An analysis of the factors that influence the participation of secondary school science students in classroom communication

Abstract

Teaching is a dynamic process involving teachers and learners in meaningful and collaborative efforts. Therefore, interacting with learners in the classroom is of vital importance to the teacher in order to enhance the teaching and learning process. The purpose of this research is to determine the factors influencing the participation of secondary school science learners in classroom communication (CC). The study was conducted in all the secondary schools in the Potchefstroom area. A questionnaire was compiled to investigate learners' level of participation in science CC, An interview guide for teachers was also compiled. A total of 235 Grade B learners were randomly selected from twelve (12) schools. The analysis showed that the teachers used primarily teaching-learning procedures that did not conform to the requirements of OBE. The reason is not necessarily that they are not well-informed on OBE principles, but the practicality of their leaching situations necessitated it In the process, learners do not acquire enough knowledge and skills needed for science classroom learning activities. This fails the main aim of enabling learners to participate in classroom communication, The limited use of communicative strategies in science teaching-learning can be attributed to a number of possible reasons, amongst which are: communication apprehension, poor language development, culture/heredity, and the types of classroom reinforcements and teaching styles. This study also focused on the factors that can positively influence classroom communication. An interview was conducted with teachers with the help of an interview guide. The results indicated that teachers, although generally warm and accepting, seem to be inflexible and lack dynamism when presenting the lesson, which in tum affects learners' participation in the classroom.