1. SAAEA 2019 Conference Agnes Mohale
The progression trajectory of Geography from Foundation Phase to Intermediate Phase in South Africa
SAAEA 2019 Conference
Agnes Mohale

2. Outline of the presentation
Background
Research purpose and question
Theoretical framing
Methodology
Findings
Conclusion
Recommendations 1

3. Background
Umalusi (the Council for Quality Assurance in Further Education and Training) is required by its founding Act (GENFETQA ACT 58 of 2001) to quality assure curriculum.
Research-based curriculum evaluation.
Curriculum evaluation may take place:
Introduction of new curriculum
Revision of an existing curriculum 2

4. Background continued
The 2011 amendment of the national curriculum to form the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS)
Why the amendment:
Recommendation of a 2009 ministerial task team –
National Curriculum Statement documents should be rationalized into a set of single, coherent documents per subject, per phase
specialists should ensure the continuity and coherence of the learning across all the phases 3

5. Background continued
Umalusi conducted a Longitudinal study which involved evaluation of 9 subject fields
Included the field of Social science (Geography is a subsidiary thereof)
The different stages in the longitudinal study
Evaluation per phase
Foundation Phase (Grade R to 3)
Intermediate Phase (Grade 4 to 6)
Senior Phase (Grade 7 to 9)
Further Education Phase (10 to 12)
Appraisal of the National Curriculum Statement (from birth to 4yrs)
Cross mapping of exit-level outcomes and entry level requirements across phases 4

6. Research purpose
The research reported on in this paper forms part of the longitudinal study in nine subject fields.
Specific reference is made in this paper of the transition trajectories of Geography from Foundation Phase to Intermediate Phase that is based on:
the inferred Exit-Level Outcomes identified for the Foundation Phase with
the Entry-Level Requirements determined for the Intermediated Phase. 5

7. Literature Review Research confirms the following:
continuity of progression ensures that learners mature intellectually (Beets & Le Grange, 2005)
continuity all the way through the learner’s trajectory (Nicolescu & Petrescu, 2014).
the greater the alignment… the more likely that children will be able to use knowledge gained in one setting to develop their learning in the other setting (O’Kane & Hayes, 2010).
includes aspects concerning the continuity of written curricula, the operational curricula and the assessed curricula (Nicolescu & Petrescu, 2014 6

8. Theoretical framing Bruner’s learning and cognitive theory
Knowledge construction is dependent on a continual process
What a child has already learnt lays the foundation for learning in higher grades
Learners develop complexity of thinking by integrating new experiences, observations and knowledge with what they already know and have experienced 7

9. Methodology Qualitative research Document analysis, e.g.
Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements
Umalusi evaluation reports
Evaluation teams comprised teachers, subject specialists, academics etc. 8

10. Findings: Life Skills
Social Sciences knowledge in the FP could be found in the subject Life Skills which expose learners to:
physical, social, personal, emotional and cognitive development;
creative and aesthetic skills and knowledge through engaging in dance, music, drama and visual art activities;
knowledge of personal health and safety;
understanding of the relationship between people and the environment;
awareness of social relationships, technological processes and elementary science. 9

11. Findings: Mathematical foundational skills for Geography
Specific areas of the FP work in Mathematics are useful for the Geography in the IP
The topic, shape and space,
different views of the same object;
read, interpret and draw informal maps or top views of a collection of objects; find objects on maps
follow directions from one place to another
The topic measurement - Measure length using ruler
Data handling - Collect and organise data; represent data in graphs; analyse and interpret data in bar graphs 10

12. Findings:Transition of content, skills and outcomes
Certain skills and concepts that are developed in the IP are first introduced in the FP
map work skills
concepts around spatial orientation,
concepts relating to water,
weather, settlements, seasons, environmental and resource management,
economic activities (farming) and services 11

13. Findings: Concerns about the transition to the IP
Likely to be unmanageable for most learners in terms of:
Language Learning and Teaching (LOLT),
the shallowness of concepts and assessment requirements.
Children who attend schools where the FP LOLT is English or Afrikaans, and who study English or Afrikaans as HL, will probably acquire the language skills needed for the transition to IP 12

14. Findings: Concerns about the transition
Where learners were taught in the FP in a language other than the LOLT being introduced in Grade 4, they would struggle to make the transition to learning Geography
The shallowness of the concepts
will disadvantage learning of Geography in the IP
Concepts and content supportive of the transition are mainly found in grades below Grade 3
dealt with in a basic manner 13

15. Findings: Concerns about assessment
FP - No specification of assessment in the Life Skills curriculum
IP - Programme of assessment and the weighting of marks across three cognitive levels are specified.
The CAPS suggests a range of activities which can be used as formal assessment tasks
Tasks would require a considerable amount of scaffolding for learners beginning to learn in English in Grade 4. 14

16. Conclusion Lack of depth in geography concepts in the early years
Difficult for learners to manage transition trajectories.
Bruner’s theory - what a child has already learnt lays the foundation for learning in higher grades
Even so echoing the literature:
There is evidence that exit-level outcomes for the Foundation Phase seem to be somewhat aligned to the entry-level requirements of the Intermediate Phase. 15

17. Recommendations
Grade 4 needs to be understood as a transition year into the learning of systematic concepts,
The focus in Grades 1 and 2
numeracy and literacy
Geography skills and concepts
Be introduced formally in Grade 3
Shift some work from the earlier grades to Grade 3
Subject-related aims should be more explicit in order to give direction to the teaching 17

18. Thank You!