Abstract
Background
The objective of this study was to investigate the opinions of science teachers in the two secondary schools in Johannesburg on the NOS before an intervention. Eight teachers in Life sciences (Biology), Mathematics, Natural sciences, and Physical sciences participated in the study. Participants responded to the following questionnaires: Views of Nature of Science (VNOS), Views of Nature of Indigenous Knowledge (VNOIK), and General Questions (GQ), to assess their views on the Nature of Science (NOS) and the Nature of Indigenous Knowledge (NOIK) at the beginning and at the end on a Short Learning Programme (SLP) on a topic entitled: " Indigenous Knowledge (and Inquiry Learning!) in the science classroom can it be done? Enriching Science Education through Indigenous Knowledge (IK)."
Study design
The study was conducted in two phases: the first, before an intervention, which aimed at the science teachers' understanding of the various aspects of the NOS and the NOIK. The second, after an intervention, examined whether there was a change (transfer) in the views of science teachers on the NOS and the NOIK and if this shift was reflected in their classroom practice. The main research question was: What are the affordances of a short learning programme in providing teachers with a more nuanced understanding of the Nature of Science?
The individual interviews were recorded and transcribed using audio-memos and Atlas.ti software. Participating teachers were interviewed individually to validate their responses to open-ended questionnaires, their concerns about the NOS and NOIK infusion into their teaching, their participation in the COP, and their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK).
The qualitative data provided by teachers’ questionnaires, interviews and classroom observations were triangulated and interpreted. The coding process used in vivo codes that were adopted directly from data. Categories, sub-themes, and themes emerged from the data.
Results and Findings
Pre-intervention results suggested that the majority of science teachers who participated in the intervention had limited or partially informed (PI) views of certain NOS, particularly the empirical nature, theory, and social and culture influences on NOS.
The post-intervention findings showed that the intervention did not significantly change the practices of science teachers on the empirical nature, myth, social and cultural values, and imagination and creativity on the NOS. Most science teachers had an uninformed (UI) view or partially informed (PI) view, while the minority held an informed (I) view of some tenets of the NOS and the NOIK, most likely because these science teachers had not been trained to the NOS and some had never heard of the tenets of the NOS.
Recommendations
It was recommended that extended interventions were needed, as well as well-functioning Communities of Practice (COPs).
M.Ed.