Abstract
A positive attitude in teachers and learners can create a life-long interest in plants. Worldwide, Botany is seen as an unpopular subject and studies in the United States of America and elsewhere have shown that learners find the subject boring. Plant blindness, soöcentrism and soöchauvinism are widely blamed for this situation. In this study, the status of Botany in secondary schools in Tshwane, Gauteng, was investigated, using interviews with teachers and learner questionnaires. Life sciences teachers are positive about their subject, but some of the participants revealed negative attitudes towards the Botany content. The teachers agreed that the learners, with a few exceptions, did not like plant studies and this finding was confirmed by the questionnaires that were completed by the learners. A number of challenges, increasing the difficulties of teaching Botany were identified. Krathwohl, Bloom and Masia’s classification of the affective domain and the holistic approach to Life Sciences education were employed to provide perspective to the findings.
Highlights
Read online: Scan this QR code with your smart phone or mobile device to read online
Botany is seen as an unpopular subject and studies in the United States of America and elsewhere have shown that learners find the subject boring
Soöcentrism and soöchauvinism are widely blamed for this situation
Summary
Affiliation: 1Department of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, University of Pretoria, South Africa. Die onderwysers se antroposentriese inslag het uit hulle voorkeur vir die inhoud van Mensbiologie geblyk, maar die onderwysers kon nie almal onomwonde sê dat hulle dit geniet om Plantkunde te onderrig nie. Eerstens is daar te min tyd om Plantkunde tot sy reg te laat kom, en onderwysers voel hulle het nie tyd om die inhoud toeganklik vir die leerders te maak nie. Leerders vind Plantkunde moeilik, en dit is duidelik dat hulle veral die moeiliker dele van die kurrikulum, soos fotosintese en generasiewisseling, met die vak assosieer Mev. F. noem dat haar skool wel mikroskope het, maar dat die groot klasse beteken dat vyf kinders een mikroskoop moet deel en dat daar ’n tekort is aan sommige voorbereide mikroskoopplaatjies soos die argegonium van die den
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
