Exploring science teachers' experiences of diversity in the multicultural science classroom.
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Date
2004
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Abstract
I have found that as a rule of thumb, when the majority of our learners in our science
classrooms respond to expectation under examination conditions, the teacher's focus is
on the minority who did not succeed. However, when only a minority of learners
respond expectedly, then I feel teaching approaches have to be seriously questioned. My
personal studies and readings in the education field, revealed a myriad of explanations
and approaches surrounding the above problem. Literature has revealed that our greatest
benefits can be achieved by successfully coping with the diversity of learners found in
our science classrooms.
There is no doubt that the problem is large, and thus a proper understanding of the
problem is paramount to its resolution. This is where my study focuses, a case study that
checks for gaps in science teachers' understanding of multicultural diversity in their
classrooms and the impact of such understanding on classroom practice. Approaching
the problem from an interpretive viewpoint within a social-constructive paradigm, the
issue of multicultural diversity, especially in the field of science, is a "relatively" new
concept in the South African context. Europeans and especially the Americans have at
least forty years of experience in this field, their economy, low unemployment and
advanced technology being a measure of their successes in multicultural science
classrooms. At a theoretical level much of the American experiences do have direct
relevance in our South African setting and is thus used throughout my study as a point of
reference.
The study used as its tools semi-structured interviews of 5 science teachers,
(respondents), observations of a single lesson of each of the respondents and analysis of
documents used in the observed lesson. The study was conducted in a middle to low
socio-economic suburban secondary school of Kwazulu-Natal where science teachers'
understandings of multicultural diversity was found to be somewhat traditional, simplistic
and parochial. The study further revealed how a poor understanding of the issues of
diversity amongst learners impacted on the teachers' abilities to successfully adapt the
science curriculum and their teaching approaches to meet the needs of their diverse
learners, and thus create equitable learning opportunities for all learners.
Recommendations proposed in this study stem from the fact that though the respondents
have some knowledge of the diversity in their science classrooms, their attempts to cope
with the diversity based on currently available guidelines, viz. OBE, C2005 and the
RNCS, still falls short of achieving equitable learning opportunities for all learners. Thus
the study recommends serious attention to issues of multicultural science education with
respect to language barriers and practice of appropriate teaching and learning methods. It
also recommends appropriately designed training for both pre and in-service teachers and
teacher educators. The study further recommends making science more meaningful by
localising the Eurocentric curriculum and lastly, diversifying our teaching force to better
reflect the increasingly diverse learner bodies.
Description
Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.
Keywords
Theses--Education., Education--Curricula--Cross-cultural studies., Multicultural education--Curricula., Science--Study and teaching (Secondary).