Exploring teachers’ understanding of outcomes-based forms of pedagogy used in the foundation phase.

Abstract

The South African schooling system emphasizes the foundation phase, from grade R to grade 3, as it introduces learners to formal learning and develops writing, communication, and critical thinking skills. However, teachers in this phase often lack understanding of Outcomes-Based Forms of Pedagogy (OBFP), making it difficult for learners to acquire necessary skills. The introduction of new curriculums has negatively impacted teachers, as they are unsure how to implement them, influenced by their content knowledge, experience, and the lack of preparation and resources. Therefore, this dissertation presents the qualitative case study of nine foundation phase teachers from a single school in a semi- rural area of KwaNyuswa. This study was conducted with the main purpose of exploring teachers understanding of outcomes-based forms of pedagogy used in the foundation phase. The study utilised the qualitative case-study design and the interpretivist paradigm. Data were generated through the use of document anaylsis, classroom observation and one-on-one semistructured interviews. The three research methods were used in order to ensure the process of triangulation during the exploration of teachers’ understanding of OBFP. The purposive sampling was used to select the foundation phase teachers to be part of this study. The research questions played an important role in guiding the study to review the relevant literature on teachers’ understanding of OBFP. This study used Cultural Historical Activity Theory as a theoretical analysis. In order to ensure trustworthiness in the study dependability, confirmability, credibility, and transferability were implemented in this study. Further to this, ethical issues were also considered such as consent letters, anonymity and withdrawals The findings revealed that teachers’ pedagogical knowledge in terms of Outcome-Based Forms of Pedagogy however they lack practical knowledge or implementing OBFP in the classroom. There is a gap between teachers’ understanding of OBFP (theory) and implementing OBFP (practical) in the classroom. As a result, teachers are not aware of strategies of implementing and using Curriculum differentiation in order to accommodate learners’ differences. The findings revealed that teachers had a limited understanding of what Outcomes-Based Forms of Pedagogy meant however, teachers tried to properly implement it with some challenges with the purpose of accommodating all the learners needs and abilities in the foundation phase. The study further highlighted the influence of teachers’ experiences on teaching and learning and learner performance as a result thereof. In this study, I argue that there are various contributing factors that influence teachers’ understanding of OBFP namely; teaching, learning, and teaching practices as well as ever-changing educational policies. I am of the opinion that these should be addressed in order to improve teachers’ understanding of OBFP.