Abstract
The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) envisages the development of a creative, innovative, good communicator, and problem-solving learner who can work well as an individual or member of a team. The inadequate teaching of high order skills, as purported by the CAPS can be inferred by the unsatisfactory performance of learners, particularly in questions requiring high order skills, in national and international studies.
It is hypothesised that the insufficient teaching of higher order 21st century skills, in implementation of the CAPS, is linked to how teachers exercise their professional agency. The ecological framework for elaborating agency was employed as the conceptual framework for the study and used as a lens to explain the stratified implementation of policies which mirror the history of the education system in the country, and play out in the current school quintiles.
Data was collected in five schools from one education district in the Gauteng province which were purposefully selected to represent quintiles 1 – 3 and two special needs schools. Intermediate Phase Life Skills teachers and departmental heads from the sampled schools, Circuit Manager, Subject Advisor and researchers formed the participants. Data collection instruments included an online questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, document analysis and focus group sessions.
The study established that agency to teach the 21st century skills through the Life Skills subject progressively increased from quintile 1 to 3 schools which reflects the socio-economic status and educational history of the country.
The Life Skills subject, despite its importance in the development of self – regulating, ethical and responsible citizens, is not prioritised in the country. The Department of Basic Education grouped many subjects to form the Life Skills subject and this compromised specialisation resulting in the sharing of everyday knowledge by untrained teachers. The Life Skills modules from different Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) which are responsible for the initial teacher training are inconsistent in terms of duration and content.
It is recommended that the study should be replicated with a larger sample size and over a longer period. Lessons can be learnt from similar studies such as the Critical Collaborative Professional Enquiry (CCPE) study from Scotland.
KEY WORDS:
21st century skills
Life Skills
Teacher Professional agency
School based teacher development