scholarly journals EARLY PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS ABOUT SCIENCE AND SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS: A CASE STUDY IN SOUTH AFRICA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monde Kazeni ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Science Education ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Process Skills ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Science Process Skills ◽  
Limited Knowledge ◽  
Early Primary

Early primary school (grades R to 3) science education has been in the spotlight in recent years, as science education scholars are increasingly acknowledging the need to provide a strong foundation in science education, to motivate learners to study the subject in subsequent years. Literature suggests that most early primary school teachers lack the basic knowledge required to introduce young learners to science, and to motivate them in the study of science. Primary school teachers’ limited knowledge of science and its processes could affect how they introduce and develop science concepts in early primary school learners. In the South African context, there is limited literature on early primary school teachers’ knowledge of science and its processes, as well as on teachers’ attitudes towards the teaching of science to early primary school learners. The purpose of the study was to investigate early primary school teachers’ knowledge of the concepts of science and science process skills, and to determine their perceptions regarding the teaching of science in early primary school. The study involved four purposively selected early primary school teachers, in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews, and the findings showed that the participating teachers had limited knowledge of the concepts of science and science process skills, and that they mostly had negative perceptions about the teaching of science in early primary school. These findings have implications on the training of early primary school teachers.

scholarly journals Are pre-service Primary School teachers prepared to teach science by inquiry?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Tuzon ◽  
Javier Montero-Pau ◽  
Sandra P. Tierno
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Teachers ◽  
Teaching Methodology ◽  
Process Skills ◽  
Learning Sequence ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Science Process Skills ◽  
Scientific Skills

Inquiry-based science education (IBSE) focuses on the development of science process skills. This teaching methodology has been shown to be especially effective during Primary School as it allows children to explore and confront their own ideas about Nature. Also, a methodology based on process skills is coherent with the main purpose of this educational stage where children need to learn to do things. In order to implement a methodology based on science process skills Primary teachers need to know to use science process skills, and how to teach them. In this paper we address if Spanish pre-service teachers are able to implement IBSE. We focus on pre-service Primary School teachers and compare our results with in-service teachers and a random sample of non-teachers. We explore their level of knowledge about science process skills and if pre-service teachers know how to develop an inquiry-based learning sequence. An overview of the situation of science education and teaching of scientific skills among the degrees on Primary Education in Spain is also presented. Our results show that pre-service teachers have a lack of knowledge on science process skills and fail when they attempting to build a learning sequence based on inquiry.

scholarly journals A snapshot of the use of reading methods in primary schools in three provinces of South Africa

Per Linguam ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-44
Author(s):  
Anna Johanna Hugo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Intermediate Phase ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Know How ◽  
Reading Methods ◽  
Teaching Of Reading

The teaching of reading is not as easy as it may seem. It requires specific knowledge and the use of reading methods by teachers. Learners’ reading needs and learning styles also have to be considered. According to the Progress in International Reading Literacy (PIRLS) results for 2016, the reading abilities of South African learners are far below the international standard as set out by PIRLS. There is a lack of research about the strategies and methods that primary school teachers use to teach reading. In this article, the feedback regarding reading methods – gathered from 36 primary school teachers in three provinces – is discussed. The data revealed that most of the Grade 1 to 7 teachers who participated in the research knew and used some of the six reading methods under discussion. However, the results did not indicate how well the teachers applied these methods and how versatile they were in using the different reading methods. The data revealed that Foundation phase teachers used some of the methods statistically significantly more often than the comparison group of Intermediate phase teachers in a nonexperimental static-group observational design study. According to Spaull (McBride 2019:1), a well-known researcher in South Africa, one of the three main reasons why Foundation phase readers are struggling with reading is that their teachers do not know how to teach reading systematically. Teachers do not know how to change and adapt the methods that they use to teach reading and not enough research has been done to address the problems with the teaching of reading in the classroom specifically. Often the reading problems experienced in the Foundation phase are carried over to the Intermediate phase.

scholarly journals Slovenian Primary School Teachers' Opinion on Interdisciplinary Approach Between Fine Art and Science Education

2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 435-443
Author(s):  
Robert Potočnik ◽  
Tanja Košir ◽  
Iztok Devetak
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Fine Art ◽  
Educational Goals ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Art And Science ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Teaching Content ◽  
Meaningful Connections

<p style="text-align: justify;">In this article we present research on Slovenian primary school teachers' opinion about the interdisciplinary approach between fine art and science education. With the help of questionnaires, interviews, and analysis of lesson plans, we determined how primary school teachers use this type of interdisciplinary approach, how often and what their views are. We included 138 primary school teachers from every region in Slovenia. It turned out that primary school teachers in Slovenia use an interdisciplinary approach between fine art and science teaching quite often and consider it useful to achieve different aspects of pupils' development. The study revealed that most teachers find it difficult to consider the educational goals of both fields (fine art, science). They often use the connection between the subjects only on an associative level - they only mention the teaching content of one subject quickly and carelessly, without making meaningful connections and without achieving the goals of both subjects. Content taught in this way cannot be considered a cross-curricular approach in the subject sense.</p>

scholarly journals An assessment of the reading motivation skills of Nigerian primary school teachers: Implications for language and science education

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Foluso Okebukola ◽  
Tunde Owolabi ◽  
Beatrice O.A. Onafowokan
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Primary School ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Reading Motivation ◽  
Reading Habits ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
News Reports ◽  
African Children ◽  
Good Reading

Recent studies and frequent news reports have expressed concerns about African children’s decreasing reading habits and dwindling achievement in language and primary science examinations. African children are not reading because they have reading difficulties or because they have no interest in books. This article focuses on the elementary schooling years, when the ability to read and comprehend and the love of reading are developed, using Nigeria as a case study. The article begins with a review of the literature on reading that underscores the importance of nurturing and supporting good reading habits amongst African children. Following a cursory exposition of the categories of schools in Nigeria and the place of reading and science in the National Policy on Education, the remainder of the article presents the findings of a study conducted to assess the reading motivation skills of primary school teachers and illustrates pedagogical ways of developing good reading habits amongst African children. Implications for language and science education are discussed.

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