Innovation in South African science education (part 2): Factors influencing the introduction of instructional change

Macdonald, Megan; Rogan, John M.

doi:10.1002/sce.3730740110

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Current educational programme reviewers may wish to consider works of several studies that indicate that, if well thought-out and planned, the use of local resources has achieved enviable results elsewhere. Contextualizing particular investigations and providing opportunities for pupils to extend their awareness of everyday phenomena in their surroundings, has contributed to the development of skills of manipulation, observation, experimenting and predicting (see, for example, Swift, 1983Swift, , 1992Knamiller, 1984a andb, 1989;Yakubu, 1992/4;Towse, 1997;Bekele et al, 1990;Macdonald, 1980;Macdonald and Rogan, 1990;Zim-Sci, 1987). Alternative approaches to conventional laboratory work, recently reviewed extensively (IJSE, 1998), could result in the positive effect of promoting meaningful learning in science, particularly in countries such as Ethiopia where the lack of physical resource is a critical factor.…”

Section: · Appropriate Use Of Human and Materials Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 97%

Practical activity in Ethiopian secondary physical sciences: implications for policy and practice of the match between the intended and implemented curriculum

Bekalo¹,

Welford²

2000

Research Papers in Education

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This paper reports on a study which examined the secondary physical sciences curriculum in Ethiopia with a particular focus on practical work. It describes the intention and realization of the science curriculum in terms of that which is intended by policy makers and curriculum developers and that which is implemented by classroom science teachers. Ethiopia's new Education and Training Policy and Sector Strategy (EMPDA, 1994a and b) advocates Ð as did its predecessors Ð that science be taught emphasizing a problem-solving, practical approach in the classroom. The main methods used by the study to gather data were: analysis of documents Ð policy statements, textbooks, examination papers; classroom observation; and analysis of 80 science lessons in four sample schools, enriched through interviews with a range of those involved Ð from policy makers to students in schools. The study revealed that the link between policy and practice in secondary science with regard to practical work was always tenuous. Broad and speci® c curriculum objectives as well as the teaching and learning activities prescribed in the textbooks were neither internally coherent nor congruent with the stated policy objectives. Furthermore, assessment practice and school practice did not match intentions. As a consequence, Ethiopian secondary students do not receive the practical experiences speci® ed in the of® cial science curriculum.

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Section: · Appropriate Use Of Human and Materials Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 97%

Practical activity in Ethiopian secondary physical sciences: implications for policy and practice of the match between the intended and implemented curriculum

Bekalo¹,

Welford²

2000

Research Papers in Education

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“…There appears to be a clear recognition that each line of research is but a piece of a much larger puzzle. There appears to be an overt recognition that teachers can not teach what they do not understand, and that simply possessing the desired knowledge does not ensure its effective communication to students (MacDonald & Rogan, 1990). Additionally, our interest in students' conceptions has been placed within the context of constructivist epistemology (Wheatley, 1991) and, within this view, is unavoidably related back to specific classroom activities and instructional approaches.…”

Section: What Have We Learned?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Students' and teachers' conceptions of the nature of science: A review of the research

1992

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The development of adequate student conceptions of the nature of science has been a perennial objective of science instruction regardless of the currently advocated pedagogical or curricular emphases. Consequently, it has been an area of prolific research characterized by several parallel, but distinct, lines of investigation. Although research related to students' and teachers' conceptions of the nature of science has been conducted for approximately 40 years, a comprehensive review of the empirical literature (both quantitative and qualitative) has yet to be presented. The overall purpose of this review is to help clarify what has been learned and to elucidate the basic assumptions and logic which have guided earlier research efforts. Ultimately, recommendations related to both methodology and the focus of future research are offered.

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“…First, the literature on school development, professional development, and developmental psychology, the work of Vygotsky in particular, will be explored to provide a theoretical underpinning for the concept of a ZFI. However, I will also draw on my own experiences of working to introduce innovative ideas in science classrooms in the Ciskei region of South Africa in the 1970s (Macdonald & Rogan, 1988, 1990, and more recently in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa in the current decade (Rogan, 2004(Rogan, , 2006Rogan & Aldous, 2005). Finally, the concept of a ZFI, and how it might be applied in practice, will be revisited.…”

Section: An Initial Definitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How much curriculum change is appropriate? Defining a zone of feasible innovation

Rogan

2007

Science Education

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The article grapples with the question of how much curriculum change is appropriate in a given context and in a given time frame. How can a balance be struck between stagnation, on the one hand, and the promotion of unrealistic innovation on the other? In answer to this dilemma, the concept of a zone of feasible innovation (ZFI) is proposed and explored, drawing on the literature of school development, teacher professional development, and of developmental psychology, the work of Vygotsky in particular. A series of procedures are suggested to help define the nature and scope of a ZFI in any given situation. Finally, vignettes from case studies of innovation in science education are evoked to provide real-life counterpoints to the theoretical constructs of the literature.

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Innovation in South African science education (part 2): Factors influencing the introduction of instructional change

Cited by 17 publications

References 21 publications

Practical activity in Ethiopian secondary physical sciences: implications for policy and practice of the match between the intended and implemented curriculum

Practical activity in Ethiopian secondary physical sciences: implications for policy and practice of the match between the intended and implemented curriculum

Students' and teachers' conceptions of the nature of science: A review of the research

How much curriculum change is appropriate? Defining a zone of feasible innovation

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