Some Developments in Research in Science and Mathematics in Sub-Saharan Africa:
Access, Relevance, Learning, Curriculum Research
Lorna Holtman, Cyril Julie, Øyvind Mikalsen, David Mtetwa and Meshach Ogunniyi (eds)
Pages: 416
ISBN: 978-1-920299-29-3
Dimensions: 240 x 160 mm
R130.00
About this publication
Much attention in late-developing countries is given to providing access to studies which allow school leavers to enter science and technology-related careers. These programmes are driven by the belief that graduates will then substantially contribute to the developmental needs of their countries.
But is providing access to institutions enough? Students in developing countries often come from school environments lacking in resources – human, physical and financial. This book, in a number of chapters, reviews research related to the crucial dimension of epistemological access to the disciplines of import, which students need as much as institutional access in order to improve their chances of success.
A significant feature of this collection’s research studies is that their empirical bases are highly localised, covering areas such as: research methods; access; curriculum, instruction and assessment; and the relevance of science and mathematics education in Zimbabwe, Uganda, Swaziland, South Africa, Namibia, Malawi, Ghana and Lesotho.
This volume provides invaluable insights and will be of relevance to researchers, policy makers and lecturers interested in these research outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is the outcome of a doctoral research capacity-development project, the Graduate Studies in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education (GRASSMATE).
CONTENTS
Foreword by Oyvind Mikalsen and Cyril Julie
Introduction by Cyril Julie and Lorna Holtman
THEME: RESEARCH
1. Developing a Research Instrument for Learner-Centred Classroom Observations: A Namibian Experience
2. Introducing New Content into a School Mathematics Curriculum: The Case of Cryptology
3. Analysing Learners’ Written Work for Open Mathematical Tasks
THEME: ACCESS
4. Epistemological Obstacles in Understanding the Limit of a Sequence: A Case of Undergraduate Students at the National University of Lesotho
5. Foundational Provisions in the UWC Science Faculty: Widening Access and Promoting Success
6. Prospective A-Level Mathematics Teachers’ Perspectives of the Concept of a Function
7. Promoting the Learning of Mathematics: On the Use of Learning Styles in a Distance Education Calculus Course
THEME: CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT
8. Performance Assessment in Science: Some Experiences of Teachers and Students in Swaziland
9. Localising the Junior Secondary Science Curriculum in Lesotho: An Attempt at Integrating Technology and Science
10. Practice-Related Underachievement in Science Education: The Case of Malawi
11. The Rationale for Science Education, Curriculum Change and Reform in sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Zimbabwe
12. Co-presentations of Science and Indigenous Cosmologies: A Challenge for Lesotho Science Educators
13. Knowledge and Process Skills Used by South African and Norwegian Students to Perform Cognitive Tasks on Gases
14. Mathematics Teacher Practices in Ugandan Secondary Schools
15. The Participation and Contribution of Teachers in Zimbabwe Towards Their Own Professional Development
THEME: RELEVANCE OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
16. What Kinds of Science and Technology Do Pupils in Ghanaian Junior Secondary Schools Want to Learn About?
17. What are the interests of Zimbabwean secondary school children in school science?
18. The Relevance of School Mathematics Education (ROSME)
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