Attainable pedagogical practices for contexts of poverty: a South African case study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Curricula in ‘developing’ country classrooms have long attempted unsuccessfully to replace teacher-centred pedagogy (TCP) with learner-centred pedagogy (LCP). This South African case study treated TCP as a realistic pathway for improving student achievement in its societal context. The ex post facto mixed methods analysis combined experimental design principles with qualitative classroom observation of a teacher in a poor township whose grade 9 students had high achievement gains, using Guthrie’s Teaching Styles Model and Schweisfurth’s learner-centred minimum standards. Well-established dialogic routines with frequent closed questions emphasised memorisation of basic facts and principles required by the stipulative science curriculum. The study is a ‘proof of concept’ for qualitative research to identify successful, contextually appropriate classroom techniques in other South African schools and possibly those in similar contexts elsewhere. The study also illustrates international controversies over the merits of different types of curricula, associated pedagogy, and the embedded cultural and societal issues.