Psicoterapia en los templos de Apolo y Asclepio

The aim of South Africa’s education system is to equip the younger generation with the necessary knowledge, problem solving skills and values to cope with increasing technological advancements in our daily lives (Department of Basic Education, 2012a). This research study investigated the knowledge and attitudes that grade 9 learners have towards biotechnology. Grade 9 learners were chosen for this study as it is the first time they are introduced to the concept of biotechnology. Therefore, this study attempted to find out the pre-existing ideas that grade 9 learners have about biotechnology.

The research method I adopted was a survey. A survey is a type of research design that gathers data at a particular point in time with the intention of describing, identifying and comparing the attitudes, behaviours and characteristics of a population (Cresswell, 2007; Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2007). As stated by Cresswell (2012), surveys help identify

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important beliefs and attitudes of individuals within a population. In terms of this study a survey was adopted as it included the grade 9 population of two schools describing and comparing their understanding, knowledge and attitudes towards biotechnology. There are several characteristics of a survey study, one of which being the ability to gather data in a short space of time and hence it is economical and efficient. It also enables the researcher to present numerical data and material which is uncluttered by specific contextual factors (Cohen et al., 2007). Surveys represent a wide target population and therefore there is a need for sampling. In this study a sample of 25 learners from each school was chosen out of a total target population of 360 learners combined, thus the study was undertaken on a small scale basis and the generalizability is slight (Cohen et al., 2007). Two schools in the Gauteng province were chosen for the investigation. The two schools were representations of different contextual situations, one of which is situated in a suburban area of Midrand while the other is situated in a nearby township area of Tembisa. The context as well as the environment, plays a very important role in the manner in which a learner constructs his or her knowledge. The availability of resources, up to date and current technology also influence understanding and learning. The reason for choosing two different contexts was to make comparison with respect to the responses provided by the learners.

3.2.1 Qualitative study Approach

Merriam (2009) claims that qualitative researchers are interested in understanding the meaning people have constructed, that is, how people make sense of their world and the experience they have in the world. According to Denzin & Lincoln (2005), qualitative research is a situated activity that locates the observer in the world. It consists of a set of interpretive, material practices that make the world visible. These practices transform the world. They turn the world into a series of representations, including field notes, interviews, conversations, photographs, recordings, and memos to the self. At this level, qualitative research involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to the world. This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or to interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005). The questionnaire was the only instrument that I used to obtain data. The questionnaire was designed such that it enabled the researcher to collect both qualitative and

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quantitative data. The question then raised was “Could this possibly be a mixed methods research or is it essentially a qualitative study?”

Denscombe (2007), states that a mixed methods research refers to the combination of alternative approaches within a single research project. Both Johnson & Onwuegbuzie (2004) and Denscombe (2007) make reference to a researcher using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods of obtaining data. A combination of both qualitative and quantitative approaches provides more comprehensive evidence and a better understanding of research problems than either approach alone. Since the only tool used to collect data was the questionnaire, it is safe to say that it is not a mixed methods research as the questionnaire had requested more knowledge based responses which required interpretation rather that quantitative analysis. Qualitative research is interpretive, focusing on gaining meaning, understanding and building concepts and theories (Miles and Hubeman, 1994). With respect to this research, participants are required to express their ideas about biotechnology by providing reasons to questions when the learner was asked to do so. The reasoning aspect enabled me to gain an insight into whether or not the participant accepts practices in biotechnology.

However this research study does have a component of quantitative data. In contrast to qualitative data, it is argued that quantitative research is weak in understanding the context or setting in which people may interact and the voices of the participants are not directly heard (Cresswell, 2007). In quantitative research alone the researcher seldom discusses his or her personal interpretation and bias. Thus incorporating qualitative research eliminates this weakness. The goal of quantitative methods is to determine whether the predictive generalizations of a theory hold true. In terms of this study the questionnaire has questions which provide numerical data that enabled the researcher to analyse and make comparisons and identify trends in relation to other previous studies and between the two schools and their contextual situations.

Therefore, this study is essentially a qualitative study as the learners were asked to provide information about their knowledge and understanding of biotechnology by responding to the questions given. The interpretations of their responses provide evidence about learners’ knowledge of biotechnology in different contexts.

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