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

Abstract

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 — as did its predecessors — 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 — 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 — 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 specific 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 specified in the official science curriculum.