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Incorporating Technology Into the Lesotho Science Curriculum: Investigating the Gap Between the Intended and the Implemented Curriculum

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Incorporating Technology Into the Lesotho Science Curriculum: Investigating the Gap Between the Intended and the Implemented Curriculum INCORPORATING TECHNOLOGY INTO THE LESOTHO SCIENCE CURRICULUM: INVESTIGATING THE GAP BETWEEN THE INTENDED AND THE IMPLEMENTED CURRICULUM Litšabako Ntoi A Thesis submitted in Partial fulfilment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophiae in the Department of Education, University of Western Cape. Supervisors: Dr. Lorna Holtman, Prof. Svein Sjoberg, Prof. Meshack Ogunniyi Examination copy March 2007 INCORPORATING TECHNOLOGY INTO LESOTHO SCIENCE CURRICULUM: INVESTIGATING THE GAP BETWEEN THE INTENDED AND THE IMPLEMENTED CURRICULUM Litsabako Ntoi Key words Technology Science Education Curriculum Intended curriculum Implemented curriculum Curriculum development Lesotho Science, technology and society Technology as application ii Abstract The inclusion of technology in the school curriculum has been a concern in many countries following the 1990 Jomtien World Conference on Education for ALL (Jenkins, 1996). However, there are different perspectives and views about technology education. As a result technology has been included in the school curriculum in varied ways. In recognition of the importance of technology in economic development, Lesotho has attempted to include technology in the school curriculum by incorporating science and technology. This study evaluated the Lesotho science curriculum which incorporates technology. The evaluation study is based on the framework first proposed by Stake (1967). Stake’s model addresses the relationship between the intended curriculum and the implemented curriculum (Stenhouse, 1988). In this study the intended curriculum is defined as the curriculum plan as depicted in the curriculum materials such as the syllabus, the examinations questions papers and the textbook which was used as an exemplary material for teaching the science-technology curriculum. The implemented curriculum is viewed as what actually happened at school level as teachers tried to interpret the curriculum developer’s plan. Although Stake’s model served as a guide in the collection and analysis of empirical data, other theoretical areas supported it. These included Gardner’s (1990) approaches to the incorporation of science and technology; the constant comparative approach (Merriam, 1998); and some aspects of curriculum theory, particularly curriculum development and curriculum evaluation as espoused in the works of certain scholars (e.g. Ornstein and Hunkins, 2004; Stenhouse, 1988). The study was designed as a multiple-site case study (Merriam, 1998). The sites where in-depth study of the implemented curriculum was done were four high schools in Lesotho. The intended curriculum was mainly examined by analysing the curriculum materials such as the syllabus, the examinations question paper and the textbook. The methods that were used for collecting the data were interviews, classroom observations, document analysis, and the achievement tests. The results of the study indicate that the Lesotho science-technology curriculum strives towards the attainment of scientific and technological literacy. The approach to science and technology education that was envisaged was the science, technology and society approach (STS). However, the findings of the study suggest that the technocratic perspective to curriculum development and consequently the curriculum design model adopted by the curriculum developers, teachers’ perceptions of the science- technology curriculum, learners’ background knowledge and lack of physical facilities might have contributed to lack of success in the attainment of the goals of the Lesotho science-technology curriculum. iii In relation to the planned curriculum, the findings of the study show that the Lesotho science- technology syllabus has separated the sciences into biology, physics and chemistry and this contradicts the planned integration. In addition, the scope and sequence of this syllabus follows the spiral approach and it is based mostly on science content. Hence, the inclusion of technology is superficial. Furthermore, the vertical design adopted in developing the science technology curriculum does not seem to fit well with an STS approach. Hence, there is a mismatch between the syllabus objectives and the learning outcomes. The results of the study further indicate that there were no teacher training efforts geared towards the implementation of the Lesotho science-technology curriculum implementation. As a result teachers in the study formulated their own perception of science integrated with technology. Teachers perceived technology as the application of science. In their teaching they often used technology-as-an- illustration approach. In addition, they relied on learning outcomes for determining the competencies that learners needed to acquire by experiencing the science-technology curriculum. But the learning outcomes did not indicate the scope of treatment of different technological applications and artefacts. Consequently, they treated the technological applications at different levels of cognitive demand. Furthermore, learners’ background knowledge and lack of physical facilities were found to be a hindrance as teachers tried to implement the curriculum the way they perceived it. Consequently, on implementation, the science-technology curriculum was found to be essentially a science curriculum rich in technological applications not necessarily an integration of science and technology in one curriculum. iv Declaration I declare that Incorporating Technology into Lesotho Science curriculum: Investigating the gap between the intended and the implemented curriculum is my own work, that it has not been submitted before for any degree or examination in any other university, and that all the sources I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged as complete references. Full Name ………………………………. Date…………………. Signed……………………………………. v Dedication To my late husband-Thobei Ntoi vi Acknowledgements I wish to thank everyone who made it possible in one way or another for me to complete this Doctoral thesis. I owe the successful completion of this work to all Professors, Doctors and Doctoral students who have been involved in the Graduate Studies in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education (GRASSMATE) project. Their comments during the seminars helped in shaping my thesis. I am grateful to the (GRASSMATE) Project, administered by both the University of Bergen and University of Western Cape (UWC) for affording me the opportunity to pursue a Doctoral Degree. I further wish thank the Examination Council of Lesotho (ECoL) for grating me time to participate in GRASSMATE seminars. I wish to extend my appreciation to the Post Graduate Enrolment and Throughput (PET) Project staff including the writing coaches for all the support they gave me during the period of this study. Mrs Benita De Wet, Faculty of Education Librarian, is thanked for her assistance during this journey. I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to my advisors: Dr. Lorna Holtman, Prof. Svein Sjoberg and Prof. Meshack Ogunniyi. I particularly wish to thank Dr. Holtman my main supervisor, for providing professional guidance, assisting in shaping all the stages of my thesis and reading my drafts. I further wish to thank her for the support and arrangements she made for me to spend time at the University of Western Cape using the library. Without this opportunity it could have been difficult for me to complete my thesis. Dr. Holtman’s patience and understanding seemed inexhaustible throughout the period of my study. I wish to thank Prof Svein Sjoberg for reading several drafts of my work, for introducing me to the area of technology education, supporting me with sources of literature and providing expert assistance in the compilation of my thesis. His guidance and encouragement provided the determination and motivation necessary for the completion of this work. I am very thankful to Prof. Ogunniyi for believing that I could always raise my work to a higher level. I will always thank him for understanding when I lost one of the chapters of my thesis that he had already read. I am grateful to principals, teachers and learners of the schools which took part in this study. I want to thank my colleagues in the Ministry of Education Lesotho and other Ministries who gave me time to interview them. I am thankful to Mrs Mothebesoane and Mr. Masilo for reading and editing my work. vii My heartfelt gratitude goes to my children Mothae Ntoi and Maarasi Ntoi for the support and understanding they showed during my study. I wish to thank ‘Mampolokeng Matela for being a mother to my children as I pursued this study. Being a single parent I always needed somebody like her besides me. May God bless all those who made it possible for me to complete my Doctoral studies. viii Contents 1. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................1 1.1 BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................................1 1.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS .........................................................................................................6 1.3 ARRANGEMENT OF THE THESIS.............................................................................................7 2. LITERATURE REVIEW..........................................................................................................9 2.1 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................9
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