Educators’ reflections on their practices of Agricultural Sciences curriculum and Assessment Policy statement.
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Date
2016
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Abstract
The aim of this action research was to explore the reflections of four educators on their practices of Agricultural Sciences Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in rural schools of KwaZulu-Natal. The research also meant to answer the following research questions: the first question was framed to discover what educators’ reflected on their implementation of Agricultural Sciences CAPS; the second research question was based on what enlightens educators’ reflections to be the way they are about execution of their duties; and the last quested intended to discover what lessons could be learned from the educators’ reflections on their teaching practices. Data were generated through a reflective activity, oneon-one semi-structured interviews, and a focus group discussion. Purposive and convenience samplings were utilised in grouping the educators for easy accessibility. Data were analysed using guided analysis. Literature proposed psyche, pragmatic and performance as archetypes of reflection, and findings from this study indicated that educators were mostly influenced by personal and societal rationale in teaching Agricultural Sciences CAPS. Findings of the study also revealed that educators are not aware of all the factors that underpin their teaching practices, and unequal acknowledgement of the curricular archetypes may result in disparities between intended, implemented and attained curriculum. According to the findings, the subject aims emphasise practical skills but the actual content is theoretical due to a lack of resources. Remoteness and accessibility according to the findings hinder efficient and effective implementation of the intended curriculum. However, educators improved their teaching after reflecting on their practices. It is recommended that educators should reflect on their practices and understand all theories that underpin their teaching practices in order for them to attain better outcome and attain curriculum goals. Lastly, educators should be involved in the reviewing of CAPS because they are the primary implementers of any curriculum.
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Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.