1. AN ANALYSIS OF THE COVERAGE, TEACHING AND EXAMINATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT TOPICS IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN FURTHER EDUCATION TRAINING PHASE.
SIKHULILE B. MSEZANE
PhD candidate, UNISA, Department of
Science & Technology Education

2. SCOPE OF THE PRESENTATION
awelani
SCOPE OF THE PRESENTATION
Aim of the study
Background
Methodology
Results of the study
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3. AIM
To analyse the coverage of environmental impact topics in the curriculum on aspects such as content, teaching and examination;
To explore whether, due to curriculum changes, there is disparity between content coverage and actual examination in the school exit level
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4. RESEARCH SETTING South Africa Mpumalanga Districts Schools (Teachers)
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5. BACKGROUND 1
The education sector has experienced several shifts in the curriculum since 1994, which might affect the coverage, teaching and examination of environmental impact topics.
Fundisa for Change Programme (2013) highlights that many national curricula around the world such as South Africa’s new Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) have ‘environment and sustainability’ content.
However, teaching about the environment can be challenging as the issues are complex and much environmental information is new to teachers
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6. BACKGROUND 2
It is important that environmental impact topics be sufficiently covered in the examinations to ensure that values of sustainable development are encouraged.
As nature being seen as a provider of natural resources, aspects of the natural environment that are critical to satisfying human needs and wants without being depleted it is important to ensure that environmental topics are sufficiently covered in the curriculum (Hill, Alan & Woodland 2006).
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7. BACKGROUND 3
Coverage of environmental topics in the curriculum has implications on the way teachers prepare lesson plan
South Africa has been experiencing different forms of environmental degradation. However, fewer studies reveal environmental topics coverage in the curriculum.
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8. RESEARCH PROBLEM
Le Grange (2013) argues that the previous South African curriculum such as Revised National Curriculum Statement, did not have environment as key component but it has created spaces to enable EE processes
Did the shift in the curriculum result in a major disparity between CAPS coverage of environmental topics and actual examination in the Further Education and Training(FET) phase?
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9. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The purpose of the study is to:
Analyse the coverage of environmental impact topics in the FET curriculum
Investigate whether there is any disparity between the coverage of environmental topics in the curriculum and actual examination in the Grade 12 exit examination.
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10. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
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SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Studies done before focused mainly on degradation of natural resource.
There is less discussion on the analysis of Environmental impact topics in the curriculum.
The study identifies and analyses the extent of environmental impact topics in the curriculum (CAPS).
This study focuses on whether environmental topics covered in policy document are well represented during examinations .
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11. METHODOLOGY
The phenomenon studied is the coverage and examination of environmental topics in the CAPS documents.
The focus of the study is analysing the extent of environmental impact topics in the curriculum.
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12. METHODOLOGY Qualitative case study Realist theory
Purposeful sampling used
Document analysis
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13. QUALITATIVE RESARCH PROCEDURE DOCUMENT ANALYSIS
SIZE OF THE SAMPLE
QUALITATIVE RESARCH PROCEDURE DOCUMENT ANALYSIS
LIFE SCIENCES
GEOGRAPHY
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES
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14. DATA COLLECTION PROCESS
CAPS DOCUMENTS
Total number of topics
Total number of environmental topics
Total number of environmental impact topics
Tuition time allocation for all topics
Time allocation for environmental impact topics
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15. DATA COLLECTION PROCESS
Past examination question papers
Marks allocated for environmental impact topics
Total marks of the examination paper
Past examination papers for Grade 12 from 2012 to 2015
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16. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS
CAPS DOCUMENTS
COMPILING
DESCRIPTIVE CODING
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS
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17. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS
PAST EXAMINATION QUESTIONS
COMPILATION
DESCRIPTIVE CODING
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS
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18. ANALYSIS AND INTRPRETATIONS
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19. ANALYSIS AND INTRPRETATIONS
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20. RESULTS OF THE STUDY (Life Sc)
YEAR
CAPS COVERAGE (%)
PAST EXAMINATION PAPER COVERAGE(%)
2012 8 10
2013 11
2014 6
2015
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21. RESULTS OF THE STUDY
Environmental impact topics have been well represented in Life Sciences in accordance with CAPS.
Geography has exceeded the 7% environmental impact topics stipulated in CAPS to an average of 12% coverage in the Grade 12 exit examination.
In Agricultural Sciences there is an average of 3% which is the same value as depicted in CAPS.
In some years is was discovered that the discrepancy between CAPS coverage and exam coverage was wide to a difference of about 5%.
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22. CHALLENGES OF THE STUDY
Some of the subjects CAPS documents did not specify the exact examinable composition of the different topics covered in the curriculum.
The study estimated number of weeks allocated for environmental impact topics against the total number of weeks for all the topics.
Some examination question papers are incorrectly coded in the website for the Department of Basic Education.
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23. CONCLUSION
The study reveals unequal representation of environmental impact content in the Grade 12 exit examination.
This discrepancy between CAPS coverage and exam coverage can have repercussions in the way teachers prepare learners for future examinations.
Life Sciences, exam coverage was in accordance with CAPS
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24. RECOMMENDATION
Further studies should be conducted to solicit how shifts in the curriculum have impacted teaching of environmental topics
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25. THANK YOU
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