The influence of an intervention on Life Sciences teachers' perceptions of the nature of science, indigenous knowledge and implications for their pedagogy and self-directed learning
Abstract
This study sought to investigate the influence of an intervention on the Life Sciences
teachers’ perceptions of the nature of science, indigenous knowledge, and the
implications for their pedagogy as well as self-directed learning. Vygotsky’s social
constructivism served as the theory underpinning this study and Warford’s Zone of
Proximal for Teacher Development (ZPTD) was used to carry out the intervention. The
intervention comprised of two, two-day Short Learning Programmes (SLPs) which took
place at the Landmark Protea Hotel in Polokwane, at the African Centre for DNA
Barcoding (ACDB) and at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). This study adopted a
mixed-methods approach, and a concurrent transformative research design was used
where 38 Life Sciences teachers were conveniently sampled. Out of the 38 Life
Sciences teachers, only 12 served as the experimental group, while 26 served as the
control group for the Self-Direct Learning Instrument (SDLI). The data was collected pre
and post intervention using three open-ended questionnaires, one closed-ended
classroom observation and semi-structured interviews. The collected data was coded,
and emerging themes were deliberated upon. The third generation Cultural Historical
Activity Theory (CHAT) was used on a personal, institutional and on an interpersonal
plane to interpret the findings. The recommendations from this study included the need
to engage in change laboratories, a methodology emerging from Activity Theory, which
advocates for the involvement of all stakeholders to address systemic pressures and
the need for a bigger pool of participants during short learning programmes to benefit
more participants. Furthermore, the study recommended that during teacher
professional development interventions, more focus should be placed on the teachers’
self-directed learning and building Teacher Professional Development (TPD)
programmes around the needs of teachers. Lastly, the study recommended the
increased duration of short learning programmes and establishing conducive
communities of practice to support TPD.
The nine themes that emerged from both the holistic analysis and the six participating
Life Sciences teachers from the three settings were:
The intervention helped the participating teachers by improving their perceptions of the
nature of indigenous knowledge.
The intervention helped the participating teachers by improving their perceptions of the
nature of science.
The intervention helped the participating teachers by shifting their pedagogical
orientation mainly from didactic direct to either guided inquiry or open inquiry.
There is evidence of a lack of significant or tangible change in the participants' self
directed learning, post-intervention.
There was no submission of portfolios by the participating teachers.
The intervention helped the participating teachers from all the settings by improving
their perceptions of the nature of indigenous knowledge. However, there were nuances
with regards to the teachers’ integrating nature of indigenous knowledge in their
classrooms.
The intervention helped the participating teachers from all the settings by improving
their perceptions of the nature of science. However, there were nuances with regards to
the teachers’ integrating the nature of science in their classrooms.
There was evidence of poor preparation, the lack of time management and poor
reflective abilities.
There is no evidence of lesson preparation amongst the participants who were
observed in their classrooms post-intervention.
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