' end-of-year Grade 10 Life Sciences examination papers. The study makes a number of recommendations towards effective integration of NRM into the curriculum of Eastern Cape's rural poor schools which include more specific and explicit reference to NRM in the official Grade 10 Life Sciences curriculum documents, the provision of environmental education courses to district education staff and Grade 10 Life Sciences teachers, the training of teachers in the classroom use of textbooks and other educational materials, and regular monitoring of teachers' work. The study also exposes important knowledge gaps which need urgent research attention in order to enhance NRM education in the poor rural schools of the Eastern Cape. These include analysing power and control relationships between the various agencies and agents that are involved with curriculum implementation in this education sector, and conducting investigation into the creation of specialist NRM knowledge and into the quality of NRM knowledge that is transmitted as pedagogic discourse in schools. This study contributes to the fields of rural education and environmental education in South Africa, and to the growing interest in the study of curriculum from a sociology of education perspective in the context of the country’s post-apartheid curriculum reforms.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Nsubuga, Yvonne Nakalo
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Conservation of natural resources -- Study and teaching -- South Africa Environmental education -- Curricula -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Bernstein, Basil B Nature conservation -- Study and teaching
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:4762 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007157
- Description: This study was motivated by the need to improve curriculum relevance in poor rural schools through contextualised teaching and learning based on the management of local natural resources. It involved four schools which are located in the Ngqunshwa Local Municipality of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The study's aim was to provide insight into and better understanding of the curriculum implementation process regarding natural resource management (NRM) education in a poor rural education context. This was done by analysing the extent of NRM integration in pedagogic texts, activities and practices in the different fields which constitute the structure of the pedagogic system in this education sector. The study adopted an interpretivist approach to the analysis, which was based on indicators of the extent of NRM integration, and was informed by Bernstein's concepts of classification and curriculum recontextualisation, and his model of the structure of the pedagogic system. The items which were analysed included national and provincial Grade 10 Life Sciences curriculum documents, Grade 10 Life Sciences textbooks, in-service training workshops for Life Sciences teachers, and various school documents, activities and practices. The analysis also involved interviews with educators, and classroom observations of Grade 10 Life Sciences lessons. The results revealed a very high overall level of NRM integration in the Grade 10 Life Sciences curriculum documents produced at national and provincial levels. The overall level of NRM integration was also found to be very high in the Grade 10 Life Science textbooks that were analysed, but very low in the in-service teacher training workshops, and in the schools' documents, activities and practices, especially in the Grade 10 Life Sciences lessons, and in schools' end-of-year Grade 10 Life Sciences examination papers. The study makes a number of recommendations towards effective integration of NRM into the curriculum of Eastern Cape's rural poor schools which include more specific and explicit reference to NRM in the official Grade 10 Life Sciences curriculum documents, the provision of environmental education courses to district education staff and Grade 10 Life Sciences teachers, the training of teachers in the classroom use of textbooks and other educational materials, and regular monitoring of teachers' work. The study also exposes important knowledge gaps which need urgent research attention in order to enhance NRM education in the poor rural schools of the Eastern Cape. These include analysing power and control relationships between the various agencies and agents that are involved with curriculum implementation in this education sector, and conducting investigation into the creation of specialist NRM knowledge and into the quality of NRM knowledge that is transmitted as pedagogic discourse in schools. This study contributes to the fields of rural education and environmental education in South Africa, and to the growing interest in the study of curriculum from a sociology of education perspective in the context of the country’s post-apartheid curriculum reforms.
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Towards sustainable utilisation of the fishery resources of the Kowie Estuary, South Africa
- Authors: Nsubuga, Yvonne Nakalo
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Estuarine fisheries -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Kowie Estuary , Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Kowie Estuary
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4761 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007154 , Estuarine fisheries -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Kowie Estuary , Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Kowie Estuary
- Description: The annual biomass of fish caught from estuaries in South Africa is currently estimated at over 24,800 tons. These estuarine fishes are caught by over 73,000 fishers, most of them recreational. Annual income derived from South Africa’s total estuarine fishery was worth approximately R430,000,000 in 1997. There is increasing concern that unless our estuarine fisheries are effectively managed, we will not be able to sustain these benefits into the future. Two factors that contribute to inadequate management of the estuarine fisheries in South Africa are a lack of data on which to base management decisions, and the lack of indicators by which to assess trends towards sustainability. The main aims of this study were to provide a description of the Kowie estuary fishery, identify suitable indicators of sustainability for this fishery, and assess its sustainability. Boat-based and shore-based roving creel surveys were carried out on the Kowie estuary between July 2000 and June 2001; 1,091 interviews were conducted with linefishers, and 277 interviews with bait collectors. In the boat-based interviews, data were collected on fisher demographics, fishing site, fishing method, choice of bait, fishing duration and catch statistics. In the shore-based surveys, additional data were collected from shore-based linefishers and bait collectors on their perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge of fishery regulations. Total annual fishing effort on the Kowie estuary was estimated at 30,952 angler hours (SD=154); 84% of it recreational, and the rest subsistence. Most fishing occurred during December and January, and decreased during winter, especially June and July. The annual yield of fish from the estuary was estimated at 16,240 fish (SD=667) or 5.99 tons (SD=0.81). By number, recreational anglers caught 69% of the annual catch. Three species dominated the catch by number: Rhabdosargus holubi (62%), Pomadasys commersonnii (17%) and Argyrosomus japonicus (7%). By mass, the dominant species caught were Argyrosomus japonicus (60%) and Pomadasys commersonnii (19%). Overall catch rate on the estuary was 0.57 fish.ang.⁻¹h⁻¹ (SD=0.24), or 0.298 kg ang.⁻¹h⁻¹ (SD=0.31). Overall catch rate by number was highest in the subsistence sector at 1.13 fish.ang.⁻¹h⁻¹(SD=0.70), while the boat-based recreational sector recorded the highest overall catch rate by mass (0.427 kg.ang.⁻¹h⁻¹, SD=0.625). Argyrosomus japonicus had the highest overall catch rate by mass on the estuary (0.496 kg ang.⁻¹h⁻¹), and Rhabdosargus holubi the highest overall catch rate by number (1.233 fish.ang.⁻¹h⁻¹). Only 19% of the catch of R. holubi was above the minimum legal size, while the estimates for P. commersonnii and A. japonicus were 21% and 25%, respectively. The annual number of bait collecting outings on the estuary was estimated at 2,889, of which 75% were subsistence. The highest numbers of bait collecting outings were recorded in December and April. The Bay of Biscay was the most popular site for bait collecting. A total of five invertebrate species were collected from the estuary to be used as bait, of which the mud prawn Upogebia africana was the dominant species. Total annual number of mud prawns collected from the estuary was estimated at 260,648; of which 41% was collected by subsistence bait collectors. Thirteen indicators were selected to assess sustainability in three fishery sectors on the Kowie estuary: namely, the shore-based recreational linefishery, the subsistence linefishery and the subsistence bait fishery. Social sustainability was evaluated on the basis of the use fishery resources to fulfil Maslow's basic human needs of food and employment, safety and security, affiliation, self-esteem and selfactualisation. Indicators of ecosystem sustainability assessed the productivity, diversity, disturbance and degree of water quality in the estuary. Institutional sustainability was assessed on the basis that management systems in the fishery should be results-oriented, consent-based, truth-seeking and adaptable. Data on indicator performance was collected during the shore-based roving creel survey, and from published literature. Arbitrarily set reference points were used to assess indicator performance, which was graded on a scale from 1 (indicating minimum probability of sustainability) to 4 (indicating maximum probability of sustainability). Sustainability was illustrated with the aid of amoeba plots. Overall sustainability was low in all three fishery sectors investigated. Nine of the 13 indicators in the shore-based recreational fishery performed poorly, while 11 of 13 in the subsistence line fishery, and 10 of 13 in the subsistence bait fishery, performed poorly. In all three fishery sectors all four selected indicators of institutional sustainability performed poorly. The probability of social sustainability was higher in the shore-based recreational line fishery, where the performance of two of the five selected indicators was very good. The probability of ecological sustainability was lowest in the shore-based recreational linefishery, while in the subsistence linefishery only one selected indicator performed very well. Recommendations made towards assessing sustainability in small-scale estuarine fisheries include the formulation of national policy for assessing sustainability in fisheries, the involvement of fishers in the assessment process, use of fisher perceptions where data gaps exist, and the use of research results to guide future management decisions. Management changes recommended for the Kowie estuary fishery include the formulation of an effective and integrated management plan, identification of the key stakeholders in the fishery, inclusion of fishers in management, the protection of the estuary’s Zostera capensis beds, and the establishment of a programme to increase research and monitoring in the fishery.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Nsubuga, Yvonne Nakalo
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Estuarine fisheries -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Kowie Estuary , Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Kowie Estuary
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4761 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007154 , Estuarine fisheries -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Kowie Estuary , Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Kowie Estuary
- Description: The annual biomass of fish caught from estuaries in South Africa is currently estimated at over 24,800 tons. These estuarine fishes are caught by over 73,000 fishers, most of them recreational. Annual income derived from South Africa’s total estuarine fishery was worth approximately R430,000,000 in 1997. There is increasing concern that unless our estuarine fisheries are effectively managed, we will not be able to sustain these benefits into the future. Two factors that contribute to inadequate management of the estuarine fisheries in South Africa are a lack of data on which to base management decisions, and the lack of indicators by which to assess trends towards sustainability. The main aims of this study were to provide a description of the Kowie estuary fishery, identify suitable indicators of sustainability for this fishery, and assess its sustainability. Boat-based and shore-based roving creel surveys were carried out on the Kowie estuary between July 2000 and June 2001; 1,091 interviews were conducted with linefishers, and 277 interviews with bait collectors. In the boat-based interviews, data were collected on fisher demographics, fishing site, fishing method, choice of bait, fishing duration and catch statistics. In the shore-based surveys, additional data were collected from shore-based linefishers and bait collectors on their perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge of fishery regulations. Total annual fishing effort on the Kowie estuary was estimated at 30,952 angler hours (SD=154); 84% of it recreational, and the rest subsistence. Most fishing occurred during December and January, and decreased during winter, especially June and July. The annual yield of fish from the estuary was estimated at 16,240 fish (SD=667) or 5.99 tons (SD=0.81). By number, recreational anglers caught 69% of the annual catch. Three species dominated the catch by number: Rhabdosargus holubi (62%), Pomadasys commersonnii (17%) and Argyrosomus japonicus (7%). By mass, the dominant species caught were Argyrosomus japonicus (60%) and Pomadasys commersonnii (19%). Overall catch rate on the estuary was 0.57 fish.ang.⁻¹h⁻¹ (SD=0.24), or 0.298 kg ang.⁻¹h⁻¹ (SD=0.31). Overall catch rate by number was highest in the subsistence sector at 1.13 fish.ang.⁻¹h⁻¹(SD=0.70), while the boat-based recreational sector recorded the highest overall catch rate by mass (0.427 kg.ang.⁻¹h⁻¹, SD=0.625). Argyrosomus japonicus had the highest overall catch rate by mass on the estuary (0.496 kg ang.⁻¹h⁻¹), and Rhabdosargus holubi the highest overall catch rate by number (1.233 fish.ang.⁻¹h⁻¹). Only 19% of the catch of R. holubi was above the minimum legal size, while the estimates for P. commersonnii and A. japonicus were 21% and 25%, respectively. The annual number of bait collecting outings on the estuary was estimated at 2,889, of which 75% were subsistence. The highest numbers of bait collecting outings were recorded in December and April. The Bay of Biscay was the most popular site for bait collecting. A total of five invertebrate species were collected from the estuary to be used as bait, of which the mud prawn Upogebia africana was the dominant species. Total annual number of mud prawns collected from the estuary was estimated at 260,648; of which 41% was collected by subsistence bait collectors. Thirteen indicators were selected to assess sustainability in three fishery sectors on the Kowie estuary: namely, the shore-based recreational linefishery, the subsistence linefishery and the subsistence bait fishery. Social sustainability was evaluated on the basis of the use fishery resources to fulfil Maslow's basic human needs of food and employment, safety and security, affiliation, self-esteem and selfactualisation. Indicators of ecosystem sustainability assessed the productivity, diversity, disturbance and degree of water quality in the estuary. Institutional sustainability was assessed on the basis that management systems in the fishery should be results-oriented, consent-based, truth-seeking and adaptable. Data on indicator performance was collected during the shore-based roving creel survey, and from published literature. Arbitrarily set reference points were used to assess indicator performance, which was graded on a scale from 1 (indicating minimum probability of sustainability) to 4 (indicating maximum probability of sustainability). Sustainability was illustrated with the aid of amoeba plots. Overall sustainability was low in all three fishery sectors investigated. Nine of the 13 indicators in the shore-based recreational fishery performed poorly, while 11 of 13 in the subsistence line fishery, and 10 of 13 in the subsistence bait fishery, performed poorly. In all three fishery sectors all four selected indicators of institutional sustainability performed poorly. The probability of social sustainability was higher in the shore-based recreational line fishery, where the performance of two of the five selected indicators was very good. The probability of ecological sustainability was lowest in the shore-based recreational linefishery, while in the subsistence linefishery only one selected indicator performed very well. Recommendations made towards assessing sustainability in small-scale estuarine fisheries include the formulation of national policy for assessing sustainability in fisheries, the involvement of fishers in the assessment process, use of fisher perceptions where data gaps exist, and the use of research results to guide future management decisions. Management changes recommended for the Kowie estuary fishery include the formulation of an effective and integrated management plan, identification of the key stakeholders in the fishery, inclusion of fishers in management, the protection of the estuary’s Zostera capensis beds, and the establishment of a programme to increase research and monitoring in the fishery.
- Full Text:
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