Shifting South African learners towards greater autonomy in scientific investigations

Abstract

This report describes how teachers support ninth-grade students who are doing scientific investigations in Natural Sciences in South African schools. This is of interest as allowing students to participate in inquiry-based investigations is a significant shift from traditional practices. It presents a new challenge to teachers as it signals an opportunity to shift from a teacher-centred to a student-centred approach in practical inquiry. The research study adopted a mixed methodology research design that involved the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data were collected by means of questionnaires that were administered to 55 teachers. Qualitative data were collected by means of five classroom observations of student investigations and in-depth teacher interviews. The analysis of all the data revealed that teachers believe in providing support and not allowing learners to discover for themselves when participating in investigations. Teachers use a number of support strategies depending on the stage of the investigation. Based on these findings, a learning progression of teacher support for increasing learner autonomy was formulated which teachers can use in guiding them in the use of appropriate support strategies as they shift students towards greater autonomy in doing investigations.

Probing Physical Sciences Teachers’ Chemical Laboratory Safety Awareness in Some South African High Schools

“…These studies have neglected safety challenges that may come with a heightened emphasis on laboratory activities. Large science classes, with as many as 40 learners each, increase the risk of laboratory accidents, and, in some cases, have led to some teachers shying away from conducting important laboratory practical work (Ramnarain & Hobden, 2015). Uncertainty on safety issues and the fear of taking responsibility in case accidents occur often lead teachers to conduct only demonstrations or virtual laboratory activities, therefore depriving students of hands-on experience in the laboratory (Richards-Babb et al, 2010;Sedghpour et al, 2013;Torres et al, 2015).…”

Factors Influencing the Physical Sciences Pre-Service Teacher’s Pedagogical Orientations in one of the Universities in South Africa

“…IBL in a science classroom allows teachers to act as facilitators while learners become more self-directed. Learners are expected to discover new knowledge independently, formulate hypotheses, test the results; therefore, IBL promotes autonomy and encourages learners to construct knowledge (Pedaste, Mäeots, Leijen, & Sarapuu, 2012;Ramnarain & Hobden, 2015). Ramnarain and Schuster (2014) assert that South African science teachers embrace inquiry approach perception as there is a belief that inquiry-based learning can help learners develop practical skills and make science more engaging.…”

South African Grade 12 Science Students’ Understandings of Scientific Inquiry

“…The pedagogical orientations of teachers in such schools are mostly inclined to direct didactics than a more student-centred inquiry approach (Ramnarain & Schuster, 2014). As such, students tend to have little or no autonomy (Ramnarain & Hobden, 2015) in choosing inquiry procedures or asking scientific questions, which can guide their own investigations.…”