Se aplicará centrada una banda de papel siliconado de 2,5cm de ancho, encima

School Buildings in General: The general condition of all the research schools was not

conducive to teaching and learning. The buildings were dilapidated. These had a negative impact on the learning climate at the schools. The learning climate is hereby defined as the ethos of expectations and perceptions of educators, learners, parents about self, learner achievement, organizational rules and policies and the facilities themselves.

The observations cited above had amply confirmed the fact that the conditions in the research schools do reduce the effectiveness of the educators and subsequently have a negative influence upon the ability of the learners to learn, especially a sophisticated subject like Science. They corroborate the views advocated by Macworth (2001:150); McConnell and Yaglou (2000:76); and Osborne (2005:133).

Number of Learners in Class: Some classrooms in the research schools were overcrowded

and there was virtually no space for the educator to move around the learners’ desks. This affected the arrangement of the classrooms as per the Revised National Curriculum Statement for Grade R-9. The situation was exacerbated by the fact that the classroom climate by itself demanded of the learner to develop a deep sense of self-confidence, a characteristic which proved difficult to develop because learners were treated as numbers. The researcher observed that overcrowding resulted in a high rate of absenteeism among educators and learners. On the other hand educators also reported that overcrowding resulted in stressful and unpleasant working conditions. This confirmed what research (HSRC, 2002:56; Lewin, 2000:29; Sunday

World, 13 April 2003) had revealed; that overcrowding causes a variety of problems such as

learners not scoring as high on achievement tests as they normally would (see Chapter 1, paragraph 1.2).

Resources for Learners: The availability and retention of learning support materials is a vital

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shortage of resources. Learning materials such as textbooks and pens were in short supply. The research schools ran short of basic educational amenities like tables, chairs and other learner resource materials. Even though Ralenala (2003:128) asserts that in an interview with the Director General of the National Department of Education in the year 2002 “it became clear that the reason for this severe shortage is not so much that the Department of Education is not supplying the necessary learning support materials but that learners abuse them, lose them, and fail to return them at the end of the academic year”, the researcher would posit that from his observation, the supply had never been enough. Thus, the above assertion, notwithstanding, the researcher would still maintain that the non-availability of resources is a serious issue and could result in a topic being avoided; it could determine how a topic is taught and also determine the actual activities the learners engage in (Goodrum et al, 2001:7).

It is noteworthy that concerning the use of Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM) the researcher observed that most of the educators consulted their textbooks on a regular basis during lessons. Although these educators did not read all the text from the textbooks, it seemed that they did not have the confidence to desert the textbook at all. Most of the educators did not use any other learning support material. It was also evident to the researcher that textbooks were limited in supply in most of the ESL classes. The learners had to share textbooks – in some cases up to four learners shared one textbook. The only books that all the learners had in their possession were writing books for classwork and tests.

If one takes seriously the observation that in the research area, the availability of textbooks is associated with learner performance and pass rate, then lack of learning materials in schools clearly points to them not performing well in their studies. It is disheartening to note that most rural schools are plagued by extreme poverty and are therefore unlikely to have extra funds for buildings and resources (Jennings & Everett, 2000:83). The textbook that was available in most classrooms observed is called Spot on Natural Sciences by Maureen Vermaak and Belinda Soopramoney, published by Heinemann in 2006. Most of the educators felt it was one of the best textbooks for learners to use in their learning of Science.

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Further, the researcher observed that in all the research schools, there were no laboratory facilities. Everything was learnt theoretically. When one considers that in order for learners to learn Science with understanding it is essential that they should get the necessary experience and exposure by working and functioning in the laboratory with equipment and materials as scientists would in real life, one cannot help but sympathize with the research subjects of this study. Thus, the research subjects lacked the necessary laboratory experiences which promote central Science education goals including: understanding of scientific concepts, the development of scientific practical skills and problem-solving abilities, and interest and motivation. As a result, the research subjects would be limited in their intellectual development as well as the development of observational and manipulative skills.

Finally, all the research schools had no libraries. What was observed was that in all but one, a classroom which had been converted as a storeroom also contained piles and piles of books. This (shortage of libraries) inevitably put educators in an unenviable position where they faced a near-impossible task of creating and promoting a reading culture among their learners without the very basic facility (i.e. a library). Quite understandably the use of English as a language of learning and teaching in such an environment cannot but be poor. One can always conclude that the learning of a complex subject like Science, with its specialised vocabulary, will suffer if a basic resource like a library is missing. The situation was made worse by the finding that learners who attended at the research schools came from homes that were similarly disadvantaged.