South African Physical Sciences Research Articles

The efficacy of instruction in application of mole ratios and submicro- and macro-scopic equivalent forms of the mole within the unit factor method

The unit factor method, a generic strategy for solving any proportion-related problem, is known to be effective at reducing cognitive load through unit-cancellation providing step-by-step guidance. However, concerns have been raised that it can be applied mindlessly. This primarily quantitative prepost study investigates the efficacy of instruction aimed at addressing such concerns. This was done by making submicro- and macro-scopic equivalent forms of the mole concept, and the meanings of mole ratios, explicit, and emphasising the application of these within the unit factor method to solve stoichiometry calculations. Data were collected from 161 South African Physical Sciences teachers’ answers to four calculation, and 14 conceptual, questions in each of a pre- and a post-test written at the start and end, respectively, of a two-day workshop at which such instruction was implemented. These data were analysed for changes in strategy type and calculation and conceptual knowledge, i.e., heuristic power. A small (n = 7) group retained deficient calculation strategies in which they failed to recognise the need to apply proportion to the mole ratio. For the remainder, a weak but significant correlation was found between their conceptual and calculation improvements. There was high uptake of the unit factor method in the posttest, although a group (n = 33) which began with relatively good calculation knowledge largely rejected this method. Statistically significant improvements in both conceptual and calculation knowledge were found regardless of the extent of uptake of the unit factor method, however the calculation improvement measured was significantly lower for the group which showed moderate uptake of the unit factor method, suggesting they may have needed a longer intervention. Based on the findings, speculations are made regarding the nature of knowledge and the mechanism of development of heuristic power. Long-term effects of such an intervention would, however, still need to be determined.

Analysis of writing prompts in South African physical sciences textbooks for Grade 12 learners

AbstractThe advocacy for writing in science and STEM‐related fields through reasoning‐based writing, critical thinking and argumentation has been accentuated as a core competence in curriculum documents. In South Africa, the CAPS document for Physical Sciences acknowledged the importance of writing and consequently, call on teachers to engage in teaching language across the curriculum. This study examined the characteristics of writing prompts in three selected samples of textbooks to understand how writing is addressed in the Physical Sciences textbooks. Specifically, the study examined the frequency and characteristics of writing prompts included in the chemistry component of three selected Physical Sciences textbooks for Grade 12 learners. A total of 533 writing prompts were identified and analyzed using a coding scheme adopted for the study. Findings revealed that learners are prompted to write in variety of ways, with prompts that positioned them to explain why, discuss your ideas, explain how and explain what. While the prompts that ask learners to explain why and discuss your ideas were the most frequently coded, the press to write their reasoning with specific features that are inherent in the respective topics were inadequate. The implications for curriculum developers are the need for explicit instructions on the length of writings required, and for authors to develop adaptable guidelines to enable textbook users understand the writing expectations.

Representations of the Nature of Science in South African Physical Sciences Textbooks on Electricity and Magnetism

Representations of the Nature of Science in South African Physical Sciences Textbooks on Electricity and Magnetism

Effectiveness in Fostering Metacognition: Analysis Into the State of Metacognition within South African Physical Science Classrooms with the Aim of Improving Attainment

This research analyzed the state of metacognition in South African Physical Science classrooms, the extent to which South African Physical Science teachers possess metacognitive awareness, and how effective the teachers are in fostering metacognition. Assessment of the current state of metacognition in a sample of Physical Science classes at two KwaZulu-Natal districts, inferring the observed and analyzed level of metacognition of the participants, was based on the assumption that low levels of metacognitive awareness was the reason for achieved poor results. The major findings of this research found; there is a poor state of metacognitive awareness within the studied Physical Science classrooms.

Correction: South African physical sciences teachers’ use of formulae and proportion when answering reaction-based stoichiometry calculation questions

Correction for ‘South African physical sciences teachers’ use of formulae and proportion when answering reaction-based stoichiometry calculation questions’ by Angela Elisabeth Stott, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 2021, 22, 443–456, DOI: 10.1039/D0RP00291G.

Perceptions about the use of language in physical science classrooms: A discourse analysis

The low enrolment, lack of interest, exacerbated by the general poor performance in physical science in South Africa paints a gloomy picture about the status of physical science in the country. Despite the fact that there might be other factors at play, one factor which cannot be ignored is the discourse about the use of language in the science classroom as viewed by physical science teachers. In the study reported on here a quantitative methodology was followed in which a closed-ended questionnaire survey was used as data collection tool. In the study we examined South African physical science teachers’ perceptions about the language use in science classrooms, and the study was informed by the Vygotskian socio-cultural theory (SCT). The target population from which a sample size of 37 physical science teachers was systematically sampled was high school classroom teachers and learners in Grades 10, 11 and 12 in the Ngaka Modiri Molema district of the North West province of South Africa. The study revealed that physical science teachers encountered difficulties with meanings of non-technical words used in science context. The conclusion drawn was that many physical science teachers were not proficient in the discourse of the science classroom and this often compromised their effectiveness in the teaching and learning of science. The main difficulty was confusion in differentiating between technical and non-technical words and the lack of convincing explanations of meanings of these words in teaching and learning. Key among the recommendations of this study was the need to address teachers’ challenges with regard to the language use and the implications thereof.

South African physical sciences teachers’ use of formulae and proportion when answering reaction-based stoichiometry calculation questions

Stoichiometry calculation competence tends to be particularly poor in the developing world, even among teachers. Various methods, including the unit factor method, have the potential to be effective in developing such competence. To evaluate the likelihood of such a generic proportion method, which downplays traditional formula usage, succeeding in a particular context, it is necessary first to understand teachers’ existing competence with proportion and the extent to which their calculation success relies on the explicit provision of and substitution into formulae in their written solutions. This quantitative survey study of 171 South African Physical Sciences teachers’ use of formulae and proportion found that most teachers failed to recognise the need to use proportion for some of the four reaction-based stoichiometry calculation questions used. Provision of and substitution into a formula in the written solution was found to be valuable in helping participants who underutilised proportion to obtain process marks, but to be largely irrelevant to obtaining the correct answer. The findings suggest that professional development interventions in similar contexts should focus on proportion within stoichiometry, particularly on recognition of its relevance to reaction-based questions. While a generic proportion method is well suited to this purpose, questions are raised concerning the likelihood that teachers would accept such a method in a context where process marks favour traditional formats of formula provision and substitution and where process mark attainment is highly valued. The findings also point to the need for teacher education to address competencies other than proportion.

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

There is a scarcity of studies that focus on how South African high school physical sciences teachers are grappling with chemical laboratory safety (CLS). This is despite the fact that the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements in the South African school system increased emphasis on laboratory activities in the physical sciences. Department of Basic Education authorities have increased the supply of resources, including chemicals, in schools to ensure the successful implementation of the practical component. This quantitative study investigates physical sciences teachers’ levels of CLS awareness through a conceptual framework developed by the United States National Research Council aimed at promoting chemical laboratory safety in developing countries. A laboratory safety survey questionnaire for teachers was administered to 72 physical sciences teachers from 72 schools in one province. The questionnaire consisted of 14 statements with a four-point Likert scale. Teacher CLS awareness was found to be generally suboptimal, especially concerning awareness of safe chemical storage and waste disposal, and emergency laboratory safety procedures. Results from the computed Pearson chi-squared tests for statistical significance suggest that teachers from better-resourced schools and those who had majored in chemistry had greater awareness than those from less well-resourced schools and those who had not majored in chemistry. Authorities could consider safety awareness training to accompany the provision of resources to schools and target those teachers who may not have majored in chemistry. Such training could include, but not be limited to, online laboratory awareness courses that exploit the use of multiple virtual tools.

Enhancing the pedagogical practice of South African Physical Sciences teachers in inquiry-based teaching through empowerment evaluation

ABSTRACT Scientific inquiry has been advocated as a common curriculum goal in school science education in South Africa, and also throughout the world. In South Africa, the introduction of inquiry-based instruction in a reformed science curriculum has met with serious challenges, such as the under-preparedness of in-service teachers. The purpose of this study was to capture, portray and develop the pedagogical practice of Physical Sciences teachers in inquiry-based teaching using an empowerment evaluation approach. The study is a multiple case study in inquiry-based teaching of three Physical Sciences teachers in South Africa using a mixed methods design. Empowerment evaluation is the use of evaluation concepts, techniques, and findings to foster improvement and self-determination. Underlying an inquiry-based pedagogy is the assumption that science education is not merely about knowing-acquisition, but understanding how scientific knowledge is generated, evaluation of knowledge claims and conducting scientific research. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews, a pedagogical orientation instrument, and classroom observations. The findings reveal that through empowerment evaluation, teacher practices in the classroom shifted towards an inquiry-based approach. The empowerment evaluation approach thus offers a viable and sustained form of professional development that is likely to empower teachers in assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating what they do.

Gaps in teacher competencies linked to inquiry-based practical work in certain resource-constrained South African physical sciences classrooms

Dwindling learner interest in science is a threat to economic development and scientific research. While the inquiry-based teaching and learning strategy in science education can contribute in countering this threat, the required teacher professional development efforts are not always linked to the actual pedagogical experiences and needs of participants. With this in mind, we focussed on the case of two resource-constrained South African schools. The purpose was to identify gaps in teacher competencies linked to the routine implementation of Inquiry-Based Practical Work in physical sciences classrooms. In this regard, we used a conceptual framework incorporating the Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework. This was coupled with a multi-method data collection technique and the inductive technique in thematic analysis. The results consist of gaps in Content Knowledge, Pedagogical Knowledge, Technological Knowledge, Technological Pedagogical Knowledge, and certain professional values. These results have significant implications in relation to evidence-based teacher professional development practice and research in the study context and possibly beyond.

Influence of Context on Stoichiometry Conceptual and Algorithmic Subject Matter Knowledge among South African Physical Sciences Teachers

Teachers’ conceptual subject matter knowledge of stoichiometry is a global concern. Such knowledge is contextually dependent, as is the feasibility of attaining particular outcomes during in-servic...

Effectiveness of individual and group investigations in developing integrated science inquiry skills

The South African Physical Sciences Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) requires learners to develop science inquiry skills, including Integrated Science Inquiry Skills (ISIS). However, the performance of learners in assessment tasks related to ISIS has been consistently poor over several years. The use of ineffective pedagogical methods to develop practical skills could partly account for this poor performance. This study compared the effectiveness of individual and group practical investigations in developing ISIS in learners. The study involved 319 purposively selected Grade 11 Physical Sciences learners in Limpopo Province, South Africa. A mixed-method approach was used to collect data. Pre- and post-tests, and practical reports were used to assess learners’ competence in ISIS, while a questionnaire provided information about their opinions regarding the investigation methods used. A comparison of the performance of the two classes of learners showed no significant difference in their overall competence in ISIS. Qualitative analysis of the practical reports and learners’ opinions revealed some discrepancies between the two investigation classes. The results suggest that the two approaches to practical investigations are approximately equally effective in developing learners’ overall ISIS.Keywords: group investigation; individual investigation; integrated science inquiry skills; practical investigations

The Spectrum of Pedagogical Orientations of Malawian and South African Physical Science Teachers towards Inquiry

This study investigated and compared the pedagogical orientations of physical sciences teachers in Malawi and South Africa towards inquiry or direct methods of science teaching. Pedagogical orientation has been theorized as a component of pedagogical content knowledge. Orientations were characterized along a spectrum of two variants of inquiry and two variants of direct instruction. Teacher preferences for pedagogy were measured using case-based assessment items which depicted actual scenarios for teaching particular physical sciences topics and provided four alternative teaching method options. Item topics were common to both the Malawian and South African science syllabuses. Response data were obtained from 164 Malawian high school physical sciences teachers at community, conventional and grant-aided schools, for comparison with previous South African data. Analyses produced pedagogical orientation profiles for each teacher and item in terms of the distribution of choices between the four options and these were aggregated by school type and compared with the corresponding profiles for South African teachers on the same items. Responses to items covered the whole spectrum of approaches, although relative proportions depended on teacher, topic, type of school and country. Aggregated responses for both countries tended more toward variants of inquiry than of direct instruction. In some cases, Malawian teachers had an unexpectedly strong direct didactic preference. A direct didactic orientation was mainly prevalent amongst teachers from disadvantaged Malawian community schools and South African rural schools. South African teachers from suburban schools exhibited a stronger guided inquiry orientation than their Malawian counterparts from grant-aided schools. In contrast, teachers at Malawian conventional schools had a stronger preference to adopt variants of inquiry (guided and open) than South African teachers at corresponding township schools. Teachers at more privileged schools, that is, Malawian grant-aided and South African suburban schools, showed stronger guided- and open-inquiry orientations than teachers at less privileged schools. School type and contextual circumstances affected teachers’ pedagogy choices in both countries, having a substantial influence on the approaches that teachers would adopt in their own situations.

Valuing IKS in successive South African Physical Sciences Curricula

The valuing of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) is one of the principles on which the South African school curriculum is supposed to be based. The purpose of this paper is to critique the treatment of indigenous knowledge in the South African secondary Physical Sciences curriculum against a backdrop of international debates on the relationship between IKS and science. Such debates usually take either an Inclusive perspective, where IKS are regarded as part of science, or an Exclusive perspective, where IKS and science are regarded as separate domains of knowledge. We identify a third perspective where IKS and science are viewed as intersecting domains. A document analysis of all national post-apartheid curriculum documents relevant to secondary Physical Sciences identifies only nine examples of IKS related to Physical Sciences in the latest curriculum documents (CAPS), although this is an improvement on the previous curricula. The curriculum documents reflect some confusion about the relationship between IKS and science, both in the wording and in the positioning of examples in relation to science content. Physical sciences curriculum development in South Africa appears to have gone through the stages of colonisation, decolonisation and neo-colonisation. We recommend the development of theory that addresses the role of valuing IKS in science classrooms. The Intersecting perspective offers promise as an approach to use in science classrooms, allowing the distinction to be made between pieces of indigenous knowledge that intersect with modern science knowledge and IKS as whole systems of thinking with distinctive worldviews.

Connecting the Hands-on to the Minds-On: A Video Case Analysis of South African Physical Sciences Lessons for Student Thinking

Background:In South Africa, there is a strong curriculum imperative for school science teachers to not only involve learners in practical inquiry activities but also to support students in making a connection between the construction of substantive scientific knowledge to these activities. The research reported in this article investigated the extent to which South African teachers at historically disadvantaged township schools engaged students in the construction of science ideas in inquiry lessons.Materials and methods:To this end, video transcripts of thirty two lessons were analysed and coded using a framework of student thinking lens developed by the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) for the Science Teachers Learning from Lesson Analysis (STeLLA) project. The trends on the teaching features are explicated in the presentation of an in-depth analysis of a chemistry lesson.Results:The findings on the analysis of the thirty two lessons reveal that these teaching features are poorly manifested in the lessons, and it is concluded that teachers only weakly make visible student thinking in inquiry lessons.Conclusions:This research suggests the need for a re-alignment of inquiry-based science education with the development of science ideas.

An Analysis of Teachers’ Concept Confusion Concerning Electric and Magnetic Fields

In an exploratory study, 36 South African physical science teachers’ understanding of basic concepts concerning electric and magnetic fields was studied from a perspective of possible concept confusion. Concept confusion is said to occur when features of one concept are incorrectly attributed to a different concept, in the case of this study to magnetic and electric fields. An example of concept confusion is the perception that a magnetic north pole has an excess of positive charges and consequently attracts negative charges placed in the field. The researchers constructed a framework of 20 interrelated critical aspects of which the scientific topic is composed conceptually. Next, the understanding of concepts and interactions in electric and magnetic fields by 36 teachers of physical science (a subject combining physics and chemistry for grades 10–12), who were enrolled for an in-service subject knowledge upgrading course, was probed through questionnaires and interviews. This approach allowed us to answer the central research question of this study: what alternative understandings do teachers have of the topic of electric and magnetic fields in terms of potential concept confusion? The teachers’ understanding does appear to be interpretable in terms of whether or not they distinguish between the critical aspects identified in this study. The results show six categories of aspects of electric and magnetic fields causing teachers’ inability to distinguish between the two fields, with a consequent confusion of concepts. These categories are: sources of currents; sources of electric fields; sources of magnetic fields; the effects of electric and magnetic fields on materials; electric and magnetic forces; and the direction of the electric and magnetic forces. Results from this research study may contribute to the enhancement of physical science teacher training and consequently school teaching.

The Pedagogical Orientations of South African Physical Sciences Teachers Towards Inquiry or Direct Instructional Approaches

In recent years, inquiry-based science instruction has become widely advocated in science education standards in many countries and, hence, in teacher preparation programmes. Nevertheless, in practice, one finds a wide variety of science instructional approaches. In South Africa, as in many countries, there is also a great disparity in school demographic situations, which can also affect teaching practices. This study investigated the pedagogical orientations of in-service physical sciences teachers at a diversity of schools in South Africa. Assessment items in a Pedagogy of Science Teaching Test (POSTT) were used to identify teachers’ science teaching orientations, and reasons for pedagogical choices were probed in interviews. The findings reveal remarkable differences between the orientations of teachers at disadvantaged township schools and teachers at more privileged suburban schools. We found that teachers at township schools have a strong ‘active direct’ teaching orientation overall, involving direct exposition of the science followed by confirmatory practical work, while teachers at suburban schools exhibit a guided inquiry orientation, with concepts being developed via a guided exploration phase. The study identified contextual factors such as class size, availability of resources, teacher competence and confidence, time constraints, student ability, school culture and parents’ expectations as influencing the methods adopted by teachers. In view of the recent imperative for inquiry-based learning in the new South African curriculum, this study affirms the context specificity of curriculum implementation (Bybee 1993) and suggests situational factors beyond the curriculum mandate that need to be addressed to achieve successful inquiry-based classroom instruction in science.

Exploring a Grade 11 Teacher’s Conceptions of the Nature of Science

Teachers’ conceptions of the Nature of Science (NOS) are central to their instructional decisions and classroom practices. This study aimed at exploring beliefs and understanding of the NOS from a grade 11 Physical Science teacher in relation to her classroom practice. It focused on a single teacher, Ms Seperepere (pseudonym) working in a rural school in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Data on her conceptions of the NOS were gathered using open-ended questionnaire and lesson observations. The analysis of data indicated that Ms Seperepere held fairly mixed views of the NOS that were also reflected in her classroom practice. The study recommends the NOS to be taught explicitly to student teachers and in-service teachers so as to enable them acquire informed views of NOS. With informed views of the NOS, teachers will be able to design and implement their lessons to promote knowledge and skills in scientific inquiry, understanding of the NOS and the application of the scientific knowledge; as stipulated in the South African Physical Science curriculum. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n2p247

South African Physical Sciences Teachers' Understanding of Force and the Relationship to Teacher Qualification, Experience and their School's Quintile

The force concept in physics is known to be poorly understood by high school and university students throughout the world, with alternative conceptions being prevalent. In this study, I surveyed the conceptions regarding force of a large and varied convenience sample of South African physical sciences teachers, and sought patterns between levels of understanding and various characteristics about the teachers and the schools at which they teach. Data were collected during teacher-education workshops held throughout South Africa from 1,190 physical sciences teachers, and consist of responses to a seven-item multiple choice test about force and a survey about the teachers and their schools. The findings confirm a high prevalence of force alternative conception, particularly for the impetus alternative conception, and particularly among less experienced teachers. Having a BSc degree was found to be associated with teachers having better understandings of force, except for teachers teaching at quintile 1 and 2 (poorer) schools. The findings tentatively suggest that having a BSc degree might predispose a teacher to be able to benefit, in development of their conceptual understanding, from the advantages which teaching at a higher quintile school offers. This study highlights the need for interventions aimed at improving teachers' understandings of physical sciences concepts as well as their scientific skills, attitudes and values.

A Systemic Functional Linguistic Analysis of the Utterances of Three South African Physical Sciences Teachers

In this study, the sociocultural view of science as a language and some quantitative language features of the complementary theoretical framework of systemic functional linguistics are employed to analyse the utterances of three South African Physical Sciences teachers. Using a multi-case study methodology, this study provides a sophisticated description of the utterances of Pietermaritzburg Physical Sciences teachers in language contexts characterised by varying proportions of English Second Language (ESL) students in each class. The results reveal that, as expected, lexical cohesion as measured by the cohesive harmony index and proportion of repeated content words relative to total words, increased with an increasing proportion of ESL students. However, the use of nominalisation by the teachers and the lexical density of their utterances did not decrease with an increasing proportion of ESL students. Furthermore, the results reveal that each individual Physical Sciences teacher had a ‘signature’ talk, unrelated to the language context in which they taught. This study signals the urgent and critical need for South African science teacher training programmes to place a greater emphasis on the functional use of language for different language contexts in order to empower South African Physical Sciences teachers to adequately apprentice their students into the use of the register of scientific English.