botanical content in the South African curriculum: A barren desert or a thriving forest?

Abstract

Botanists who are interested in education have often expressed their dismay at how plant sciences are neglected in Biology curricula, despite the important roles that plants play. While botanists in several overseas countries have studied the ways in which plant sciences are represented in curricula, no research has been done on how botany is neglected in the South African curriculum. Currently, the South African curriculum is known as the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) for Grades R–12. In this study, a comparison was made among the content that is generally taught in introductory plant sciences courses, the American Society of Plant Biologists’ principles for plant biology education and the relevant CAPS documents. The time spent on plant, animal or human-focused content was established and compared at both phase and grade level. It was found that while the curriculum addresses all the major concepts in the plant sciences, very little time was being allocated to exclusively plant-focused content as compared to animal and human-focused content. This neglect was particularly prevalent in the Foundation Phase. The way in which the content is structured and presented in the curriculum may in all likelihood not be sufficient to provide a strong knowledge and skills foundation in the plant sciences, nor will it encourage the development of positive values towards plants. While consensus regarding the content of a curriculum will be difficult to achieve, awareness of potential gaps in the curriculum should be brought to the attention of the botanical and educational communities.

The botanical education extinction and the fall of plant awareness

“…One Swiss study of several thousand participants aged between eight and 18 could on average only identify five plants, although this study also noted there was a generally poor ability to recognize species (Lindemann‐Matthies, 2002 ). Analysis of South African educational texts followed similar trends to other studies, with the authors noting the content taught is likely not sufficient to provide a strong knowledge or skills foundation in the plant sciences and is subsequently unlikely to encourage positive development of values toward plants (Abrie, 2016 ). Concerningly, recent research revealed potential threats to indigenous knowledge and observed economic development led to reductions in local ethnobotanical knowledge (Saynes‐Vásquez et al, 2016 ).…”

Chapter 3: Investigating the Nature of Biodiversity Knowledge inNatural Sciences Curriculum and Textbooks

“…These latter two reviews could be achieved by drawing on key documents in the FOP. We suggest that this kind of coherence across the pedagogic device is critical if the logical structure of the parent discipline is to be made visible to learners (Abrie 2016).…”

Botany Teaching: An Overview of Academic Research in Brazil from 2002 to 2017

“…The textbooks in India (and things are not quite different in Brazil) are poor in pictures, and the gaps in Botany teaching become visible when students draw the plants because they draw what they see and think about them. Amélia L. Abrie (2016), author of "The botanical content in the South Africa curriculum: a barren desert or a thriving forest?" and a professor at the University of Pretoria, in South Africa, is concerned about the lack of researches regarding how Botany is neglected in the South African curriculum when compared to Zoology.…”

“…Thus, the way content is presented in the curriculum may not be enough to provide the necessary knowledge about the plants and consequent awareness in that area. Abrie (2016) uses other authors, such as Hershey, Honey, Uno, Wandersee and Schussler, Wilkins, who work on the theme, to claim that plants are the most important, least understood and most guaranteed of all living species. According to the author, there is a link between the neglect of plants in schools and the lack of interest of the general population for this group of living beings and, therefore, argues that the curriculum has been weakened in regard to Botany teaching.…”