Search

Since the independence era in the 1950s and 1960s, many African countries have recognised the important role that science plays in the socio-economic development of any country. As a result, various African governments have enacted policies and allocated a large proportion of their gross national product to the science and science education sector of the economy. For instance, many African countries introduced universal primary education and to cater for the bulging student population increased the number of their secondary schools considerably. However, the rapid expansion of educational facilities has to some degree compromised the quality of the science teaching in many African schools. Among the various problems facing science education in Africa since the independence era, however, the most frequently mentioned has been the shortage of qualified science teachers. Science teachers play a critical role in laying the foundation of scientific literacy of a country. Indeed, no education system can outperform the quality of its teachers.

The mandate of the new South African curriculum for educators to enact a science-indigenous knowledge curriculum in their classrooms is not only challenging to their cosmological beliefs, it is equally challenging to their instructional practices. This is because science educators (teachers) in South Africa have been schooled largely in western science and lack the necessary knowledge or skills on how to achieve such a goal. In response to these challenges nine experienced educators were exposed to an activity-based Dialogical Argumentation Instruction (DAI) for a period of 12 months. The DAI served as an exemplary instructional model for the educators to use in their classrooms. A questionnaire and an interview were then used to determine the effects of DAI on the educators' cosmological beliefs about certain natural phenomena. Although DAI seemed to have influenced the educators' worldviews in a variety of ways, their overall cosmology remained essentially amalgamated with their religious beliefs dominating. The implications of the findings for instructional practice are highlighted in the article. (Contains 2 tables.)

This study addressed one aspect of a national strategic recommendation in South Africa by examining the effectiveness of computer-based outreach programmes in terms of how the programmes were implemented and learners' perceptions of the classes. The role that the computer centres played at two schools was examined and the research endeavoured to provide descriptions of the implemented and perceived programmes. The findings provide insight into the implementation of computer-assisted learning (CAL) in disadvantaged schools and serve as baseline data for research into CAL environments in the South African context. Learners considered the application of CAL as a positive step to improve their learning but also placed a high value on the role of the teacher because of the perceived competencies of their teachers in helping them perform well in the matriculation examination. The findings of the study have important practice and policy implications for the implementation of CAL in disadvantaged schools. (Contains 3 figures and 3 tables.)

Since the World Conference on Higher Education organized by UNESCO in 1998, higher educational institutions around the world have been called upon to produce educators (teachers) who are able to motivate their learners to: (1) develop an awareness about, and a valid understanding of the Nature of Science (NOS); and (2) relate such knowledge to the worldviews prevalent in their communities. In the pursuance of that aim and in response to the emergence of multicultural classrooms in many parts of the world, new curricula have been developed to make school experience more relevant to learners' home experiences. A common feature of these curricula particularly in the non-western developed and developing worlds has been the bold attempts that have been made to reflect some elements of indigenous knowledge in science classrooms. This article explores briefly such attempts in Japan and South Africa and highlights the prospects and challenges of implementing an indigenized science curriculum in both countries.

In response to the needs of a newly democratic South Africa, a new education policy required science teachers to integrate Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) with school science: Curriculum 2005 (C2005) was developed. The first phase of that curriculum was implemented in 1997 with the hope that by 2005 it would have been implemented in the entire school system (i.e., R-12 grades). Since then science educators have been making a concerted effort to develop science teacher education programmes compatible with the postulates of the new curriculum policy. As part of that effort, this study used a Practical Argumentation Course to equip a group of science teachers with knowledge and instructional skills needed to implement an integrated Science-IKS curriculum in their classrooms. The findings showed that, as a result of the course, the teachers' understanding of, and awareness about, the Nature of Science and IKS improved considerably. Similarly, the teachers made noticeable perceptual shifts from construing science and IKS as polar opposites to considering the two thought systems as compatible and complementary. The implications of the findings for instructional practices are highlighted in the paper. [For Part 1, see EJ765155.]

The new South African curriculum known as Curriculum 2005 (to depict the year of its full implementation) requires that teachers integrate school science with Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS). Curriculum 2005 has generated heated debates at various levels since its inception in 1997. This study focuses on the effectiveness or otherwise of a Practical Argumentation Course (PAC) as an instructional tool for enhancing teachers' understanding of, and ability to implement, a Science-IKS curriculum. Data collected by questionnaires, video-taped and audio-taped interviews, and reflective essays were analysed in terms of a Practical Argumentation Framework developed for the purpose. The findings show that the PAC did enhance the teachers' understanding as well as increase their awareness of the need to implement a Science-IKS curriculum in their classrooms. Also, the PAC seemed to have made the teachers more skeptical of the notion that science is the only way of knowing or interpreting experience, or that IKS were based on superstitious beliefs. All the teachers recommended the need to include the PAC or similar courses in science teacher education programmes.

An analysis of science education in Botswana shows that although Botswana has an advantage over other African nations in having a strong economy, science education is crippled due to various drawbacks of the education system, teachers' training, science teaching and learning conditions and the school science curriculum. Botswana has adopted the Scottish integrated science course and this change has been beneficial especially in gaining of experience in curriculum development. However, the limited access to higher education has hampered employment opportunities of many teen-agers.

Identified and described (using a slight modification of Flander's interaction analysis categories) the nature of biology, chemistry, and physics teachers' verbal behaviors exhibited during science instruction. Results indicate that verbal behaviors are dominated by teachers in the study (N=24), with students remaining mostly passive. (JN)

Determined if a relationship exists between direct and indirect verbal influences of the teacher and (1) students' achievement in biology and (2) students' level of class participation. Results show that students in an indirect group achieved better and participated more in class activities than students in a direct group. (JN)

Provides a brief analysis of the nature of science teaching and curriculum development in science in Africa during the past two decades. Also suggests possible future directions. Included is a table listing several African curriculum projects with related general principles fostered and materials used. (JN)

Examines the nature of selected traditional cosmological concepts among literate and nonliterate Nigerians. Findings indicate that the respondents, regardless of their status, hold both scientific and traditional notions of the universe. A preference for a scientific world view was evidenced by those who experienced a history/philosophy of science course. (ML)

Examines scientific and traditional African views of the universe. Describes possible interactions between the two systems of thought. Proposes a rational model of instruction for harmonizing the two views. (YP)

An instrument was developed to measure conceptions of the language of science held by prospective Nigerian science teachers (N=106) relative to conceptions held by seven selected science philosophers (Carnap, Frank, Hempel, Kemeny, Nagel, Nash, and Popper). Subjects did not endorse the language of science associated with a particular philosopher. (Author/JN)

Student teachers exposed to combined course on science history/philosophy showed increased understanding of the nature and language of science as result of the course. Indicates that such a course could enhance prospective science teachers' understanding of science and consequently the students they will teach after training. (Author/JN)

The Science and Indigenous Knowledge Systems Project (SIKSP), located at an African university, has since its inception in 2004 been training pre-service and practising teachers on how to implement an inclusive indigenous knowledge (IK) curriculum which calls on teachers to integrate IK with science in their classrooms. This article, based on interviews, presents some of the participants' reflections, voices, sentiments and feelings about the SIKSP. The findings showed that the project helped to raise the participants' awareness about IK, and its relevance to contemporary life. The findings foresaw some of the challenges involved in the implementation of the new science curriculum in terms of: the multiple representations of IK; the potential conflict that might arise at the intersection of science and IK; the complexity of a multicultural classroom; teachers' willingness and/or ability to adopt a new role in the classroom other than the status quo; and the paucity of instructional strategies compatible with the goals of the new science curriculum. Regardless of all these factors, participants felt emancipated to teach IK and they expressed the need for administrative support and follow-up workshops. They also suggested that in order to make a difference in the country the project should be expanded to other schools and provinces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mandate of the new South African curriculum for educators to enact a science-indigenous knowledge curriculum in their classrooms is not only challenging to their cosmological beliefs, it is equally challenging to their instructional practices. This is because science educators (teachers) in South Africa have been schooled largely in western science and lack the necessary knowledge or skills on how to achieve such a goal. In response to these challenges nine experienced educators were exposed to an activity-based Dialogical Argumentation Instruction (DAI) for a period of 12 months. The DAI served as an exemplary instructional model for the educators to use in their classrooms. A questionnaire and an interview were then used to determine the effects of DAI on the educators' cosmological beliefs about certain natural phenomena. Although DAI seemed to have influenced the educators' worldviews in a variety of ways, their overall cosmology remained essentially amalgamated with their religious beliefs dominating. The implications of the findings for instructional practice are highlighted in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the World Conference on Higher Education organized by UNESCO in 1998, higher educational institutions around the world have been called upon to produce educators (teachers) who are able to motivate their learners to: (1) develop an awareness about, and a valid understanding of the Nature of Science (NOS); and (2) relate such knowledge to the worldviews prevalent in their communities. In the pursuance of that aim and in response to the emergence of multicultural classrooms in many parts of the world, new curricula have been developed to make school experience more relevant to learners' home experiences. A common feature of these curricula particularly in the non-western developed and developing worlds has been the bold attempts that have been made to reflect some elements of indigenous knowledge in science classrooms. This article explores briefly such attempts in Japan and South Africa and highlights the prospects and challenges of implementing an indigenized science curriculum in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of globalization resulting from Scientific and Technological (S & T) activities during the last half of the twentieth century has motivated most countries to emphasize the teaching of science right from the primary school level. In the pursuit of this goal, increased pressure has been put upon higher education to train science teachers who are capable of equipping their learners with necessary understanding of the Nature of Science (NOS). However, research has shown that most science teachers hold and convey invalid notions of the NOS to their learners (McComas 2000). The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a university NOS Course (NOSC) in enhancing science teachers' understanding of the NOS and instructional practices. The findings showed that that the teachers who undertook the course were more inclined to present in their classrooms a science that is dynamic, tentative, revisionary and falsifiable rather than one that is infallible or indubitable (e.g. see Schwab 1962; Popper 1968). They also claimed that the NOSC enhanced their instructional practices, though this awaits empirical confirmation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the creation of cosmological ideas among Nigerians whether literate or nonliterate. The study showed that Nigerians in some extent adopted the traditional cosmological ideas and other concepts of science regardless of their educational attainments, class, sex, age, religion, tribe and locality. However, the extent to which they were expose to historical events and scientific concepts enabled them to adopt more on the scientific concepts than the traditional concepts. Further studies were recommended by the study especially to those populations located in the traditional societies wherein traditional concepts are greater.

The article presents a study on the involvement of prospective science teachers on the language of science associated with any philosopher of science to the exclusion of others. The teachers preferences seems to have the related degree to that of Hempel. However, in some measures, both prospective science teachers and science majors subscribed to an inducive notion of science, the former leaned more towards the acceptable deductive notion of the nature of science after offering a science methods course illustrating that logic. Moreover, the purpose of this study was to determine the conceptions of the language of science held by prospective teachers relative to conceptions held by seven selected philosophers of science.

The article highlights the different aspects of science education in Africa in the past two decades. It aims to provide a brief analysis of the nature of science teaching and curriculum development in science in Africa during the past two decades as well as suggests possible future directions. The areas of interest have been a review of the history, problems, and prospects of science education in the context of a continent undergoing sociopolitical upheavals as well as transition from an agrarian to an industrial economy.

The article studies the effects of teacher's verbal exposition on student's level of class participation and achievement in biology. The problem to which this study has been addressed is the investigation into the possible relationships between direct and indirect teacher influences and cognitive achievement and level of class participation of students in biology. The challenge facing all science teachers is the organization of instruction in such a way as to facilitate learning for the majority of students. The teachers tends to utilize more of the former mode especially when two factors are present, limited facilities and large classes.

The article presents a study on the nature of verbal behaviors in science lessons in Nigeria. The study used slight modification of Flanders' Interaction Analysis Categories and disregarded teachers' sex, age, adequacy of learning, materials and aids, and length of teaching experience. The research found that science instructors involved in the study spent large amount of time on verbal instruction, keeping students in passive condition. The research worker implied that traditional teaching could not evoke students' cognitive thoughts. The researcher challenged science educators to formulate teaching strategies beneficial for the improvement of science lessons.

Student teachers exposed to a combined course on the history and philosophy of science showed increased understanding of the nature and the language of science as a result of the course. The student teachers performed better on a model on the language of science (LOS) than another model on the nature of science (NOS). This study indicates that a well integrated course in the history and philosophy of science could enhance prospective science teachers' understanding of science and consequently the students they would teach after their training. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper the argument is advanced that, despite the differences between the scientific and the traditional ways of viewing nature, the two systems of thought are not incompatible. This position is reached from a review of the literature and on the basis of personal findings in the area. It is hoped that the article will clarify certain areas of ambiguities and serve as a stimulus for further debate. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]