Inseparable siamese twins for technology education teachers: technology process and technology product

Institute for Science and Technology Education (ISTE

Processes in Congruence to Emancipate Teachers: Technology Education and Action Research

The driving forces behind Technology Education (TE) are teachers themselves. Technology Education across Africa is a key part of improving human resource development. TE offers a variety of benefits for the African continent. These benefits include improving education and knowledge sharing, as well as increasing exposure to innovation in order to improve the living conditions of the continent's residents. If teachers are not equipped to teach TE as a process, the African continent will continue to show unacceptable results unless radical interventions are implemented. It is against this background that action research (AR) comes handy to emancipate TE teachers of five sampled schools from Mk1 Circuit in Limpopo Province of South Africa. AR was used as a means for radical interventions and it was implemented in South African schools. Some of the notable problems that contribute to the education crisis in South Africa are unqualified or underqualified teachers, large numbers of learners from disadvantaged backgrounds, inadequate delivery of infrastructure, incompetent teaching and poor learner results. The AR cycles and spirals activities of observing, planning, acting and reflecting manage to professionally develop TE teachers from low self-esteem of teaching TE to a remarkable increased TE didactic and pedagogic knowledge levels. The study was underpinned by Nash's Equilibrium Theory (NET) and guided by developmental action paradigm (DAP). Reflective questionnaires, non-participative observation and interviews were used to collect data. Action research with technology teachers manages to close the technology pedagogic content knowledge gap.Science and Technology Educatio

The teaching practice of senior phase technology education teachers in selected schools of Limpopo Province : an action research study

This is an Action Research (AR) study with the senior phase Technology teachers at selected schools of Limpopo Province. The study was motivated by the fact that Technology Education is a foreign concept to many teachers and a new learning area in school curriculum both nationally and internationally. This was exacerbated by the many educational changes that took place in South Africa in the last 18 years. These changes include the overhauling of curriculum, which was the strategic and symbolic change since the first democratic election of 1994, but followed by its review. Thus, a new curriculum known as Curriculum 2005 (reviewed twice already) was developed in which Technology was introduced as a new subject. These changes drastically affected Technology Education and teachers’ coping demands on both the subject content and pedagogy escalated. In this study, AR, a strategy for a systematic, objective investigation with Technology teachers’ who are un- and under- qualified to teach Technology was considered. The study aimed at establishing intervention strategies to empower and emancipate senior phase Technology teachers in Mankweng Circuit from the said challenges above. Thus, the study sought to address the question: How could action research intervention be used to improve the teaching of senior phase Technology teachers who are un- and/or under-qualified? The intervention strategies were implemented through the AR cycles in spiral activities of planning, implementation and observation, action and reflection, whose principles were operationalized to develop participants from the situations that they face in their Technology teaching contexts. The study was designed from both critical theory perspective and participatory paradigm. The following instruments were used as a means to gather data: observations, interviews, questionnaires, field notes, video recording of lesson plans and logs of meetings. The study managed to come up with guidelines to develop and kick start AR with teachers. From the ii findings an AR model was developed to emancipate the un- and under-qualified Technology teachers. Themes from the challenges and AR were used to draft a six weeks plan to empower incapacitated Technology teachers. This investigation was shaped by the initial reflection or preliminary study conducted with the participants called reconnaissance study which revealed specific challenges that Technology teachers encountered daily in their classes. These challenges were turned into the themes, which together with the findings from the preliminary study and interview reflection per cycle were used to design the intervention strategies for the next main cycle. The findings of the study from both the preliminary investigation (presented in Chapter Two) and main AR (presented in Chapter Five) reveal an improvement in the teachers’ understanding and implementation of Technology – they were emancipated to a greater extent from the challenges prior to the AR intervention and post the AR intervention. It is true that coming together as AR co-researchers was the beginning of Technology teaching practice problem identification; keeping together was progressive in Technology teaching; but working together remains our success in Technology teaching then, now and in the future – post doctoral studies.Curriculum and Instructional StudiesD. Ed. (Curriculum Studies

Exploring the challenges of senior phase technology teachers in limpopo province

The aim of this article is to report the gaps that were identified in the teaching of technology by senior phase teachers at Mankweng Circuit of Limpopo Province. This was done so that appropriate action research-based intervention strategies could be embarked upon to fill these gaps. A preliminary study as the first cycle stage of action research was instrumental in identifying these gaps. Observation, interview and questionnaire were employed in gathering data from the eighteen teachers of five sampled secondary schools. Data was analysed and the findings were coded into specific themes. The findings as themes revealed teachers’ incapacity in terms of their knowledge and teaching of technology in the areas of technology-specific teaching experience, technology lesson planning, technology assessment, level of internal and external support for technology teaching, resources for technology teaching and learning, technology curriculum policy interpretation and implementation, and teacher-learner ratio in a technology class. Some guidelines were developed as a means to help technology teachers in dealing with their teaching practice.Institute for Science and Technology Education (ISTE

Identifying Grade 8 and 9 Technology Teachers’ Areas of Need for Intervention in Limpopo Province

The aim of this article is to report the findings on the gaps that were identified in the teaching of technology by Grade 8 and 9 teachers at Mankweng Circuit of Limpopo Province. This was done so that appropriate action research-based intervention strategies could be embarked upon to fill these gaps. A reconnaissance or preliminary study as the first cycle stage of action research was instrumental in identifying these gaps. Observation, interviews and a questionnaire were employed in gathering data from the teachers from five sampled secondary schools. The findings revealed issues that have to do with technology teachers’ ability and capacity (knowledge on lesson planning, assessment, interpretation of curriculum policy and its implementation, resources) and those beyond teacher’ control (teaching experience, level of internal and external support, resources, tea cher-learner ratio). Identifying these gaps will help inform technology teacher practice about aspects of incapacity and intervention to be considered.Science and Technology Educatio

A reconnaissance study as a sine qua nonfactor for status quo change among senior phase technology teachers,

This article is based on a preliminary action research (AR) study conducted with selected schools in Limpopo. It intends to report on the progress made and research problem identified during the reconnaissance/preliminary study. The aim of this preliminary research is to ascertain whether the findings conform to the main research question of the overall research. The study focused on senior phase Technology teachers at four identified schools, who are teaching grades 8 and 9 in Limpopo. This investigation entailed the administering of a questionnaire, conducting interviews and engaging in an observation activity. This was a small-scale study, for fact-finding purposes, before the main rollout of AR commences. It was evident from the study that teachers lacked capacity to teach Technology as a subject. The teachers lacked Technology pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) and were not confident in engaging with practical activities, in their assessment of the learners and with compiling Technology learning programmes. These identified challenges serve as the main drive of the study. It is imperative to engage in an emancipatory paradigm or critical theory as a way to intervene in the challenges faced by Technology teachers.To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2015.1112144Science and Technology Educatio