Abstract
Manu Prakash, the developer of the foldscope microscope reported on in this paper, stated that it is important to use tools that can support open-ended inquiry in the classroom, without dumbing down those tools. Scientific equipment in the school laboratory is often very expensive and only available to those who can afford it. “Frugal science” is a trend in education that researches, develops and introduces economical and quality scientific resources to developing countries. In South Africa, many underprivileged schools lack quality practical and laboratory resources to perform simple tasks, such as microscopy. Furthermore, the absence of laboratory investigations could lead to learners not enjoying Life Sciences nor developing a more nuanced understanding of the nature (tenets) of science. As part of an indigenous knowledge intervention hosted by the North-West University, teachers were provided with $1 foldscopes (paper microscope) to use in their classrooms. This research reports on the views of Life Sciences learners and teachers on the use of foldscopes in the Life Sciences classroom during a practical lesson. The focus of the research is to illuminate how such problem-based approaches could enhance affective outcomes. This generic qualitative research study has elements of design-based research (DBR) as well as classroom action research (CAR), carried out by participating teachers to investigate the affordances of foldscopes. Data was collected using observations, teacher reflections, learner reflections, photographs and personal interviews. From an affective stance, this qualitative study used Engeström’s third-generation Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as a research lens in order to identify factors that promote or inhibit the use of foldscopes in the Life Sciences classroom during a practical lesson.
Highlights
AND PROBLEM STATEMENTAccording to the World Economic Forum’s competitive index for 2017 to 2018, South African mathematics and science education is ranked 128th out of 137 countries (Schwab, 2018)
One of the design principles that was distilled from the larger National Research Foundation (NRF)-funded design-based research (DBR) research project was to inspire teachers to engage in classroom action research (CAR)
The following themes emerged from the analyses of the data of the foldscope activity
Summary
AND PROBLEM STATEMENTAccording to the World Economic Forum’s competitive index for 2017 to 2018, South African mathematics and science education is ranked 128th out of 137 countries (Schwab, 2018). One of the educational issues that teachers in the Life Sciences classroom face is that some learners do not enjoy, engage or prosper academically in Life Sciences as a subject (Hidi & Harackiewicz, 2000). Researchers such as De Beer (2014) and Buma (2018) call the marginalisation of the affective domain in the science classroom as the “missing link” and suggest that teachers should consciously teach for the affective domain. Many teachers still use content-based, conventional, transmission-mode teaching methods such as “chalk-and-talk” (Riga et al, 2017), which does not favour “out-of-the-box thinking” and autonomous learning (Farahani, 2014). This should be seen in the light of research by Ramnarain and Schuster (2014) that showed that teachers often replace open-inquiry approaches with transmission-mode and teacher-centred approaches (and “teaching-to-the-test”), due to systemic pressure, e.g., from parents and principals for good examination results
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