Transformational learning of physical science through service learning for sustainability
Tlali, Moeketsi Freddie
English: This participatory action research, conducted within the critical emancipatory theoretical framework, formulates a strategy to transform the learning of Physical Science such that it is sustainable. The mode of teaching in many schools currently, including the one where the study is conducted, is mainly teacher centred, traditional and not emphasising on making knowledge functional and transferable. This is a challenge to transformation of the learning of Physical Science such that it is more learner-centred, in keeping with the best practices internationally. This need requires teaching to emphasise knowledge which is responsive to real life needs of the learner and his/her community. In this study I identify and formulate the transformational strategy that is grounded in the use of service learning. This requires learners to provide a service to the community in response to its real life problems. This is in turn based on the theme(s) they are expected to learn as provided for in the Physical Science curriculum statement. I also show the importance of understanding circumstantial factors that make the service learning based strategy to work effectively. I identify potential risks and threats that could distract the strategy from its intended goals. I also show how to incorporate ways of anticipating and responding to them in the strategy itself. Finally the strategy is implemented to ascertain its applicability. This helps to find out whether it leads to sustained and better learning of Physical Science. Critical emancipatory research (CER) couches this study as a theoretical framework. Thus I illustrate how CER could assist the study to achieve its five objectives, namely; to explore the need for a transformational service learning strategy to make the learning of Physical Science sustainable, to explore what other strategies have been formulated before to transform the learning of Physical Science as envisaged, to understand circumstantial factors making the study to be successful as well as to implement the strategy to find out if it brings about the desired positive changes in the learning of Physical Science. Critical emancipatory research is also used as the perspective from which I define and understand important operational concepts in the study. From this perspective I then reviewed relevant and related literature which assisted me to develop constructs in order to make sense of the empirical data. This review included looking at best practices relating to making the learning of Physical Science to be sustainable, starting from South Africa, the Southern African Development Community (SADEC), the African continent and internationally. I then followed the participatory action research methods and designs to collect data. For analysis I used Van Dijk’s socio-cognitive discourse analytic procedures. This enabled me to operationalise the theory of critical emancipatory research. For instance, the participants were involved from the beginning through the various phases and steps of the study until its conclusion. Accordingly, I was the facilitator while the participants were co-researchers who drove and owned the research process. This was done in accordance with the theory that argues that people who have the problem are the same people who have the solution. As a researcher, I merely created appropriate contexts for the participants to discover and use the power they have to transform the teaching of Physical Science. As the outcome of this study the strategy entails; establishing a team; encouraging team members’ democratic and respectful reflections on the aim of their working together, through brain storming and information sessions; embracing practices that encourage them to contribute and debate issues as equals. These interactions led to the emergence of the vision and strategic plan detailing all priorities with the relevant and respective activities.
Afrikaans: Hierdie deelnemende aksie-navorsingstudie, gedoen binne die raamwerk van die kritiese emansipatoriese teorie, formuleer ’n strategie om die aanleer van Fisiese Wetenskap te verander ten einde volhoubaarheid te bereik. Tans is die wyse van onderrig in baie skole, asook die skool waar die studie uitgevoer is, hoofsaaklik onderwyser-gerig, tradisioneel en nie gefokus om die kennis funksioneel en oordraagbaar te maak nie. Dit is ‘n uitdaging om die aanleer van Fisiese Wetenskap so te verander dat dit meer leerder-gesentreerd is, en terselfdertyd tred hou met die beste internasionale praktyke. Hierdie behoefte vereis onderrig om kennis wat vatbaar is vir die werklike lewensbenodigdhede van die leerder en sy/haar gemeenskap, te beklemtoon. In hierdie studie identifiseer en formuleer ek ‘n verandering-strategie deur gebruik te maak van diensleer. Dit vereis van leerders om, in antwoord op werklike probleme in die gemeenskap, ‘n diens aan die gemeenskap te lewer. Dit is natuurlik ook gebaseer op die onderwerp(e) wat hulle veronderstel is om te leer soos voorgeskryf in die Fisiese Wetenskap- kurrikulumverklaring. Ek toon ook aan hoe belangrik dit is om omstandigheidsfaktore in ag te neem ten einde die diensleer-strategie effektief te benut. Ek identifiseer potensiële risiko’s en gevare wat kan verhoed dat die studie sy bepaalde doelwitte bereik. Verder toon ek ook werkwyses aan om die voorkoming van en reaksie op hierdie risiko’s en gevare te integreer. Laastens word die strategie geïmplementeer ten einde die toepaslikheid daarvan te bepaal. Dit sal ook aandui of dit wel lei tot volgehoue en effektiewe aanleer van Fisiese Wetenskap. Die teoretiese raamwerk wat hierdie studie ondersteun is kritiese emansipatoriese navorsing (KEN). Derhalwe dui ek aan hoe KEN hierdie studie help om die volgende vyf doelwitte te bereik, nl. om ‘n behoeftebepaling te doen t.o.v. ‘n veranderende diensleer-strategie om die aanleer van Fisiese Wetenskap volhoubaar te maak, ondersoek in te stel na ander strategieë wat voorheen geformuleer is om die aanleer van Fisiese Wetenskap te verander, die omstandigheidsfaktore wat die studie suksesvol maak te verstaan, asook die implementering van die strategie om te bepaal of die verlangde positiewe veranderinge in die aanleer van Fisiese Wetenskappe bereik is. Kritiese emansipatoriese navorsing is ook gebruik as die perspektief van waaruit ek die belangrike operasionele konsepte in die studie definieer en verstaan. Vervolgens het ek vanuit hierdie perspektief relevante en verwante literatuur bestudeer wat my in staat gestel het om werkwyses te ontwikkel ten einde die empiriese data te verstaan. Hierdie studie sluit ook ‘n ondersoek in na die beste praktyke om die aanleer van Fisiese Wetenskappe volhoubaar te maak, met Suid Afrika as vertrekpunt, asook die Suider Afrikaanse Ontwikkelingsgemeenskap, die Afrika kontinent en ook op internasionale vlak. Vervolgens het ek die deelnemende aksie-navorsingsmetodes en -ontwerpe gebruik om data te versamel. Ek het Van Dijk se sosio-kognitiewe diskoers-analitiese prosedures gebruik ten opsigte van die analise. Dit het my in staat gestel om die kritiese emansipatoriese navorsingsteorie in werking te stel. Die deelnemers was van die begin van die studie af betrokke, asook tydens al die fases tot aan die einde toe ‘n gevolgtrekking gemaak is. Ek het opgetree as die fasiliteerder terwyl die deelnemers opgetree het as mede-navorsers wat die navorsingsproses gedryf en eienaarskap geneem het daarvan. Dit is gedoen in ooreenstemming met die teorie dat die persone met die probleem, ook die persone met die oplossing vir die probleem is. As ‘n navorser het ek slegs geskikte kontekste geskep wat deur die deelnemers ontdek moes word en waarvoor hulle die mag waaroor hulle beskik moes gebruik om die onderrig van Fisiese Wetenskap te verander. Die uitkomste van die studie het die volgende strategie aangewys: stel ‘n span saam; moedig spanlede se demokratiese en gerespekteerde sienswyses ten opsigte van die doel van die samewerking, deur middel van breinstorm- en inligtingsessies aan; verwys na praktyke wat hulle sal aanmoedig om bydraes te lewer en oor sekere sake as gelykes te debatteer. Hierdie interaksies het gelei tot die totstandkoming van die visie en strategiese plan insluitend ‘n gedetailleerde uiteensetting van al die prioriteite ten opsigte van die relevante en onderskeie aktiwiteite.