5.7.1. Life Sciences
Forty questionnaires were distributed to LS learners in the four schools under study. Due to time constraints (as learners were fed lunch during break time), it became difficult for the researcher to administer questionnaires, therefore, these were given to educators to administer during their lessons. Ten learners per subject in each school were requested to respond. Coding was done after the questionnaires were collected from the schools. In school A the respondents were coded E1 to E7; in school B they were named H1 to H9; in school C they were named K1 to K9 and in school D they were named N1 to N9. In LS, thirty-four responses were collected from the four schools, that is, nine respondents from each of the three schools B, C and D. In school A, only seven responses were collected. Data generated through these questionnaires was collated and reported in two categories, namely, the reasons for choosing LS and being a LS learner. The same pattern was followed for BS and EGD, as detailed in Table 1.
Reasons for choosing LS
Out of the thirty-four learners who responded, thirty-three chose LS because they wanted to know how their bodies functioned and they wanted to learn more about nature and human sciences. One learner (H7) said educators chose it for him because he was very good at memorizing notes and sketches. Ten learners (H3, H5, H9, K4, K6; K7, K9, N3, N4 and N7) chose the subject for academic purposes such as furthering their studies in the health sciences field at university. One learner (H3) said he chose LS because he wanted to be a journalist. The other twenty-two learners did not give any particular reasons for doing LS.
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Being a LS learner
Twenty out of thirty-four LS learners viewed it as a difficult subject, mainly because of its unique terminology. Learners H6, H8, K4 and K5 used the term ‘bombastic words’ to describe how difficult the subject was to understand. The other fourteen learners viewed LS as a challenging subject, but not that difficult. Thirty learners (E1 to E3; H1 to H9; K1 to K9; and N1 to N9) said they were able to study the subject only because it was interesting and they therefore loved it. All learners concluded that in order to do well in this subject they needed more time to study and work hard. All LS learners from schools B and C classified LS as a unique subject where learners were not allowed to use general knowledge when answering questions. They said LS was science, thus it was different from other subjects. Five learners (E1 to E5) said LS was similar to geography in certain topics. These five learners thought that knowledge from geography could be used when answering LS questions. They further argued that even knowledge from home could be used when answering questions in a test about their bodies.
Learners’ responses varied regarding their knowledge of topics to be learnt beforehand. Twenty- four learners (E1 to E7; H1 to H9; N1 to N8) said they did not know anything prior to the lessons and only heard of topics as they were taught them. Seven learners (E1 to E7) said they expected certain topics to take longer to finish, but that was not the case. These learners complained that the educator gave them topics they did not know. Five learners (E1 to E5) said they did not know the topics because it was their first year in LS and they were doing different topics each time. Nine learners (K1 to K9) said they knew the topics beforehand, because their teacher had given them the whole syllabus at the beginning of the year and they knew all the topics for each term. Two learners (N8 and N9) said they knew the topics because they were repeating the grade and they claimed to have good memories or recall.
Regarding assessments, sixteen learners (E1 to E7; N1 to N9) knew what to expect in a test because their educators gave them a list of the content to be assessed. Learners N1 to N7 said they were taught what they were going to write in a test. This meant that some educators told them what to study for the test and educator A1 taught them what they were going to write in the test. Eighteen learners (H1 to H9 and K1 to K9), who were not told by their educators, knew because they were
116 tested regularly and each test was based on the work covered during the previous three weeks. These learners were looking at the patterns of assessment.
Nine learners (N1 to N9) said that in order to excel in a test one needed to love the subject. Eighteen learners (H1 to H9 and K1 to K9) said it was important to read daily and with understanding and seven learners (N1 to N7) thought that one must be a good listener with a long concentration span. After their assessment, two learners (H4 and H7) said they did not know why they scored the marks they got and simply rated LS as very difficult. The remaining thirty-two learners gave a variety of reasons for the scores they got. These ranged from listening attentively in class (E1 to E7; H1,2,3,5,6,8 to H9); studying very hard and attending extra lessons (N1 to N9); watching learning channels; and understanding what has been taught (K1 to K9). The fifteen learners (E4 to E7; H5 to H6; K4 to K6; and N6 to N8) who failed their tests gave the reason as not learning enough, even though they knew what to learn for the test. Two learners (H5 and H6) that failed promised to perform better next time, because they believed that they had potential to excel, but needed to work very hard.
5.7.2. Business Studies
Forty questionnaires were distributed to learners of Business Studies and all of them were returned. Learners were coded as per Table 1 above. Data generated through these questionnaires was also collated and reported in two categories, as explained in the section on LS above.
Reasons for choosing BS
The majority of BS learners (learners F1 to F10; L1 to L10; and O1 to O10) chose this subject because they wanted to become business people and be self-employed and to create employment opportunities for others. Out of the ten learners remaining, five (learners I1,3,4 and 6 to I7) chose BS because they believed that after passing grade 12 they would get a job, as they already knew the roles and responsibilities of employees. The remaining five learners (learners I2, 5, and 8 to I10) chose BS because they planned future studies and careers in the business sector.
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Being a BS learner
All forty BS learners did not see their subject as difficult, because it was similar to other subjects, especially accounting and economics, and was also similar to their daily lives. They therefore believed that they could use knowledge from other subjects or general knowledge to answer questions in BS tests or during class.
Thirty learners (F1 to F10; I1 to I10; L7 to L10; and O1 to O6) said they knew the topics that they were going to learn beforehand, because they were given notes. Six learners (L1 to L3) knew the topics because their older siblings were doing BS in other grades and three of them (L4 to L6) were themselves repeating the grade. These learners said they used a textbook because it better explained information. The remaining four learners (O7 to O10) said they did not know the topics because they were busy with assessment tasks and had heard about the topics in class for the first time. Three of these four learners (O8 to O10) said they did not even know that those topics were part of their subject, because they were doing BS for the first time.
When it came to testing, thirty-seven learners said they knew what to expect in a test, because they were only tested on what they had been taught and their educators told them what to expect in a test. Three learners (O8 to O10) said they did not know what to expect because they sometimes studied one area and another came up in the test. They complained that even when a test was based on a particular module, it was difficult for them to know what to expect because modules consist of many topics. Four learners (F1 to F4) complained that some questions were not straightforward and their class was always a topic ahead of other classes.
Almost all BS learners (38 learners F1 to F10; I1 to I10; L1 to L10; and O1 to O8) viewed their subject as easy, mainly because they claimed that it required general knowledge most of the time. Learners commented further that their educators gave them notes which were clearly explained in class, therefore, it was very easy to score high marks if you read your notes well. Another reason for BS being perceived as easy was its similarity to other subjects. Two learners (O9 to O10) claimed that in BS they learnt about things they already knew, except that they were often not aware that those topics were part of the subject.
118 All learners thought that to do well in BS one needed to be business minded, creative and love the subject. Thirty-eight learners (F1 to F10; I1 to I10; L1 to L8; and O1 to O10) knew why they scored the marks they did for their last test. Out of the thirty-eight, eighteen learners (learners F1 to F10 and O1 to O8) did not do well, their reasons ranging from not reading their notes, misunderstanding questions, to not knowing the facts that were required by some questions. Fifteen (F 4 to F10; I7 to I9; and L1 to L2) learners who scored high marks credited their success to their hard work in reading the notes and answering all the questions. The last two learners (L9 to L10) said BS was too difficult for them.
5.7.3. Engineering Graphics and Design
Forty questionnaires were distributed to EGD learners. Thirty-eight responses were collected (G1 to G10; J1 to J8; M1 to M10; and P1 to P10). Data generated from these questionnaires was reported in two categories, as explained above.
Reasons for choosing EGD
Fifteen learners (G7 to G9; M1 to M10; and P3 to P4) chose EGD because they were interested in technical careers such as artisans, civil engineers, architects or mechanical engineers; thus EGD was a pre-requisite for their future career. Twenty learners (M1 to M10 and P1 to P10) believed that EGD could open more doors for them even if they were unable to further their studies at university. Those twenty learners hoped that after finishing grade 12 they could learn skills at an FET college and thereafter be employable as builders or designers of houses. Three learners (M4 to M6) loved drawing and were happy to do what they liked and then be rewarded with marks at the end of the year.
Being an EGD learner
All thirty-eight EGD learners saw their subject as unique because it mainly dealt with drawing. Unlike other subjects, in EGD they used special instruments when doing their class activities, tests and examinations. Twenty learners (M1 to M10 and P1 to P10) felt that their subject was time consuming because of the drawing and erasing they had to do when given a task or class activity.
119 Ten learners (M1 to M10) thought that there were some similarities between EGD, mathematics and physical sciences, due to the accuracy and calculations that were required in these subjects.
When responding to the question regarding the use of general knowledge to answer questions in class or in a test, all thirty-eight learners felt that they could not use general knowledge. Their subject required them to follow the rules and use EGD terminology all the time. Additionally, they needed to use specialized instruments to draw correctly, not just any pencil or ruler.
Learners were asked if they knew what to expect in a test or examination. Twenty-eight learners (J1 to J8; M1 to M10; and P1 to P10) said they did, because their educators told them beforehand. Ten learners (G1 to G10) said they did not always know what to expect in a test because sometimes they were tested on things they had never learnt; at other times they were taught things that were never tested. Unfortunately, all thirty-eight learners did not know what to expect during their daily lessons, because work schedules were not made available to them. Nor, did learners know what they were supposed to learn each term.
Of the thirty-eight learners (G6 to G10), seven viewed EGD as a difficult subject and said that for anyone to excel, he/she should be good at line work. One also needed to be a good listener, a hard worker, neat, accurate and a good time manager. Being good at mathematics was viewed as an added advantage. Three learners (M4 to M6) viewed EGD as an easy subject because they love drawing.
When learners were asked whether they knew why they scored the marks they did for their assessment task, all thirty-eight learners attributed their success or failure to their hard work or lack thereof. None of them mentioned anything about the feedback that is supposed to be given after each assessment task to ensure that they are made aware of what is expected and so, correct any thinking errors.
120 5.8. CONCLUSION
All twelve educators and three subject advisors did not know the reasons for the curriculum change from the NCS to CAPS. They all speculated, which might mean that these changes were not communicated well to those (educators) who were expected to implement it. Learners were also not informed about their work schedule and therefore would not be able to tell whether they were learning the correct subject content for their grade. In light of this, the quality of communication within the DBE institutions needs to be revisited to ensure that all the stakeholders receive relevant information in good time.
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CHAPTER SIX
INTERPRETATION OF DATA
6.1. INTRODUCTION
This section consists of the analysis and interpretation of the data generated from the NCS and CAPS document analysis, lesson observations, interviews and questionnaires. Both the CAPS and NCS curriculum documents for the three subjects under study were compared and analysed before data was collected, as explained in Chapter Four. Framing was the main concept used for comparison. All statements in the documents that reflected framing were coded as either weak or strong (with F– for weak framing and F+ to indicate strong framing). Lesson observations were guided by a schedule that embraced the objectives of the research questions; these were mainly classificatory relationships. Twelve educators and three subject advisors were interviewed. One hundred and twenty learners (ten learners per subject from each of the four schools) were requested to respond to the questionnaires. These learners were randomly selected, as detailed in Chapter Four. Questionnaires were mainly used to gather information regarding learners’ recognition rules and evaluation rules, as explained in Chapter Two. They were also used for triangulation purposes (see section 1.6 in Chapter One) for the data collected through interviews from educators and subject advisors. All the research instruments are attached as appendices.